The Migrant Crisis
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issue 162 september 2015 Analysis: The Lost Tourists Fuel Prices Play Member News: Ernst & Young: FDI into Europe Hits a New Record UniCredit Hosts Sofia Transformations Expo The Migrant Crisis American ChamberC hamber of CommerceC ommerce in Bulgaria BusinessB usiness Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area, Building 2, Floor 6, 1766 Sofia TTel.:e l .: (3(3595 9 2) 99742742 747433 FFax:ax: (3(3595 9 2) 99742742 747411 homepage:h omepag e: www.amcham.bgwww.amch am.bg e e-mail:-mail: [email protected] m cham @a mch am.bg editorial Dear Reader, Wouldn’t it be great if we could devote this first post-vacation issue of the year to the departing summer, to our oncoming fall work and the expecta- tions of a positive business balance for your companies? For better or worse, though, we live in the European Union, which is facing one of its largest public crises after the Second World War: the Refugee Wave (read Boyko Vassilev’s opinion on Page 8 and a historical review by Reuters on Page 4). Tens of thousands of refugees from conflict zones in Africa and Middle East have come knocking at the doors of the EU, looking for salvation, shelter and a better future. For the first time in decades the Union has no common solution for such a serious issue. Immigrant quotas that the European Commission has tried to request have been met with disagree- ment from member countries. The better-off Eastern Europeans have no desire to accept refugees, while the poorer ones – like Bulgaria – at least officially do not object, but have no means to do much. Just this year Italy and Greece have seen some 430,000 migrants from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Gambia, Nigeria, among other countries. The majority plan to continue north; however, an initially welcoming Germany and well-wishing Scandinavians cannot accept the entire refugee flow – and is this the solution anyway? Perhaps it is time for the EU to revive the so-called humanitarian passport of the United Nations, known from the 1950s and 1960s. This used to be a blue document with the UN’s logo on the cover, photo and information about its holders inside, which allowed thousands to move around the world after wars, crises and political repressions. Nowadays we can have a EU humanitarian passport with all the requisite data including biometrics, but most importantly with the EU country that will be considered a refugee’s host, his or her new homeland. This will allow for easier and safer transportation across the continent (by train or plane, not by foot or via the dangerous, deadly trucks); it will limit fraud and help reuniting families. It will make the refugees feel 2015 September Magazine AmCham Bulgaria accepted, it will give them the sense that they are safe and welcome. It will enhance their integration into the EU societies. Some among you may object that this is an undemocratic measure, a group labeling of sorts. Is it more democratic to leave downtrodden and forlorn victims of war and misfortune to wander around like scared animals? Or line up against the barbed wire on yet another border? What if the more impatient countries in the EU get fed up with the unrelenting crisis and start large-scale deportation operations? page Think about it. 1 Sincerely, Milen Marchev Editor-in-Chief contents AmCham Bulgaria Magazine is a primary forum for political and economic analyses, news, viewpoints as well as for the presentation of new business opportunities. The articles in the AmCham Bulgaria Magazine express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria. Publisher Writers: American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria Boyko Vassilev, Marina Tzvetkova, Business Park Sofia, Mladost 4 Area Mina Georgieva, Panayot Angarev, Building 2, Floor 6, Sofia 1766, Bulgaria Yuliana Boncheva Tel.: +359 (2) 9742 743 Fax: +359 (2) 9742 741 Advertising e-mail: [email protected] AmCham Bulgaria: www.amcham.bg Nadejda Vakareeva, [email protected] Editor-in-Chief AmCham Bulgaria Magazine: Milen Marchev Milen Marchev, [email protected] Deputy Editor-in-Chief The AmCham Bulgaria Magazine reaches a broad audi- Christopher Karadjov ence of AmCham members, leading US, Bulgarian and international companies, US and Bulgarian decision-mak- Senior Editor: ers, all AmChams around the world. Irina Bacheva Subscription is free of charge. If you would like to sub- scribe to AmCham Bulgaria publications, please contact ISSN 1312-935X the AmCham Bulgaria office. 2 AmCham Bulgaria Magazine September 2015 September Magazine AmCham Bulgaria amcham bulgaria Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria President Ms. Krassimira Chemishanska Amgen Bulgaria Vice President Mr. Alex Nestor Individual Member Contents Treasurer Ms. Petya Dimitrova Eurobank Bulgaria Members Mr. Plamen Zhechev Cisco Systems Bulgaria cover story Mr. David Butts CMS Cameron McKenna EOOD Ms. Diana Pazaitova Fama Consulting The Migration Debate . 