Strategies of the Development of Entrepreneurship and SME

as with all non-governmental organizations. Parallel to this the Association provides variousservices to its members like training and qualification raising for managers, informationservices, marketing studies, development of business plans and investment projects, tax,accounting and legal advise, consultations in borrowing applications etc.• Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI)The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry offers a wide range of services tocompanies like registration of foreign trade operations, consultations on foreign trade regimes,tax and finance consultations, preparing of quotations, assistance for visa issues for businesstrips, issue of ATA carnets. BCCI is particularly active towards integrating Bulgarian business inthe country’s EU integration processes.• Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA)The Bulgarian Industrial Association supports, encourages, and represents the interests of itsmembers, and at the same time it works for the development of international economiccooperation. It is based on the principles of voluntary membership, independence and selffinancing.The Association works for the promotion of ethics in business relations.• Bulgarian Association of Regional Development Agencies and Business Centers(BARDA)The Bulgarian Association of Regional Development Agencies and Business Centers was set upon 1 July 1997 by 7 agencies for regional development as a uniting organization of independentregional agencies and business centers to assist small and medium-sized enterprises andregional development in Bulgaria with the support of EEC/ILO/GOPA. Currently BARDAcomprises 33 agencies and business centers (18 regular and 15 associate members) located inall regions throughout Bulgaria. It works in close contact with the government and other publicand private organizations on issues related to regulatory framework on small and mediumsizedenterprises, competition policies, regional development, investment policies, support tobusinesses, restructuring of production etc.• National Chamber of Crafts (NCC)The National Chamber of Crafts was established in 1998 by national and regional branchorganizations with the objective of coordinating and implementing a common policy among itsmembers, giving opinions and proposals to competent institutions and participation inregulations drafting, assistance in vocational training and qualification of craftsmen andpromotion of the prestige of crafts, facilitating links among its members and government andpublic bodies in national and international terms.The Law on Crafts regulates the status of the NCC127. The amendments to the Law on Crafts,promulgated in SG, issue 10/2006 refer to the order of entering craftsmen into the Register ofCraftsmen by the Regional Chambers of Crafts, the judicial control on the decisions of theNational Chamber of Crafts and the Regional Chambers of Crafts as well as the administrativeand criminal responsibility of violators of law.A number of research centers and institutes from the non-governmental sector work insupport of SME. The most active are:• Center for Economic Development (CED)• Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development (FED)• Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC)• Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD)• Institute for Market Economy (IME)• Economic Policy Institute (EPI)34