On December 7, 2023, Boyko Takov, PhD., in his capacity as the head of the National Contact Point (NCP) for responsible business behavior took part in the “Cooperation for Regional Development and Growth” forum. It is organized by the Diplomatic Institute and takes place in the period December 7 – 8, 2023, in the “Imperial” hotel, Plovdiv. The event was directly related to the OECD Guidelines on important topics affecting the economic spheres at the national, regional and local levels. The main goal of the forum was to connect representatives of the local government and institutions working in this field with businesses and professional associations. It took the form of analyzes and discussions regarding the economic needs and priorities of a specific region, with the opportunity to hear the voice of the people. The program covered four sessions: OECD – goals and progress, investment climate for regional development, energy strategy and energy security, horizontal topics.

The event was attended by: Georgi Angelov – Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth, Angelina Boneva – Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Petar Kraychev – Director General of the General Directorate “Bilateral Relations”, MFA, Isabel Shatri, Head of the Decentralization Department , finance and infrastructure”, OECD Center for Entrepreneurship, Frederic Meuris, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in our country, Mila Nenova – Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Plovdiv, Economic Association-Plovdiv and others.

The head of NCP Bulgaria and in his capacity as the Executive director of Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency, Boyko Takov, PhD. outlined the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct and their implementation in the entrepreneurial culture of our country. These guidelines are the only multilaterally agreed and comprehensive code of Responsible Business Conduct that governments have committed to promote by complying with a specific type of conduct. Moreover, implementing these recommendations can help businesses avoid or successfully address adverse impacts related to workers, human rights, the environment, bribery, consumers, and corporate governance that may be associated with their operations, supply chains for deliveries and other business activities. The head of the NCP also emphasized the commitments planned by the Bulgarian NCP until the end of 2023, as well as the good examples of the National Contact Points in Italy, France and Poland for resolving arising “disputes” through mediation.