Image: DANIEL MIHAILESCU (AFP)
Bulgarian entrepreneurs have called on their compatriots to boycott Austrian goods and services. The industrial association AIKB in Sofia based its appeal on Wednesday with Austria’s resistance to the abolition of border controls at the Bulgarian land borders. The association complains that this leads to losses running into billions.
Bulgaria, like neighboring Romania, is scheduled to join the border-free Schengen area on March 31, 2024 with only its air and sea borders. A decision will be made later on whether to lift controls at the land borders.
“If one in four people who have used Austrian goods and services no longer use them, this would lead to a quarter of the sales of these companies falling,” said AIKB boss Wassil Welew on Wednesday. This will not lead to the bankruptcy of these companies or to the dismissals of employees, but will encourage Austrian companies to work more actively for a common solution, said Welew.
A number of large Austrian companies operate in the southeastern EU country Bulgaria – including EVN, Raiffeisen, OMV, Vienna Insurance Group, UNIQA, Wienerberger and Telekom Austria. There were also calls for a boycott of Austrian companies in Romania.
You can read more about the topic here:
- Because of Austria: Bulgaria is tightening border controls
- Relaxation of Schengen veto: Austria confirms agreement with Romania and Bulgaria
more from economics
