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On 30th March 2012, BPW Sofia in association with the Bulgarian Association of Women Entrepreneurs and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), organized at the BCCI’s head quarters a round table to commemorate the Equal Pay Day.

Mrs Radka Stamenova, president of BPW Sofia, opened the event. In her presentation she depicted the role of women in business both in Bulgaria and around the world. She proposed to the event’s participants to unite their efforts and to make proposals to the government and its executive agencies concrete instruments for the achievement of equal pay for both genders, together with the development of the Bulgarian women’s entrepreneurship. 

Mr Tsvetan Simeonov, chairman of BCCI, emphasized in his welcoming speech that BCCI’s policy is concerned with guaranteeing of gender equality in business and entrepreneurship. Mrs Violeta Stanichich, Manager of the European Parliament Information Bureau in Bulgaria, participated in the event. She gave a presentation on the woman’s role in entrepreneurship in the context of European and national policies guaranteeing gender equality as far as entrepreneurship is concerned. 

Mrs Tania Kmetova, Director of the Centre for Research and Policies related to Women, also shared the challenges which women face in entrepreneurship.

Mrs Stoila Bongalova, chairwoman of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, presented on the role of non-Governmental organizations in supporting women’s entrepreneurship.

Mrs Stanimira Hadjimitova, Director of Gender Project for Bulgaria, chairwoman of the Board Committee at the Bulgarian Fund for Women, presented the Istanbul indicators measuring the policy undertaken to encourage women’s entrepreneurship in a given country.

“European and national policies to secure the promotion
of women in entrepreneurship and the labour market” 16.03.2012
The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) supports the women’s entrepreneurship

“Over the years the BCCI has worked relentlessly in support of the women’s entrepreneurship taking part in European, regional and national projects for the encouragement of the widely accepted participation of women in private business” stated Radka Stamenova – a member of the Executive Board of BCCI, a chairwoman of the Bulgarian Association of Women Entrepreneurs and a president of Business and Professional Women, at the national round table for “European and national policies guaranteeing the development of women in the entrepreneurship and in the labour market”
BCCI works in cooperation with the Information Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria in partnership with ‘Manager’ magazine.

“Women’s participation in the Bulgarian institutions is still modest” emphasized Mrs Stamenova. The women Members of Parliament are hardly 23% and only 6.7% are mayors, with 26% being councilor/adviser and 19% sit on the Executive Board of various institutions. These, in particular, are Project Women ON BOARD of local development – Eurochambres – www.eurochambreswomennetwork.eu, Project Break GENDER STEREOTYPE - give talent a chance – www.businessandgender,eu and the Council of Women Entrepreneurs at the Association of the Balkan chambers /ABC WEC/ - http://rcci.bg/abc-wec/51 .
The second presenter from BCCI was Olga Sandova – Krusteva who is a Chief Executive of Automotor Corporation Plc. and a member of the Executive Board of BCCI.

“In 2010, according to NSI’s statistics, men have received on average an annual income of 8 614 lv. as opposed to 6 953 lv for women – the difference being 1 661 lv” announced Mrs Violeta Stanichich from the EP’s office in Sofia. According to her, even in the preventative healthcare system and in the social work sphere, whereby it is presumed that women domineer, the difference in labour remuneration between the two genders stands at 3 370 lv or 31.7%. Even in the civil service sphere women receive 1 495 lv less than men. The more daunting news, according to Mrs Stanichich, is that under the conditions of a free market economy, fierce competition and economic crisis, this ratio is sustainably high and the gap does not close. “It is concerning that in Bulgaria over the last few years, the gender pay gap widens – standing at 1 277 lv in 2008, 1 541 lv in 2009 and reaching 1 661 lv in 2010” added Mrs Stanichich.

“Gender discrimination in Bulgaria is felt the strongest in the age group 35 – 44 years, whereby women receive on average 21% less than men. The reasons for this are that women carry the family burden, taking low paid or unpaid maternity leave, work part time and very often they are not the managers but merely the assignees” stated the Information Bureau of the European Parliament based in Bulgaria.
The tendency is similar in Portugal, France, Latvia and Romania. The round table was organized by the Information Bureau of the European Parliament in Bulgaria, in association with the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ‘Manager’ magazine. Amongst those present were the national ombudsman Konstantin Penchev, the ambassadors of Great Britain, Denmark and Norway, as well as the members of the European Parliament Antonia Purvanova and Maria Nedelcheva.

According to the European Commission’s statistics, only 13.7% of the members of Executive Boards of the largest European enterprises are women, in comparison with 2010 when the percentage figure was 11.8%. At this rate of women’s inclusion at the highest level of power in business, the European Commissar Viviane Reading believes that Europe would need 40 years in order to achieve at least a minimally accepted ratio of at least 40% of women in those positions.