4 Mr. George Brashnarov Nemetscheck Bulgaria Mr. Peter Lithgow Individual Member By Anne Hammerstad, REUTERS Mr. Sergey Koynov Forton International Mr. Solomon Passy Atlantic Club Bulgaria EXODUS: The Refugee Crisis Sets Mr. Venislav Yotov AIG Europe Limited (Bulgaria Branch) Ex-Officio Member Ms. Maria Galindo Senior Commercial Officer, Difficult Questions for Europe and Bulgaria . 8 U.S. Embassy Executive Director Mr. Valentin Georgiev By Boyko Vassilev 3M Bulgaria EOOD . AA KRES EOOD . Abbott Products EOOD . AbbVie EOOD . Actavis Bulgaria EAD . analysis Adecco Bulgaria ltd. ADM Bulgaria Trading EOOD . Advance International Transport EOOD . AES Corporation . AFA OOD . AGORA-IN Ltd. AIG Europe Limited (Bulgaria Branch) . AIMS Human Capital . Albena AD . Seaside Woes of Season 2015: ALD Automotive OOD . All Channels Communication . Alliance One Tobacco Bulgaria . Allied Pickfords Bulgaria . Alpha Bank Bulgaria . America for Bulgaria Foundation . American College of Sofia . American English Academy . American Research Center in Sofia . American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) . Amgen Bulgaria EOOD . Amway Dubious Cleanliness Romania Marketing Srl. Anglo-American School of Sofia . AON Bulgaria . APOLO Ltd. Architect Nikolay Mihaylov Galabov . Arexim Engineering . Ashtrom International Ltd. ASSESS Ltd. Association Srednogorie and Closed Beaches . .12 Copper Industrial Cluster . Astra Zeneca Bulgaria EOOD . AT Engineering 2000 Ltd. Atlantic Club Bulgaria . Atos IT Solutions and Services EOOD . Attica Media Bulgaria Ltd. August Research . Aurubis Bulgaria AD . By Marina Tsvetkova Auto Bavaria Ltd. Auxionize . AVON Cosmetics Bulgaria . AW-Tronics LLC . Axway Bulgaria EOOD . Baker Tilly Bulgaria . Balkan Star Automotive EOOD . Ballistic Cell Ltd. Baxter Bulgaria EOOD . BG Radio . BICA International Ltd. BMG Ltd. BMW Vertiebs GmbH - Branch Bulgaria . BNP Paribas S.A. - Sofia Branch Will Cheap Oil Stumble Bulgarian Plans . Bojinov & Bojinov . BOYANOV & Co. Braykov's Legal Office . British American Tobacco Bulgaria . Brown- Forman Bulgaria Ltd. bTV Media Group . Bulgarian American Enterprise Fund . Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation (BCAF) . Bulgarian Executive Search Association . Bulgarian Property Developments EOOD . Bulgarian-American for Domestic Production? . .16 Commission for Educational Exchange Fulbright . Bulgarian-American Credit Bank . BulPros Consulting JSC . Bulstrad Life Vienna Insurance Group . Business Intellect Ltd. Business Park Sofia EOOD . C3i Europe EOOD . CAD By Investor.bg R&D Centre Progress Ltd. Carat Bulgaria . Castello Precast OOD . Center for the Study of Democracy . CEZ Bulgaria EAD . Chaos Software ltd. Cheque Dejeuner Bulgaria Ltd. Cisco Systems Bulgaria . Citibank Europe Plc, Bulgaria Branch . CMS Cameron McKenna LLP - Bulgaria Branch . Coca-Cola Enterprises Services Bulgaria EOOD new members . .17 . Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria AD . Coface Bulgaria Credit Management Services EOOD . COLLIERS International Bulgaria . Comverse Bulgaria . Congress Engineering Ltd. Construction Management Group . Contitrans M Ltd. ContourGlobal Maritsa East 3 AD . Curtis / Balkan Ltd. DA TRAVEL . Dalkia Bulgaria EAD . Danailov, Auxionize Drenski, Nedelchev & Co. Delchev & Partners Law Firm . Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD . denkstatt Bulgaria OOD . Deutsche Bank AG . Devin AD . DHL Express Bulgaria Ltd. Diamed Ltd. Dimitrov, Petrov & Co. Djingov, Bojinov & Bojinov Gouginski, Kyutchukov, & Velichkov . Dobrev & Lyutskanov Law Firm . Dr. I.S. Greenberg Medical Center . Drujba Glassworks SA . Dundee Precious Metals Inc. DuPont Pioneer . EcoPack Bulgaria AD . Edenred Bulgaria DA TRAVEL . Ekoterm Proekt EAD . Ekotoi - Service Ltd. Ekzotika EOOD . EL-A-Project Ltd. Electron Progress EAD . Eli Lilly and Company . Eltrak Bulgaria Ltd. EMC Computer Systems Austria GmbH . Emerson Process Management . EnergoService AD . Engineeringservice Sofia Ltd. Enterprise Communications Group OOD . Garitage Investment Management EOOD EOS Matrix Ltd. EPAM Systems Bulgaria . EQE Control OOD . Ernst & Young Bulgaria EOOD . ESRI Bulgaria Ltd. Etap Adress . Eurobank Bulgaria . Eurohold Bulgaria . European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Holzindustrie Schweighofer EOOD (EBRD) . European Trade Center EOOD . Evrika Commerce Ltd. EVS Translations Bulgaria . Expat Capital . Experian Bulgaria EAD . FairPlay International . Fama Consulting OOD . Flying Cargo Bulgaria Ltd. - Licensee Siemens Healthcare of FedEx . Force Delta Ltd. Forton AD . Foundation Glob@l Libraries - Bulgaria . GAEA - Green Alternative Energy Assets EAD . Galardo Real Estate . Garitage Investment