The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora (CCI), was established in 1991 as an independent association of companies from the Stara Zagora Region. Its main goal is supporting the development of companies’ economic activity and representing and defending the employers’ interests. The Managing Board consists of the Chair – Oleg Stoilov and seven further members – Krasimira Sokolova, Alexander Paleshutsky, Yovcho Yordanov, Mitko Dinev, Mladen Stoyanov, Plamen Rusev, Svetla Apostolova, and Anelia Vasileva. The Supervisory Board consists 3 members – Encho Baramov, Valentin Valkov and Krasimira Chahova.
The Chamber works inside a network with 28 other regional employers’ associations within the system of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is the largest nationally-recognised employers’ organisation, incorporating more than 60 thousand companies.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora has a worldwide, long standing reputation for best practices in providing information and consulting services to entrepreneurs. The Chamber is much preferred by European organisations as a partner on joint projects in energy efficiency, ecology, business cooperation, and training activities and seminars, targeting entrepreneurs.
As part of a national representation of employers, CCI - Stara Zagora performs regular opinion surveys of companies in the region as regards business-related legislature. Thus CCI - Stara Zagora has been actively involved in the articulation of the legislative framework of Bulgaria’s economic life. Towards achieving its strategic objectives, the CCI’s leadership has developed a work programme, involving concrete activities and initiatives aimed at:
- improving the business environment in the region;
- attracting new investments;
- promoting export and helping Bulgarian companies in entering European and world markets;
- improving labour market conditions;
- enhancing company culture and competitiveness of the regional businesses.
CCI - Stara Zagora follows the policy of joint efforts for creating a better environment for entrepreneurship development. CCI - Stara Zagora actively works in partnership with regional and local government, other NGOs and with companies in the region.
In the framework of numerous national and international forums CCI - Stara Zagora is engaged in the promotion of the regional economy, history, culture, and tourism and of the investment opportunities that the region provides. The Chamber assists Bulgarian companies and organisations in their international business and project partners search. It also assists foreign companies starting to do business in Bulgaria. The Chamber maintains databases of EU and other international programmes and provides information to all interested parties.
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
- Maintaining Company Register at BCCI;
- Issuing and certifying Certificates for Origin, references and other commercial documents;
- Issuing and certifying business invitations for representatives of foreign business;
- Registration of Company prefix GS1 and generation of barcodes;
- Publishing of companies’ annual reports;
- Translation and legalisation of documents.
BUSINESS INFORMATION SERVICES:
Providing information about:
- European and national policies and legislation;
- Programmes for SME; EU Structural Funds; Framework Program 7 and other sources of financing;
- Business fairs, exhibitions and forums in Bulgaria and abroad;
- Energy efficiency measures and Renewable Energy Sources;
- Address information, statistics and marketing data; data from business information sources and limited access databases;
- Practices in product quality, standardisation and certification;
- Organising and conducting training courses and seminars;
- Publishing of Business Bulletins and assistance in business partners search; technology transfer and commercial agreements;
- Promoting companies in electronic media and newspapers, and other PR services.
CONSULTANCY SERVICES
- Conducting marketing surveys;
- Developing project proposals and business plans;
- Project management;
- Legal and foreign trade consultancy;
- Business management consultancy;
- Registration of inventions, utility models, industrial design, trade marks, etc.;
- Assisting the technology transfer and market realisation of research works - search of technology and business partners;
- Organising business delegations and missions abroad;
- Consultancy in Energy Efficiency;
- Consultancy and intermediary services in real estate;
- Resolving disputes by commercial mediation and with the Arbitration Court at BCCI.
The Chamber established and operates:
ENERGY EFFICIENCY CENTRE
The Energy Efficiency Centre supports enterprises in increasing their competitiveness by applying best criteria and standards in the area of energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy sources (RES).
The Energy Efficiency Centre:
- Assists in performing energy investigations and providing expertise;
- Assists in developing SME’s new EE and RES projects;
- Delivers expertise on technology transfers and know-how in EE and RES;
- Assists in EE and RES project co-financing under various national, EU and other international programmes;
- Organises training events and seminars on energy efficiency;
- Develops and maintains information databases on:
- related legislature and issues in Energy Efficiency and renewable energy sources;
- consultants in EE and RES;
- sources financing for EE and RES projects.
