National participation in the International Food and Beverage Exhibition ANUGA 2023

The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) is pleased to invite you to participate as an exhibitor at the national stand at the International Food and Beverage Exhibition ANUGA 2023, which will take place from October 7 to 11, 2023, in Cologne, Germany.

The participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in ANUGA 2023 is organized and funded with funds from Project BG16RFPR001-1.002-0001 "Implementation of measures to internationalize Bulgarian SMEs by supporting the activities of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency" under the "Competitiveness and Innovation of Enterprises" Program 2021-2027.

ANUGA is held once every two years and is the largest and most renowned exhibition in the world in the field of the food and beverage industry. In the 2021 edition, 7,972 exhibitors participated, with 90% of them having international participation. The event was attended by over 170,000 visitors from around 200 countries, making the exhibition a global forum for the industry and a showcase for global trends and innovations in the sector. The level of business visitors is very high, leading to actual business deals. The key theme of ANUGA 2023 will be "Sustainable Growth – Moving Towards a More Sustainable Food Future Together with the Industry."

The organizers of ANUGA 2023, KoelnMesse, have provided BSMEPA with a limited exhibition area of 180.00 sq.m. for national participation – a three-sided open exhibition stand in hall 7.1, which can accommodate a maximum of 21 companies.

For the national participation in ANUGA 2023, the Agency fully or partially covers the expenses of Bulgarian companies for:

• Rental of exhibition space;
• Design and construction of the stand;
• Equipment and furnishing of the exhibition space;
• Registration and/or media fees;
• National identification of the Bulgarian stand;
• Exhibitor passes;
• Services, consumables, and other expenses within the approved budget.

The determination of the self-financing amount for participation in ANUGA 2023 is based on the number of participations of a given company in events under Project BG16RFPR001-1.002-0001:

1. Companies participating for the first time in promotional activities and events organized by BSMEPA under the Project are not subject to self-financing. BSMEPA covers 100% of the expenses incurred for the respective promotional activity or event.

2. Companies participating for the second, third, and subsequent times in promotional activities and events organized by BSMEPA under the Project pay 30% of the expenses incurred for the respective promotional activity or event.

Approved companies are responsible for costs such as:

• Shipment and insurance of exhibits;
• Travel and accommodation of company representatives (travel, daily, and accommodation expenses);
• Insurance of company representatives;
• Declared additional services, beyond those listed in the General Terms of Participation.

The project is aimed at supporting the internationalization of SMEs in transition regions and less developed regions. Transition regions are considered to be the Southwest Planning Region, including the areas of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia, and Sofia. All other planning regions are considered less developed regions. According to the Implementation Conditions of this Project, the funding for transition regions is approximately 1/6 of the Project's budget, and for less developed regions, it is approximately 5/6 of the Project's budget.

Participation of Bulgarian companies in international fairs/specialized exhibitions represents minimal aid within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1407/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union for de minimis aid. Information about the de minimis aid provided to your company can be obtained at http://minimis.minfin.bg/ReportBulstat.aspx.

To qualify for participation at the national stand at ANUGA 2023, the candidate company must meet the following requirements:

1. Not participate at their own expense in the specific event.
2. Possess an eligible Economic Activity Code (EAC) according to the Eligibility Conditions of the Investment Promotion Program.
3. According to the Law on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), meet the criteria for micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises according to Article 3 and Article 4 of the Law on SMEs.

The candidate company submits the following documents to apply for participation in promotional activities and events:

1. An application for participation with "Criteria for Evaluation and Ranking" in the provided template and in the original, signed by the company's representative, along with supporting documents.
2. A document proving belonging to transition or less developed regions, such as a Certificate from the respective municipality regarding the presence/absence of obligations under the Local Taxes and Fees Act, an official note from the Regional Health Inspectorate (RHI) for the registration of an object in the Regional Register of objects intended for public use controlled by RHI in the respective region, a lease contract for a production, storage building or other property, a notarial deed for ownership of a production, storage building, or other property, and/or other documents proving the affiliation to a specific region.
3. A certificate of the EAC-2008 issued by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) for the previous completed fiscal year in the original or a certified copy with the text "True to the original" and the signature of the company's representative.
4. A certificate under Article 87, paragraph 6 of the Public Offering of Securities Act (POSA) regarding the absence of public obligations under Article 162, paragraph 2, item 1 of POSA towards the state, issued by the National Revenue Agency (NRA), issued no earlier than 6 months before the date of application, in the original or a certified copy with the text "True to the original" and the signature of the company's representative.

