Actualités • Interview
Entretien du président de CCIFB, Stéphane Delahaye, pour le magazine Banker
Mr. Stéphane Delahaye, what is the main mission of The French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry?
The CCIFB is an integral part of the CCIFIs represented in 95 countries around the world. In total, more than 120 CCIFIs work on a daily basis to assist and support the business and economic activity of their members. In total, the CCIFIs around the world have 40 000 active members.
In Bulgaria, our CCI has over 300 members and in 2025 we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary.
Our dynamic team of 5 permanent staff run our organization on a daily basis. Our members have a wide and varied range of requirements, considering the fact that our members include mono-companies and multinational groups with thousands of employees based in France and Bulgaria.
We help them, for example, to set up in Bulgaria, host them in our incubator, recruit staff, find offices, find land, build a factory, represent them in dealings with the authorities and the government and much more.
As you know, we represent more than 10 000 employees and we have a direct contact with various government institutions.
I'm delighted that we are working with our Embassy, our Ambassador and all his departments on a daily basis. Together we form the real French Export Team.
It's the same with the other bilateral CCIs; we're stronger together, we who have shared the same joys and sorrows for so many years.
To which sectors of Bulgarian economy the French business shows the most serious investor’s interest? What is the approximate amount of French investments in Bulgaria?
We are mostly represented in the industrial sector. Schneider Electric, the largest semi-conductor factory in Europe, Solvay Sodi, Latécoère, world leader in aircraft doors and wiring, Linamar, world leader in the manufacture of engine collars, Veolia, which manages the water in the capital, and Akuo Energy with its dams.
We also have a number of extremely successful and dynamic SME/SMIs throughout the country. Franciamet, corrugated sheet metal, Monea which manufactures alternators and starters, Akwel in Stara Zagora, Serta in Kardjali, and numerous companies in the textile sector.
The services sector is also represented: BNP Paribas, Groupama, as well as the agri-food sector with Nasekomo in food tech, Soufflet and Lactalis.
The total volume of French investment in Bulgaria exceeds 2B EUR, and has excellent prospects for growth with the opening of the Sofia airport concession.
What would you advise French companies that are exploring the possibility of investing in our country?
I'm trying to communicate the attractiveness of Bulgaria. Attractiveness in terms of the country, the climate, security and quality of life, the quality of the workforce, the distance of 3 hours from Paris and last but not least a favourable tax regime.
But my first piece of advice would be to study or set up in the country properly. The declining demographic curve means that there is already a shortage of labour in certain regions that are close to full employment.
Contact with local councils and administrations is often the key to whether or not a foreign investor will be successful. It is important not to underestimate this part of the relationship and to rely solely on the institutional contacts made in the capital.
The French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is one of the most active business organizations. What are the next big events You have planned?
Our next big traditional event will be to celebrate the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau in Sofia on Thursday 21 November. The entire local business community, of all nationalities, as well as government and administrative representatives, will be present as usual.
To my knowledge, this is the biggest business event in Sofia, with around 2,000 guests. If we don't limit the number of invitations, we could even have more than 4,000 people!
In 2025, we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the CCIFB. A number of events will be held to mark the occasion, both in Bulgaria and in France, in collaboration with the two embassies in Sofia and Paris, to further boost investment between the two countries.
You also conduct a lot of trainings, to which of them do You register the most serious interest?
We have developed specific trainings in order to respond to the needs of our members: business French courses for beginners and advanced, leadership skills trainings, how to do business in France sessions, we envisage also to start a networking training skills course and public speaking trainings.
Nobody has a crystal ball to predict the future, but how do You think the EU will develop in the upcoming decade?
It's a difficult question and no one has the answer. But my view is: We are stronger together and the EU is our common treasure. All the countries must work together for the happiness and survival of future generations. In terms of defense, education, health, economy, finance, everything. We also need to make the European bureaucracy leaner and more efficient, in particular to make it more comprehensible to all our citizens.
The EU's contribution to and for Bulgaria has been considerable, but I'm not sure that it has been correctly perceived by Bulgarian citizens.
As you can see, I am a convinced European and I believe that the EU is our future.
