National Participation in the International Perfumery and Cosmetics Exhibition, Beautyworld Middle East 2023

The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) is pleased to invite you to participate as an exhibitor at the national stand of the International Perfumery and Cosmetics Exhibition, Beautyworld Middle East 2023, which will take place from October 30 to November 1, 2023, in Dubai, UAE.

The participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Beautyworld Middle East 2023 is organized and funded under Project BG16RFPR001-1.002-0001 "Implementation of Measures to Internationalize Bulgarian SMEs by Supporting the Activities of the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises" under the "Competitiveness and Innovation in Enterprises" Program 2021-2027.

The exhibition is organized by Messe Frankfurt Middle East GmbH and has been held annually since 1996. It is the largest international exhibition for perfumery, cosmetics, essential oils, toiletries, natural SPA cosmetics, and wellness products in the Middle East. As one of the most influential and visited international beauty exhibitions, the event provides professional visitors with the opportunity to meet exhibitors face to face over three days and plays a vital role in the growth and development of the industry, with a solid representation of global products and brands. During the last 26th edition of the exhibition from October 31 to November 2, 2022, more than 1,430 exhibitors from 66 countries participated, attracting over 52,760 professional visitors from 139 countries.

The organizers of Beautyworld Middle East 2023, Messe Frankfurt Middle East GmbH, have provided the EAP SME with a limited exhibition area of 144 square meters for national participation. Up to 16 companies can be represented at the four-sided open exhibition stand in Hall 2 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The exhibition is intended for companies in the perfumery-cosmetics industry.

For national participation in BWME 2023, the Agency fully or partially covers the expenses of Bulgarian companies. The EAP SME covers the costs of:

1. Rental of exhibition space.
2. Design and construction of the stand.
3. Equipment and furnishing of the exhibition space.
4. Registration and/or media fees.
5. National identification of the Bulgarian stand.
6. Exhibitor passes.
7. Services, consumables, and other expenses within the approved budget.

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

1. A company participating for the first time in promotional activities and events organized by the EAP SME under the Project is not subject to self-financing. The EAP SME covers 100% of the costs incurred for the respective promotional activity or event.

2. Companies participating for the second, third, etc., time in promotional activities and events organized by the EAP SME under the Project pay 30% of the costs incurred for the respective promotional activity or event.

Approved participating companies are responsible for the following expenses:

1. Transportation, customs processing, and insurance of exhibits and other exhibition components during their transportation and exhibition.
2. Business travel of the company's representatives (travel, daily, and accommodation expenses).
3. Insurance of the company's representatives.
4. Declared additional services beyond those listed in the General Terms and Conditions of Participation.

The project aims to support the internationalization of SMEs in transition regions and less developed regions. The transition regions include the Southwest Planning Region, which includes the following regions: Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia City, and Sofia Province. 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 budget, while for less developed regions, it is approximately 5/6 of the Project budget.

Participation in international fairs/specialized exhibitions by Bulgarian companies represents minimal aid within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to 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 in the national stand, the candidate company must meet the following requirements:

1. Not participating on its own in the specific event.
2. Possess a valid Main Economic Activity Code (MEAC) according to the Eligibility Criteria of the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA).
3. All enterprises within the meaning of §1, item 1 of the Additional Provision of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Act (SMSEA) that meet the criteria for micro, small, or medium-sized enterprises according to Art. 3 and Art. 4 of the SMSEA.