If the candidate does not provide a certificate from the NRA regarding the absence or presence of obligations, BSMEPA conducts an official check. In the event that the official check reveals the presence of obligations, the candidate will be given a deadline for repayment. The candidate must then prove the repayment of the obligation by providing a certificate from the NRA regarding the absence of obligations, issued after the date of the notification letter.

If the candidate provides a certificate from the NRA indicating the presence of obligations and an annual report on revenue and expenses for the last completed fiscal year, the candidate will be considered eligible if the obligations are up to 1% of the annual turnover for the last completed fiscal year, but not exceeding 50,000 BGN (fifty thousand Bulgarian leva). In this case, documents must be provided showing that there is an agreed deferral or installment plan for the obligations, and/or specified dates for the final payment of the amounts due.

5. Declaration of De Minimis Aid and Absence of Double Financing in the original, signed by the company's representative, with attached Data on received de minimis aid in the original with the signature of the company's representative.

The amount of received de minimis aid is determined as the sum of the aid applied for and the de minimis aid received in the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for a three-year period by:

a) The recipient company. b) Companies that are considered "One and the same enterprise" within the meaning of Article 2, Paragraph 2 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014, along with the recipient company. c) All companies that have merged, split, or been acquired by any of the companies that fall under the "One and the same enterprise" category with the recipient company, as per Article 3, Paragraph 8 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014. d) Companies that are considered "One and the same enterprise" with the recipient company and have benefited from "de minimis" aid before the separation or detachment according to Article 3, Paragraph 9 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014.

6. Declaration of Circumstances under Article 3 and Article 4 of the Law on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) for the previous completed fiscal year in the original, signed by the company's representative.

When the company is connected and/or a partner company, a Statement of General Parameters of the company should be attached to the Declaration. The Statement should contain information for each of the related companies and/or partner companies.

The applicant for support must also provide the following documents reflecting the distribution of capital for the period covered by the information declared in the Declaration under Article 3 and Article 4 of the Law on SMEs:

a) Shareholder Register - applicable to joint-stock companies with registered shares. b) Articles of Association - applicable to limited liability companies, sole proprietorships with limited liability (Deed of Establishment), collective companies, and limited partnerships. c) Shareholder Register and Articles of Association - applicable to limited partnerships with shares. d) Statement of capital distribution of the company - applicable to joint-stock companies. e) Income and Expenses Statement and Financial Balance Sheet for the last two completed fiscal years. f) Report on the number of employees, labor costs, and other labor expenses for the last two completed fiscal years.

Documents from a) to f) should be provided for all "related enterprises" and/or "partner enterprises" as indicated in the Statement of General Parameters of the company that submits the Declaration under Article 3 and Article 4 of the Law on SMEs.

7. A package of documents related to Regulation (EU) No 2016/679 of April 27, 2016, on the processing of personal data within the framework of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) (GDPR).

The Declarations should be submitted in the original, signed by hand or with a qualified electronic signature by the company's representative.

Every candidate for participation in the national stand must become familiar with the Rules for Applying for Participation in exhibitions, trade missions, and other promotional activities and events organized by BSMEPA in Bulgaria and abroad.

If you are interested in participating in the exhibition, the documents must be submitted no later than August 30, 2023 (inclusive), using one of the following methods:

a) By mail, courier, or in person to the address: BSMEPA, Records Management, 2-4 Lege Street, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria. b) Electronically and signed with a qualified electronic signature to one of the following email addresses:

• Email address: office@sme.government.bg.
• Platform: www.b2bconnect.bg on the relevant event's page.

Documents submitted to BSMEPA's Records Management after the deadline for applications will not be considered. When submitted by mail or courier, the date of receipt at BSMEPA's Records Management applies. Documents sent through the platform www.b2bconnect.bg or to the email address office@sme.government.bg, signed with a qualified electronic signature, received after working hours but within the application deadline, will be registered on the next working day. The deadline is considered met if they are received by 24:00 on the last day for application.

After approval of the candidate company, BSMEPA will inform you with an official letter.

For additional information, you can contact:

Elica Popadiyna, Senior Expert in the "MIR" Department, BSMEPA, Phone: 02/940 7982, Email: e.popadiyna@sme.government.bg.

Trayan Trendafilov, Senior Expert in the "MIR" Department, BSMEPA, Phone: 02/940 7981, Email: t.trendafilov@sme.government.bg.