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Amcham Annual Report 2015

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Design &DigitalPrintbyPrint.bg,phone:(+3592)4005000 www.amcham.bg December, 2015 December, International Local Cooperation Local Publications Policy & Advocacy Policy Business Meetings Membership Growth SOFIA, DECEMBER, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Report of the Board of Directors page 1 Key Performance Indicators 2015 page 3 Membership page 5 AmCham Events page 6 Events at Focus page 7 2015 Policy / Advocacy Report page 10 Comparative Analysis Budget 2015-2016 page 12 Аuditor’s Report 2014 page 13 Acknowledgments page 16 REPOrt OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR 2015 DEAR AMCHAM MEMBERS: On behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce Board Bank of America, Roderick Moore, Charge d’affaires, U.S. of Directors it is my pleasure to present you with our Embassy in Bulgaria and Daniel Mitov, Minister of Foreign Annual Report for 2015. Affairs. Over 700 members and guests joined both events. President Rossen Plevneliev awarded the Chamber with The information below highlights major events and initia- the honorary seal of the President of the Republic of tives for the Chamber in 2015 – our vigorous involvement Bulgaria. He underscored AmCham’s role in the establish- in advocacy and transparent lobbying, our devotion to ment of successful business models in the country. continuously working towards achieving a more sustain- able business climate in the country and our efforts in Among the Chamber’s pivotal projects in 2015 was the extending our network, within the country and abroad. top notch forum on the rule of law which was organized by AmCham Bulgaria, Confindustria Bulgaria and French- Year 2015 was outstanding for the Chamber and its mem- Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on May bers as we celebrated 20 years of presence in Bulgaria. 14th. The forum gathered together over 200 participants, th AmCham Bulgaria celebrated its 20 Anniversary on among them: government, judiciary, diplomats, business, th October 12 by hosting a roundtable discussion and gala legislators and media. Deputy Prime Minister Meglena dinner guided by the motto “Success is in Your Hands”. Kuneva, Minister of Justice Hristo Ivanov, US Ambassador Among the prominent speakers at both events were the to Bulgaria Marcie Ries, the French Ambassador Xavier President of the Republic Rosen Plevneliev, the Prime Lapeyre de Cabanes and Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Minister Boyko Borissov, Kenneth Hyatt, Deputy Under Embassy of Italy in Sofia Emanuele Pollio, Roberto Mascali, Secretary at the U.S, Department of Commerce, Joseph Executive Director, Confindustria Bulgaria, Stephan Quinlan, Managing Director & Chief Market Strategist, Delahaye, French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry were adamant that Bulgaria faces an urgent need to strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption. In the beginning of 2015 the AmCham launched a new initiative: M2M Executive Meetings, which offer a unique opportunity to meet fellow AmCham members at execu- tive level. Every meeting creates possibilities to expand the network of contacts, potential clients and suppliers of both parties. Three meetings took place so far that targeted the sectors of food and beverage, logistics and transportation, couriers, manufacturing, relocation and moving, agriculture, human resources, manufacturing. In order to facilitate contacts between Sofia-based busi- nesses and regional ones, the Chamber, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Commercial Service in Bulgaria, and the Municipality of Stara Zagora Chamber organised a roundta- ble in Stara Zagora. The opportunities for joint business proj- ects between the Stara Zagora Region and U.S. companies were presented at the roundtable entitled “U.S.-Bulgaria Economic Partnership for More Business Opportunities”. AmCham Committees were especially active during the year in advocating for members’ interests in sector spe- cific policy and legislative issues. They developed a series Report of the Board of Directors 1 of official proposals addressed to the Government for Health Care. The committee successfully partnered with improving the existing legislative framework in Bulgaria. AmCham EU and the US Embassy in Bulgaria. A joint initiative in key economic and social sectors was developed with the German-Bulgarian Chamber of In the past year AmCham had the pleasure of partner- Commerce (GBCIC), the Austrian Business Circle (ABC), ing with several other institutions, business organiza- the French-Bulgarian Trade and Industry Chamber (FBTIK) tions and bilateral chambers: the U.S. Embassy in Sofia, and Confindustria Bulgaria. the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, The Public Procurement and EU Funding Advisory the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Committee