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

1. Application for participation with "Evaluation and Ranking Criteria" in the original, signed by the company's representative and with attached supporting documents.
2. Document proving affiliation with regions in transition or underdeveloped regions, such as: a certificate from the respective municipality indicating the presence or 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 for Public Use, controlled by the RHI in the respective region; a lease agreement for a production or storage facility or another object, a notarial deed proving ownership of a production or storage facility or another object, and/or other documents confirming the affiliation to a specific region.
3. Certificate of the MEAC-2008 activity code issued by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) for the previous completed financial year in the original or a certified copy with the text "True to the original" and the signature of the company's representative.
4. Certificate under Art. 87, para. 6 of the Administrative Procedure Code (APC) for the absence of public obligations under Art. 162, para. 2, item 1 of the APC to the state, issued by the National Revenue Agency (NRA), not earlier than 6 months from 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 fails to provide a certificate from the NRA regarding the absence or presence of obligations, the BSMEPA will conduct an administrative check. In the event that the administrative check reveals the presence of obligations, the candidate will be given a deadline for repayment. The candidate must then confirm the repayment of the obligation by providing a certificate from the NRA for 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 financial statement for the last completed financial year, the candidate will be considered eligible if the obligations are up to 1% of the annual turnover for the last completed financial year, but not exceeding 50,000 BGN (fifty thousand Bulgarian leva). In this case, documents should be provided showing that a deferral or installment plan for the obligations has been agreed upon, along with specified dates for the final payment of the due amounts.

1. Declaration of Minimal Aid and Absence of Double Financing according to the provided template, in the original, signed by the company's representative, with attached Data on received minimal aid in the original and signed by the company's representative.

The amount of received minimal aid is determined as the sum of the aid for which the candidate applies and the minimal aid received on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria for a three-year period by:

a) The recipient company;

b) Companies with which the recipient company falls into a group of "Undertakings Concerned" within the meaning of Article 2, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 651/2014;

c) All companies that have merged, split, or been acquired by any of the companies falling into a group of "Undertakings Concerned" with the recipient company under Article 3, paragraph 8 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 651/2014;

d) Companies falling into a group of "Undertakings Concerned" with the recipient company and that have benefited from "de minimis" aid before the division or separation under Article 3, paragraph 9 of Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 651/2014.

5. Declaration of the circumstances under Article 3 and Article 4 of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Act (SMSEA) for the previous completed financial year according to the provided template, in the original, signed by the company's representative.

When the company is related and/or a partner enterprise, the Declaration should be accompanied by a Summary of the company's parameters (Form 6 to these rules). The Summary should contain information for each of the related companies and/or partner enterprise, according to

The enterprise applying for support should also provide the following documents reflecting the distribution of capital for the period covered by the data declared in the Declaration of the circumstances under Article 3 and Article 4 of the SMSEA:

a) Shareholders' Register – applicable for joint-stock companies with registered shares;

b) Articles of Association – applicable for limited liability companies, sole proprietorships, associations and limited partnerships;

c) Shareholders' Register and Articles of Association – applicable for limited partnerships with shares;

d) Statement of income and expenses and a balance sheet for the last two completed financial years;

e) A report on the number of employees, wage costs, and other labor expenses for the last two completed financial years.

Documents from letters a) to e) should be provided for all "related enterprises" and/or "partner enterprises" as indicated in the Summary of the parameters of the enterprise submitting the declaration under Article 3 and Article 4 of the SMSEA.

6. A package of documents related to Regulation (EU) No 2016/679 of April 27, 2016, on the processing of personal data within 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 familiarize themselves with the Rules for Applying for Participation in Exhibitions, Trade Missions, and Other Promotional Activities and Events organized by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) in Bulgaria and abroad.

If interested in participating in the exhibition, the company should submit the required documents to the BSMEPA's registry office no later than September 1, 2023, including on Friday, in one of the following ways:

• To the BSMEPA's registry office, by mail, courier, or in person at the following address: 2-4 "Lege" Str., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria, by September 1, 2023, including on Friday. When submitted by mail or courier, the date of receipt at the BSMEPA's registry office applies.

• Electronically, with a qualified electronic signature, to one of the following email addresses:

• Email: office@sme.government.bg

• On the platform www.b2bconnect.bg/ on the page of the relevant event.

Documents submitted to the BSMEPA's registry office after the application deadline will not be considered. When submitted by mail or courier, the date of receipt at the BSMEPA's registry office 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 of application.

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

For additional information, you can contact:

• Magdalena Madzhurova, Chief Expert in the International Exhibitions and Conferences Department, tel. 02/ 940 79 70, email: m.madzhurova@sme.government.bg

• Traian Trendafilov, Chief Expert in the International Exhibitions and Conferences Department, BSMEPA, tel. 02/ 940 7981, email: t.trendafilov@sme.government.bg