Bulgaria's Chamber of Builders (CCB) and Confindustria Bulgaria signed a cooperation memorandum in Sofia today, agreeing to work more closely together and help firms from both countries find business partners across the border. Engineer Lyubomir Kachamakov, chairman of the CCB's governing board, and Nunziante Coraggio, chairman of Confindustria Bulgaria, signed the document, the Chamber said.

Kachamakov said the chance to team up with Italian colleagues is good news for Bulgarian builders. He said the CCB has more than 8,000 registered companies working on the Bulgarian market, with some also operating abroad.

Coraggio said the memorandum is not just a wish for success but a real chance for firms from both countries to break into each other's markets.

The goal, the CCB explained, is for the two industries — Bulgarian and Italian — to swap experience and know-how. The two organisations will highlight good examples from the sector and success stories. By signing the memorandum, the CCB and Confindustria Bulgaria want to make it easier for companies to get in touch and open up new, more modern ways for firms from both countries to connect with each other.

At the meeting, representatives of the two organisations discussed various issues facing the industry and how they are tackled in Bulgaria and Italy. The CCB was also represented by deputy chairmen engineer Zhivko Nedev and engineer Blagoy Kozarev, honorary chairman engineer Iliyan Terziev, and the Chamber's executive director, Kapka Asenova. On the Italian side were Giovanni Martinelli, deputy chairman of Confindustria Bulgaria, Andrea Conto, chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Group at Confindustria Bulgaria, and young construction entrepreneurs from Lombardy who are visiting Bulgaria.

The idea for the memorandum was born in February, when Kachamakov and Francesco Piccolo, deputy chairman of the Italian industrial association in Bulgaria, agreed that the CCB and Confindustria Bulgaria should work together on issues facing both industries. At the time, the Chamber said the two organisations would soon sign a deal for closer cooperation — something that happened today.