As part of Bulgaria’s chairmanship of the Three Seas Initiative (3Si), Bulgaria will also host a Business Forum in conjunction with the Three Seas Summit July 8th to 9th, 2021. The Business Forum will include meetings between the Chambers of Commerce, innovation agencies, and investment agencies of 3SI participating states, as well as parallel businesses’ meetings. The Business Forum has four separate panels on energy, innovation, transport, and digitalization, as well as a special panel focusing on the 3Si Investment Fund.
As the National Three Seas Initiative Coordinator for Bulgaria, Minister of Economy Kiril Petkov emphasized the importance of the Initiative and the opportunities it creates for Central and Eastern European countries. “I hope that the project proposals from Bulgaria will be innovative. The idea is that along with the current 3Si priorities – transport, energy, and digital connectivity – we are adding a fourth panel in the Business Forum, namely “Innovation.” I believe that it will be a new direction,” added minister Petkov. He also commented that the focus should be on innovations, digital technologies, and start-ups. These efforts should be focused on opportunities for business deals between small and medium-sized Bulgarian companies and their potential clients or providers.
"The Three Seas Initiative originated as a tool for achieving more effective regional cooperation, accelerated economic growth, and real social and economic cohesion between Eastern and Western Europe. We are working together to make our region much more attractive for investments and to young people. That is why we need concrete, practical actions. Providing a platform for business cooperation is a key instrument of the Three Seas Initiative, which will stimulate digitalization, the search for smart and modern solutions in the industry, as well as attracting of new large-scale investments," said President Rumen Radev who this year hosts the summit.
“The region between the Baltic, Adriatic, and Black Seas has huge potential, great people, and business leaders with visionary acumen. These are critical factors for sustainable growth and development. This region needs fresh capital to fuel new trans-border innovative projects of mutual benefit. That is why AmChams in the 3Si region should cooperate with governments, investment funds and entrepreneurs to unlock this potential for a great future together. We at AmCham Bulgaria are glad to cooperate with so many stakeholders and institutions in making the 2021 3Si Sofia Business Forum a success for all and an important step forward in the 3Si Initiative,” says Olivier Marquette, AmCham Bulgaria President.
The Goals of the Business Forum are:
§ To promote 3Si as an instrument for attracting new investments in Central and Eastern Europe to fund trans-border projects of strategic importance in energy security and diversification, transport, and digital connectivity.
§ To stimulate industrial cooperation and the creation of direct contacts between businesses from 3Si countries in innovation, new technologies, and R&D and create opportunities for well-qualified and educated young people in Central and Eastern Europe.
§ To support the creation of an attractive investment and business climate, based on free market principles, transparency, and competitiveness to attract fresh investments and private capital to the region.
The business forum will provide excellent opportunities for participants to get acquainted with the latest market trends in the panels (energy, transport, innovation and digitalization), as well as to learn more about the Investment Fund of the Three Seas Initiative and the requirements for projects.
The online platform of the initiative also provides opportunities for communications and online business meetings between all registered participants.
The Three Seas Initiative was established in 2016 at a meeting between member countries’ presidents’ in Dubrovnik, Croatia. After October 2020 in Tallinn, President Rumen Radev accepted the honor of hosting the Three Seas Initiative from Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid. Since then, Bulgaria has coordinated the upcoming summit with the 12 countries located between the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas.