News

An informational meeting with representatives of the regional administration and business was held on 15.12.2021 in the seminar hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the town of Blagoevgrad. The meeting was organized in the framework of the project "Business Council- BC 6275" funded by the INTERREG V/A GREECE-BULGARIA 2014-2020 Programme, Subsidy contract № B6.3a.18/13.04.2021. Participants in the meeting were the management of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of local companies engaged in advertising, trading of goods, textile industry, representatives of hoteliers and restaurateurs and members of the Chamber of Commerce, representatives of NGOs. The meeting was held in person and remotely.

The remote meeting started at the announced time of 11 am. There was a 15-minute delay in the actual start of the event, in which the attendees gradually gathered at the venue. The Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry also joined the meeting. Among the attendees there were also representatives of NGOs who have been actively involved in the attempts to form public councils in Blagoevgrad district. The moderator welcomed the live and online participants and thanked the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the opportunity and for hosting the informational meeting.
He made a thorough presentation of the INTERREG programme. The presentation of the programme was followed by a description of the beneficiary with its good practices and factual orientation in public affairs. The project partners, their profile and public affairs focus were explained. In the course of the presentation, the concept of business councils, their mandate, their vision and what they will be doing was presented. The focus of the presentation was the benefits that a business council can bring to the business community.<br>
Following this, time was taken to introduce the potential participants in a business council, specifically representatives from various industry bodies, municipal/regional administration and business representatives. It was explained that there is no charge for participation and the administrative functioning will be provided by the beneficiary.
The presentation turned into a discussion in which participants debated how appropriate it was to include municipal and district administration in the business councils. An NGO representative raised the issue of failed attempts over the years to establish and operate community councils in Blagoevgrad district. It was mentioned that the idea of having business councils to raise important issues for businesses is very good and with the administrative support of the beneficiary they have a chance for a stable and long-term positive development. A representative of a media and advertising firm expressed willingness to expertly support the work of the business councils by producing digital content and promoting the issues raised by the business councils.<br>
A Chamber of Commerce and Industry representative asked what is the difference between business councils and community councils and received a comprehensive answer from the beneficiary representative. All points of overlap and differences were outlined. It was focused that the business councils will function sectorally and will influence specific policies and issues that are strictly defined in the specific sector that the business council targets. Representatives of the hospitality industry expressed a desire for the tourism business council to work on developing an interlinked tourism product with the other border regions that are within the scope of the project, pointing out that there are many tourism sites that can be linked into a specific product. They expressed optimism that this is possible when a business council brings together members from all border areas.<br>
After the coffee break, the main discussion was about the participants of the councils, their profiles and the way to be as useful as possible to solve their problem.<br>
Contact information with RISK NGO was provided shortly before the end of the event, including email, phone, address, website,<br>
Due to the great interest, a request was made at the end, and the beneficiary made a commitment, to contact the participants present at today's meeting once the business councils are actually constituted.<br>
After the closing of the event, a representative of the beneficiary and the moderator had a few informal personal conversations with business representatives who wished to establish personal contact regarding the formation of the councils and their inclusion in them.

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