Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) is the organization of Bulgarian employers with the most extensive representativeness. Established in 1996, the Association has significant reputation in the business environment, the social partnership and the public area in general. Currently members of the Association are more than 80 branch chambers and associations and over 10 000 enterprises that employ over 500.000 employees and workers. BICA has a network of regional representatives, covering 2/3 of the municipalities in the country.

BICA is the only Bulgarian nationally representative organization of employers that is member of СЕЕР – European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing public services (www.ceep.eu) – employers’ organization and social partner of the European Commission in the last fifty years. With this membership BICA provides its members with the opportunity to participate directly in the process of formation of the European business environment and at the same time benefits from the experience and contributes to the Bulgarian socio-economic environment with the best practices of the European economic model. In 2011 a BICA representative was nominated for CEEP deputy-chairperson – the highest position held by a Bulgarian in the European social partner until that moment.

The activities of BICA are focused on the following priority areas: Industrial policy; Improvement of the competitiveness conditions and the competitiveness of SMEs; Policy for promoting and assisting the investments and R&D; Human resources’ policies and entrepreneurship; Promoting the export of Bulgarian commodities and services; Assistance in the development and implementation of optimal tax-insurance regime; Policy of capital markets development; Organization development and international cooperation, and education and strengthen the link between labour market and VET.

The Association provides information and technical assistance to its members for applying with projects that are aimed at improving the competitiveness of enterprises, improving the human resources’ qualification, innovations development, environmental protection, etc., as well as their implementation. Among the more significant achievements of the Association are the successfully implemented projects at national and international level in fighting informal economy and corruption, in the field of corporate management and corporate social responsibility in Bulgaria as well as in Europe.

BICA works actively for improving the labour conditions and creating jobs. BICA has a Centre for vocational training that actively operates for providing education and training to adults and is licensed by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET) in view of 35 professions and 52 specialties. It conducts trainings both for improving professional qualification and acquiring key competences. BICA also helps its members to train their staff.