A regular meeting of the Business Council in the Materials and Technology Sector was held

On 12.11.2022 at 14:00 in the town of. The activity is implemented under the project "Business Council - BC 6275" funded by the INTERREG V/A GREECE-BULGARIA 2014-2020 Programme, Subsidy contract № B6.3a.18/13.04.2021. The meeting was attended by 7 representatives of the sector from the border regions of Haskovo, Kardzhali, Blagoevgrad and Smolyan. The committed hall was technically equipped with multimedia, laptop, printer, microphone(s) and sound system, as well as information boards, banner and presentation materials, according to the requirements of the Communication and Publicity Manual of the Interreg V/A Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020 Programme. In addition, disinfectants as well as water, coffee and tea were provided to secure the coffee break of the event. The discussion started with a discussion of problems in the timber sector- from prices to shortages. In this regard, the serious shortage of raw materials was discussed, due to which the business is suffering huge losses and some companies are even considering withdrawing from this market. Those present unanimously decided that measures were needed to, on the one hand, reduce the pressure on business by providing the necessary resources and, on the other, to ensure the proper management of our forests. In this regard, it was decided to initiate a meeting for all stakeholders to discuss urgent measures in the short and medium term. The representatives of the sector expressed the view that Bulgaria has too restrictive regimes and legislation regarding forest logging compared to those in Europe. They pointed out that our country has huge amounts of forests, which are increasing annually, but at the same time, due to regulatory failures, the industry suffers losses and is forced to operate at reduced capacity, sometimes up to 50%. They also discussed the possibility of measures to tackle mechanised logging as the problems of labour shortages are worsening. All present were unanimous that all actions taken should be with care for the Bulgarian forest by ensuring its growth.