 New Internet webpage of the Council of Women Entrepreneurs at ABC

In Nikosia (Cyprus) today continues the general assembly of the Association of the Balkan Chambers at ABC with discussions about the role of the chambers in commerce and industry under the conditions of crisis and economic difficulties.

The deputy minister of the European Affairs in Cyprus Andreas Mavroianis presented the strategy, the challenges and the priorities facing the upcoming Cyprus chairmanship of the European Union during the second half of 2012.

The investment appeal and interesting projects for investors from the Balkan Peninsula were considered in the course of the general meeting.

The topic of women’s entrepreneurship, the European policies in this sphere and the measures to be undertaken for its encouragement were also focal points of the meeting. 

The chairman of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov presented the new Internet webpage developed by BCCI, i.e. www.rcc.bg/abc-wec, at the Council for Women Entrepreneurs which was established at ABC in 2011. The webpage offers information for business women on the Balkan Peninsula. This provides an additional means for beneficial partnership.  
  The Association of the Balkan Peninsula Chambers was founded in September 1994 following the initiative of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Its main aim is to assist the companies from the member states with the development of their two-sided or multi-sided relations and to assist in the liberalization of trade on the Balkan Peninsula through concrete proposals to the Governments.
source BCCI official web site
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SECOND INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
2-3 December 2011, Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan, Sofia

INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
3-4 December 2010, Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan, Sofia

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On December 3rd and 4th , 2010 an International Forum on Women Entrepreneurship took place at the Sofia Sheraton hotel Bulgaria. The event was jointly organized by the Bulgarian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAWE) and Meridian 22 Ltd

The purpose of the Forum was to encourage ladies’ business leadership and at popularise their active presence at managerial positions among the business circles as well as among the general public, by means of presenting, from one part, the activity of the companies they are in charge of, and from the other - by subjecting to discussion women entrepreneurship’s topics of present interest.

Among the Forum invitees were representatives of Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Romania.

The event was largely supported by the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA), Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The official opening was attended by H.E. the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, H.E. the Ambassador of Croatia to Sofia. The participants were greeted by the Deputy Minister of and Social Policy – Mr. Krassimir Popov and the Chairman of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Mr. Tsvetan Simeonov.

Mrs. Radka Stamenova – Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Association of Women Entrepreneurs – presented her report on women entrepreneurship in Europe. She also presented opportunities for financial support under projects in different business areas. Special attention in the report was devoted to the future BAWE activities such as: participation in European Network to promote Women’s Entrepreneurship and Women’s Entrepreneurship Portal as well as nomination of BAWE representatives for the European Network of female Entrepreneurship Ambassadors.

EU policy for women entrepreneurship encouragement and the situation in different member states have been presented by: Dr. M. Angerer, Trade representative, Embassy of Austria to Sofia; Mrs. Mrs. Giusy Ruggieri, Counselor, South-Est District, FIDAPA International  Federation of Business and Professional Women - B.P.W. ITALY; Mrs. Eng. Maria Grapini, President of the Romanian Entrepreneur Women Association and Mrs. Slavica Mitic-Paolillo, President of the Serbian Entrepreneur Women Association.

Mr. Evgeni Angelov, Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism, presented the Bulgarian State Policy in Supporting Women Entrepreneurship. Labour market policies for women entrepreneurship encouragement have been presented by Mrs. Mrs. Elka Dimitrova, Director, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Mrs Boriana Mintcheva from BSMEPA presented the role of the Agency in supporting Women Entrepreneurship in Bulgaria. The CISCO-Bulgaria Institute for Entrepreneurship has been presented by  Mrs. Milena Dumanova, Trade Director.

Mrs. Tiziana Carlino, General Secretary of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria gave a presentation on the role of European funds in developing bilateral cooperation in the field of women entrepreneurship. Mrs. Milena Dragomirova from the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism presented the program “Competitiveness”. The participants shared the opinion that the organization of information days in different parts of Bulgaria would be very useful.

In compliance with a decision of the Forum, a Memorandum was adopted on December 4, 2010. The document foresees closer cooperation between BAWE and governmental institutions in Bulgaria. Establishment of bilateral cooperation with similar organizations abroad is another short-term priority.

Good practices were presented by the Bulgarian companies Light Castle Winery Ltd., Panda IP Ltd., Panda Invest Ltd.  etc.

POST FORUM INFO

I wish to express my satisfaction with the organization of the Forum.
It was an honor take part in the forum in Sofia.
Only together can we achieve the goals,
which are a necessity in the region of Southeast Europe.

Kind regards,
prof. Vesna Rusic, Republic of Serbia