Economy Minister Meets with Austrian Business People to Discuss Public Procurement Legislation

Bulgarian Economy Minister Bozhidar Loukarski told Austrian business people on February 24 that the Public Procurement Act is perhaps the most frequently amended piece of legislation in Bulgaria, which creates a sense of uncertainty, the Economy Ministry reported. Loukarski expressed hope that an all new Public Procurement Act will become a fact in the second half of this year and will no longer be amended.

The Economy Minister had a meeting in Sofia with the Austrian Business Circle, an informal gathering of Austrian firms doing business in Bulgaria. The business executives raised questions about what they see as flaws of public procurement legislation in this country.

The new bill is being drafted by a working group headed by Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policy Tomislav Donchev, Loukarski said. He encouraged the Austrian employers to make proposals on the matter.

Building an electronic public procurement system is a major priority of the Economy Ministry and is one of the measures to curb corruption and raise the confidence of international companies in Bulgaria, Loukarski said.

He presented the Economy Ministry's plans about tapping the full potential of Bulgaria's trade, economic and investment relations with Austria and other leading partner countries. He noted that Bulgaria has gained an advantage as a result of the unstable situation in neighbouring Greece, which has caused investments to be rechannelled to Bulgaria.