ECOCENTER
The Ecocenter was established in 2007 within the framework of the Partnership for Ecopolicy project, implemented with the financial support of the PHARE Program. It works as a focus point providing awareness-raising, coordination, and collaboration in all regional ecological problems. The Ecocenter performs the following activities:
- Registers citizens’ calls signalling ecological problems or events and informs citizens and institutions about the environmental situation in the region;
- Organises on-site visits to areas where environmental abnormalities have been detected by citizens and experts;
- Collects, processes and analyses ecological data, provided by the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Waters, Regional Inspectorate for Public Health Protection and Control, municipalities and other sources, about the environmental situation in the region;
- Initiates and organises public discussions and workshops on environmental impact analyses and assessment of particular sites of public interest;
- Produces and distributes information bulletins;
- Develops and assists in developing ecological projects.
NATIONAL VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE AT BCCI, STARA ZAGORA BRANCH
The centre works under license No 200212019 /26.07.2002, issued by the National Vocational Education and Training Agency at the Council of Ministers.
The centre organises vocational training courses in 106 subjects in 64 professions and conducts specialised training courses for both unemployed and employed people.
The Centre manages its own e-learning training system (www.chambersz.com/e-learning).
The centre implements various national and international projects which aim to help entrepreneurs find a qualified labour force; to provide access to vocational training; to facilitate the adaptability of managers, staff, and workers to fast changing economic conditions and to stimulate employment.
QUALITY CENTRE
The Quality Centre provides information and advice in the field of quality management systems, companies and products certification, conformity assessment of technical products, CE marking, etc. The centre has rich national and international databases and brings companies together with consulting and certifying organisations. It organises specialised training courses in quality, certification, and standardisation matters.
COMMERCIAL MEDIATION CENTRE
This is the first ever commercial mediation centre in Bulgaria working for out-of-court resolution of commercial disputes. The Centre delivers mediation services for fast and effective resolution of commercial disputes preserving in this process the good business relations between the conflicting parties. The Centre promotes commercial mediation, exchanges experience and cooperates with other relevant regional, national, and international organisations. 12 mediators registered in the Bulgarian Unified Register of Mediators collaborate in the Mediation centre.
PUBLISHING AND MEDIA CENTRE
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry releases each year the Economic Yearbook of the Stara Zagora Region, as well as a number of brochures and books, aimed at providing up-to-date and useful information about the regional economy, Bulgaria’s EU integration and related legislation; business and new investment opportunities; vocational training, etc.
The CCI - Stara Zagora releases periodical Bulletins with information on programmes and projects; sources of financing; business events; business partnerships and regional business information. The CCI - Stara Zagora maintains the Regional Economic Internet Portal at www.chambersz.com updated on a daily basis with economic news from the Stara Zagora region and Bulgaria. The site provides a wide range of topics and links to useful specialised Internet sources.
The CCI - Stara Zagora produces the economic programme Initiative, broadcast on Stara Zagora TV, which discusses good business practices and initiatives of interest and use to regional business.
The CCI - Stara Zagora initiated the establishing of a Regional Club “Health and Safety”. It aims at assisting companies to ensure conformity with Health and Safety at Work requirements.
The CCI - Stara Zagora is among the initiators and founders of the Community Donor Fund - Stara Zagora which actively launches and participates in various donation campaigns, funding social initiatives of community significance. The Fund turned into an effective instrument in motivating the regional business sector to realise its corporative social responsibility in solving regional social problems.
PROJECTS OF CCI - STARA ZAGORA
Enterprise Europe Network
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora is part of the largest European business support network Enterprise Europe Network involving 13 Bulgarian organizations. Started in 2008, the six year project is the main instrument of the European Commission to help SMEs to increase their competitiveness. The project is co-financed by the EC DG Enterprise and Industry and provides integrated business and innovation services to small and medium-sized enterprises. (For more information)
CHANGE
In September 2008, the project CHANGE was started with the financial support of the Intelligent Energy for Europe Program. As part of this project, the Chamber is partnering with the Eurochambers and the National Chambers of 12 EU member states in establishing a network of Chambers providing consulting services in the field of energy efficiency. The target is to advise 800 companies from all over the country in effective use of the conventional energy sources and for utilisation of renewables by the end of 2010.