promoted transparency and equal access/ Confindustria Bulgaria and the Austrian Business Circle. participation in public procurement. The committee drafted many comments and proposals related to legisla- In conclusion, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I tive initiatives in the area of public procurement and PPPs would like to assure the AmCham membership that we and numerous proposals were taken into consideration will continue to work hard in 2016 to fulfil our mission and included in the new Public Procurement Act. and goals. We will strive more than ever to maintain a high level of engagement within our membership and to The Energy and Mineral Resources Committee drafted focus our activities on matters of importance to you, our position papers related to legislative initiatives and members, based on your input and constructive feedback. amendments, e.g. KEVR’s decisions regarding payment of renewable energy tariffs; Open Letter on the role of KEVR Our achievements would not have been possible without for the stability of the Bulgarian Energy System, etc. the continuous support and trust shown by our members over the years, the partnership we have with the U.S. The Human Resources Committee provided a platform Embassy and the U.S. Commercial Service and the com- for exchange of human resources’ best practices and mitted work by the AmCham Office team. trends related to the latest amendments to the Labor Code. Experts were invited to explain details regarding On behalf of the Chamber, I would like to sincerely thank the new Labor code amendments and the immigration you for the vote of confidence and I look forward to con- rules for employment of foreign personnel and blue cards tinuing our productive cooperation in the years ahead! procedures. The committee formulated positions related to improvement and modernization of the labor legisla- tion, namely the introduction of more flexible forms of employment. Sincerely, Healthcare Committee dealt with priority issues as health- care system financing, access to innovations, clinical trials, e-health, workforce development and retention, business ethics and anti-corruption practices. The committee rep- resentatives had meetings with the Minister of Health, Krassimira Chemishanska, representatives of the Supervisory Board of the National President Health Insurance Fund, and representatives of Stanford American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria 2 Report of the Board of Directors AMCHAM KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2015 KPI 2015 2016 Description Plan/Actual Plan MEMBERSHIP 304 / 323 323 Period 01-11/2015 EVENTS Conferences and 4 / 4 2 Roundtable with EBRD – Transition Report 2014 – Feb 3 Roundtables Stara Zagora Business Mission with US Embassy – Mar 12 Rule of Law Conference with Confindustria and French Chamber – May 14 20th Anniversary Conference – October 20 Business 8 / 13 8 Member-to-Member Executive Meetings – April 28, June 17, Nov 9 Meetings – Business Luncheon with Prime Minister – B.Borisov – 30 Jan Luncheons, Breakfasts & Business Breakfsat with AUBG – 16 Jan General Business Breakfast with Auxionize – 22 Jan Assembly Business Breakfast with PWC – Feb 6 Business Breakfast with IDC – Feb 26 Business Breakfast with AON – March 20 Business Breakfast with Deloitte – June 23 Meeting with the Plovdiv Munipality – Sept 17 Business Breakfast with AIG – Nov 18 General Assembly – Dec 8 Big Social / 5 / 4 4 AmCham Ski Tournament – March 7-8 Sports Events Independence Day Celebration – July 4 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner – Oct 12 Thanksgiving Community Dinner – Nov 24 Networking 6 / 6 6 Business After Hours with Unicredit – Jan 27 Receptions Business After Hours with Penkov, Markov & Partners – Feb 19 Meet New Members Party, March 24 Business After Hours with EVS – May 26 Meet New Members Party, June 9 Summer Party with German and French Chamber – June 25 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Events / Projects 4 / 3 4 AmCham EU Brussels Briefing & Transatlantic Conference – March 18-19 AmChams in Europe Transatlantic Conference, San Francisco, Washington DC – May 24-June 4 AmChams in Europe Best Practices Conference, Italy – September 30 – Oct 4 Key Performance Indicators 2015 3 KPI 2015 2016 Description Plan/Actual Plan LOCAL COOPERATION Events / Projects 2 / 6 4 Capital Meeting with the Government – Jan 20 AON Best Employeers Study & Awards BCAF/AmCham 100 Jobs Project OSAC Events with the US Embassy Global Compact Network "Proud with my parents' work" Top ICT Employer, JobTiger & ICT Media PUBLICATIONS AmCham Daily 5 days per week AmCham Magazine 10 issues, 24/28 pages Yearbook 2015 500 copies, A4 Visit Europe Guide – Bulgaria, Chezh 6 issues per year Republic, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine COMMITTEES 4 / 2 4 Human Resources Committee 3 / 2 4 Healthcare Committee 5 / 4 5 Public Procurement
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