International Conference for Analyses and Policies of SMEs from the Western Balkans

The Conference "Capacity of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from the Western Balkans to Access the European and Global Markets with the Joint Efforts of Business and Administration" in a hybrid version was held at the UNWE.

Special guests for the Conference were: H. E. Mr. Kitagawa Katsuro, Japanese Ambassador to the Western Balkans, H. E. Mr. Narahira Hiroshi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Bulgaria, Mr. Hiro Takeichi, Chief Representative of the Balkan Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency /JICA/, Mrs. Velislava Petrova, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

H.E. Mr. Narahira Hiroshi, Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, Mrs. Veleslava Petrova and the moderator of the event Assoc. Prof. Dr. Boyan Zhekov, Deputy Dean for Research and International Cooperation, University of Library Science and Information Technology

The event is organized by the UNWE in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Embassy of Japan in Sofia. This is the final event on the project "Support for the Institutional and Business Capacity Development for the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Activities in the Republic of North Macedonia and Other Partners from the Western Balkans Group on Their Path towards European Integration. Bulgaria and Japan in Joint Support to the Western Balkans Partners", funded under the Bulgarian Development Assistance.

At the opening Н. E. Mr. Kitagawa Katsuro, the Japanese Ambassador to the Western Balkans declared: “Japan fully supports the development of this region and in the last four years our cooperation on the project has led to the implementation of several other projects. It is a truly successful cooperation between Bulgaria and Japan. Bulgaria is part of the Western Balkans region and actively contributes to its development proving itself as a loyal partner of Japan".

Н. E. Mr. Kitagawa Katsuro

Н. E. Mr. Kitagawa Katsuro outlined that the Conference provides a great opportunity to summarize the achievements of Bulgaria and Japan in the implementation of this project. "But the most important thing is to exchange experience on the current state of SMEs in the Western Balkans and to share the best practices applied in the region. I think it will also contribute to the regional cooperation development. We hope that the Japanese experience and expertise shared during the project will contribute to the further SMEs development in the Western Balkans." Н. E. Kitagawa Katsuro expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UNWE, the University of Skopje, JICA and the partners actively involved in the implementation of the project.

Prof.  Dimitar Dimitrov

The Rector Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov expressed his thankfulness for the great support by the Japanese partners in the organization of the Conference and a number of other events held over the past few years which have contributed to strengthening the cooperation between the universities of the both countries in the field of education, research, mobility of students and lecturers despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic. Prof. Dimitrov pointed out that the UNWE together with the partners and the serious assistance by the Japanese government continue their efforts in the field of research and business capacity building, especially in the Western Balkans region.

Mrs. Veleslava Petrova

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Velislava Petrova expressed her gratitude to the UNWE and the Japanese partners for the hard work on the initiative for support and development of the Western Balkans as well as for the organization of the Conference: "In the last three years, 4 projects have been implemented in the Western Balkans region in the field of SMEs development and today our cooperation development goes in a new direction - economic diplomacy and the importance of economic interaction for the foreign policy development. The economic cooperation is a good basis for strengthening the relations between the countries and in this respect we appreciate the long-standing support that Japan has provided for the development of our Western Balkan region", declared Mrs Petrova. She outlined that Bulgaria is ready to assist in the implementation of the initiatives related to the support and development of cooperation between the Western Balkan countries because it is one of the objectives of the Bulgarian foreign policy in the region.

H. E. Mr. Narahira Hiroshi

Н. E. Mr. Narahira Hiroshi, the Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria, reminded that since 2018 after the visit by the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Bulgaria, both countries have significantly strengthened their cooperation and coordination on the initiative for support and development of the Western Balkans. "One of the objectives of this cooperation is the promotion of SMEs because they are very important for the development of economy and for the prosperity of any country". Н. E. Mr. Narahira Hiroshi expressed his sincere appreciation to all the participants and supportive parties for the realization of the project.

Mr. Hiro Takeichi

Mr. Hiro Takeichi, the Chief Representative of JICA's Balkan Office, presented the objectives and activities of the Agency, pointing out that "JICA has always promoted the regional cooperation development. SMEs are extremely important in this respect. We support SMEs because they are of great importance for the economic and social development of a certain country", also added Mr Takeuchi.

Mrs. Emilia Kungalova

Mrs. Emilia Kungalova, Director of the "Internationalization of SMEs" Directorate at the Executive Agency for the Promotion of SMEs reminded that "ever since its establishment in 2004 the Agency has an objective to support the SMEs and encourage the Bulgarian trade at international level". Since its establishment in 2004, the Agency has aimed at supporting SMEs and promoting Bulgarian trade internationally. We exchange experiences with similar organisations all over the world, taking into account the priorities of the economic policy of the Government of Bulgaria. One of the main objectives of the Agency is to promote cooperation between Bulgarian and foreign enterprises and to assist Bulgarian companies to increase their sales and international competitiveness." She added that the Agency appreciates JICA's efforts and contribution to the development of cooperation in the Western Balkans region.   

Papers on policy analyses of SMEs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia were presented at the Conference.

The event brought together policy makers, academics and business representatives from Bulgaria, Japan and the Western Balkans to share the results of policy analysis and the potential of SMEs in the Western Balkans on their path towards European integration and to draw lessons and future prospects for cooperation in the region.