European partnership for European Prosperity
Starting from April 2009, on going to August 2010, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora implements the project European partnership for European Prosperity (www.chambersz.com/res) in partnership with the administrations of the Italian Province of Terni and the district of Stara Zagora and financed by the Structural Funds Operational Program Regional Development. The project deals in the field of the renewable energy and aims to support the local authorities to realize their energy strategies. 
The project activities cover experience exchange with the Italian partners, developing RES energy potential assessment tool (REScan), establishing databases providing information and analyses of the RES energy potential in the municipalities in the Stara Zagora district, developing programs to support the use of RES for the period 2010 – 2015 in the 11 municipalities and a pilot project - feasibility study and a RES project in one of the municipalities. The analyzed results on the RES energy potential in Stara Zagora district would be of great interest for the private investors planning to implement RES projects on the territory of the region.
ECREIN+
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora is partner in a consortium of 13 EU Regions in the ECREIN+ project, started in January 2010 and to be finished in December 2012. The project is in the field of innovations, research and technology development and is co-financed by the EU INTERREG IVC program. The project objectives are a survey on “state-of-the-art” of the eco-industry framework on EU level, surveys and experience exchange in the field of policies and instruments supporting eco-innovation and eco-businesses and assessment of their impact and efficiency from the point of view of the SMEs. The project shall result in manuals and databases related to eco-innovation topics. The project team shall generate recommendations to be submitted to the EU Regions on adaptive policies and instruments supporting SMEs’ “green initiatives”.
EU policies for SMEs
In 2010 and 2011 the Enterprise Europe Network contact point at the Chamber of Stara Zagora together with partners from the Bulgarian Network will participate in the project EU policies for SMEs. The project is co-financed by EC DG Enterprise and Industry and aims to survey the SMEs’ opinions and recommendations on the impact of up-coming amendments in concrete EU horizontal and specific policies affecting their economic activities.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora is an associated partner in the project of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Increasing public intolerance of the informal economy in employment and insurance relations and preventive actions to limit these. The project is financed by the Structural Funds Operational program Human Resources Development via the European Social Fund. In 2009 the Chamber started a survey among 120 companies from the region with the aim of establishing the employers’ and employees’ awareness on the legislative regulations in force in the field of in employment and insurance relations.
Promotion of the joint tourist potential of Stara Zagora Region 
In 2009 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora succeeded in joining the efforts of local and regional authorities, the Regional Economic Development Agency, the Rotary Club, and a range of organizations and institutions dealing in the tourism sector around the idea of promoting the Stara Zagora Region as a sustainable and preferred tourist destination. The idea was formed into a local project implemented by the above organizations with the active support of the World Association of Travel Agencies WATA and the Travel Agency MIEL - member and Bulgaria’s representative in WATA. In October 2009, several forums have been organized in Stara Zagora and Kazanlak with the participation of the Executive Director of WATA Mrs. Christine Fournier, where the potential for non-traditional tourism provided in the region has been presented. Existing problems in the tourist sector and opportunities to solve them have been discussed during the events. The Chamber developed and launched a specialized web site www.stara-zagora.travel presenting the tourist opportunities of Stara Zagora.
Partnering in companies’ projects within the PHARE Program Human Resources development and promotion of employment.
In 2008 and 2009, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora and the Branch of the National Centre for Vocational Training at the Chamber were partners in the implementation of several company projects - Dinel OOD, Adax OOD, Alteya Trading OOD, SD Qualitet 21 - Genov, Genova & sie, and Rikoshet OOD realized with the financial support of the PHARE Program Human Resources development and promotion of employment. Within the project period 19 unemployed and employed people have been trained in the subjects Economy and Management, Office Manager, Cashier, and Computer Operator. Human resources development strategies have been developed for three of the above companies. The Chamber participated in the project information campaigns and the visualization of the activities of some of the companies, and developed web sites for two of them.
Social CCI’s projects
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora was a partner of The Samaritans Association in the implementation of the project Establishing a Center for social, health, and educational support for children at risk by developing a Social portal of the Stara Zagora region and by producing of a movie broadcast on the regional TV.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora 6000, 66, G.S.Rakovski Str.
Tel./fax +359 42 626297, 626033, 646194
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www.chambersz.com
