At a meeting in Parliament, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Roberto Azevedo and the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds and the Committee for Economic Policy and Tourism discussed the role of WTO as the only forum which unites the world trade nations and the opportunities for development of trade in the individual member sates.

The meeting was also attended by members of the Public Council at the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds.

It is important for me to be here in Sofia during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, said Roberto Azevêdo. MPs explained to him about Bulgaria’s desire to join the Eurozone. According to MPs, the country is among the EU member states with the lowest tax rates, which is an additional precondition for attracting investment. Roberto Azevêdo said that the level of internal taxation was a sovereign decision. With regard to accession to the Eurozone, the WTO Director General said he personally believed that Bulgaria had implemented the necessary reforms and had a good fiscal policy.

In the discussion that followed, Chair of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds Kristian Vigenin told Roberto Azevêdo that the development of digital economy was among the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Digital economy is in the portfolio of the Bulgarian EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel, which is an incentive for Bulgaria to make serious progress in that area, he added.

As an open economy, we have to develop trade, said Committee Deputy Chair Ivelina Vasileva. She added that apart from digital economy, green economy also had its future.

Chair of the Economy Policy and Tourism Committee Petar Kanev said that the Bulgarian economy was closely connected with the economy of the EU, because 70 per cent of the Bulgarian export went to the EU member states.

WTO Director General invited a parliamentary delegation to visit their Headquarters in Geneva, where they could discuss specific issues about the development of trade.