Glavbolgarstroy shared the perspective of the private sector

Vienna, Austria

Under the title "Continuing to Build Economic Bridges in Difficult Times," the 20th edition of the Vienna Economic Forum brought together the private and public sectors in the Austrian capital to discuss issues related to building missing infrastructure, ensuring better connectivity, energy independence, development of digital technologies, and innovation. During the event, Kalin Peshov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Glavbolgarstroy Holding, shared the business perspective on the topic.

Earlier this year, Glavbolgarstroy and the Vienna Economic Forum signed a cooperation agreement, within the framework of which the forum opened its representation in Sofia.

The jubilee edition of the forum was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Maria Gabriel, Ambassador Dr. Elena Kircheva, Founder and Secretary-General of the Vienna Economic Forum, the President of the Forum, Ambassador Viktor Jakovic, Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, the President of the Marmara Group Foundation Dr. Akan Suver, and the Chairman of the Management Board of Glavbolgarstroy (GBS), Kalin Peshov.

In the session dedicated to "Economic and Financial Stability - Challenges and Responsibilities on the Road to Europe," the Chairman of the Management Board of GBS touched on some of the hot topics and challenges facing the private sector in Europe, such as rising energy prices, the lack of workforce, and the retention of qualified personnel in the countries of the Balkan region. According to him, in addition to inflation and the high cost of energy, which undoubtedly have a significant impact on businesses, it is essential to address the problem of the availability of trained specialists and the provision of a skilled workforce. "Europe is raising a whole generation that doesn't have established work habits and doesn't know what it means to get up at 06:30 in the morning and go to work." He emphasizes that this could prove to be a serious problem in the future for the normal functioning of society.", Peshov said.

At the special "Alpha" session of the forum, the topics of deepening economic cooperation in the region of South-Eastern Europe, as well as the process of EU enlargement, were discussed. Participants in the discussion included the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Academician Nikolay Denkov, the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, and others.

On the previous day of the forum and within the framework of its official opening, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of GBS also paid special attention to the topics of the lack of infrastructure connectivity in the region and the difficult trade and exchange of goods. According to him, these issues are also the result of the unfinished process of integrating the countries from the Western Balkans into the EU, as well as the refusal to accept Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen Area. He noted, "The accession of the two countries to the Schengen area will have a tangible effect in terms of the provision of services, the supply of goods, and the mobility of workers in cross-border regions, positively affecting both the construction industry and the private sector in general."