The Economic and Social Council has a number of acts with specific decisions that concern responsible business behaviour, said the Council’s chairwoman Zornitsa Rusinova, who participated in the opening of an event on “Responsible business behaviour – the path of the entrepreneur”. The forum was organised by the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises as Bulgaria’s National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct and focused on topics such as the role of the state in creating the right environment for this, the entrepreneur’s path and the financial opportunities from which businesses could benefit.
To support businesses in implementing the principles of responsible business conduct, the OECD has established a mechanism – National Contact Points (NCPs) in member and acceding countries such as Bulgaria. The main objective is to raise awareness of good business practices among Bulgarian enterprises.
“The recommendations of ESC are to take concrete measures regarding the informal economy, the improvement of the economic environment, the digitalization and modernization of education, the labor market in the context of artificial intelligence, etc. One of the horizontal themes of the Council relates to the general regulatory framework in relation to business, administrative burdens, the particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises in these difficult transitions towards a greener economy and digitalisation,” said the chair of the advisory body.
Last year ESC adopted a Resolution covering all elements of Bulgaria’s roadmap as an OECD member. The first emphasis I can highlight in our recommendations is the political stability and sustainability of certain policies, which is crucial for the implementation of the steps related to our OECD membership, Zornitsa Rusinova further said.
Implementing an anti-corruption framework that meets the requirements for OECD accession and improves public confidence and the investment climate, strengthening social security at all levels of society and promoting fair pay policies are just some of the recommendations made by the advisory body.
These include improving tax collection and reducing the informal economy, including digitising transactions and improving compliance measures. The grey economy is also the subject of an opinion that ESC is preparing and will consider in plenary in 2025.
The event was also attended by the Deputy Chairman of ESC and Secretary General of the Industrial Capital Association in Bulgaria Assoc. Milena Angelova. She presented to the forum a survey on the question “Are small and medium-sized enterprises ready for the transition to sustainability? Green skills needed”.
“The aim is to focus support and information on those sectors and those deficits in those sectors where we can be useful, so that with the least effort and resources we can help small and medium-sized enterprises in the transition to sustainability. The green transition is not a distant future, it is happening now. Without SMEs, the green transition is impossible, they are the least vulnerable, the least prepared and our role is to help them”, said Assoc. Angelova.
PHOTOS: Anton Krastev
