Social Enterprise: Economic Growth, Sustainable Communities, Social Cohesion

Project coordinator: Emilia Slavova; Project team: Antonia Chilikova; Maria Ilcheva

The project has been inspired by recent public debates within the framework of the more general discussion on Bulgaria’s future and its competitive capabilities as one of the newest members of the European Union. Recognising education as a strategic area in this debate, the project seeks to present the positive UK experience in building up a competitive university in which the enterprise is being embedded into academia, thus creating a wealthier and socially inclusive environment.

Gergana Maneva, Roumiana Atanassova

The project has been conceived as a continuation of previous UK-funded initiatives in Bulgaria in the field of Better Regulation. This is also the first regional project of the Association of the Bulgarian Chevening Scholars – the project envisages holding of a regional conference with representatives of the British government, Bulgarian governmental institutions as well as representatives of the academia and the non-governmental sector in Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, and Macedonia. The conference is scheduled for 20 February 2009 and will be held in the ‘Concert’ Hall of the Central Military Club in Sofia as per the enclosed agenda.  
The basic aims of the project are:
• Аn update of the current state-of-play of the legal base and institutional framework in Bulgaria for the implementation of the better regulation principles in the domestic legislation and administrative practices; 
• Presentation of the latest requirements of the European Union in the field of Better Regulation with a focus upon institutionalisation of the governmental activities for implementation of the Better Regulation principles;
• Establishment of a regional experts’ Better Regulation Network and strengthening of the horizontal partnership links with the aim of developing and implementing of future joint projects;  
• Contribution for the establishment of sustainable administrative capacity in the region for more effective planning and implementation of the Better Regulation principles in the light of the EU membership and accession. 

The strengthening of the knowledge and skills of governmental institutions, academia and the non-governmental sector in the field of Better Regulation as well as the improvement of the coordination and communication channels between leading experts from various countries in Europe will certainly contribute to increasing the capacity for full and effective implementation of the Better Regulation principles both in the legislative process and in the administrative practices on the central and regional level and will bring about positive effects for the institutions, businesses, non-governmental sector and the citizens in these countries.  

  

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

20 February 2008
Central Military Club, Concert Hall, Sofia

 
9:00 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 10:00 Official opening
 Stuart Peters, the British Embassy
Organizers: Introduction 

10:00 – 12:30 Morning Session:
Better Regulation in the UK – Steven Murdoch, Better Regulation Executive, Dep. for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, UK 

The experience of Bulgaria
Pavel Ivanov – Council of Ministers

11-11:15 Coffee break 
Presentations of the experience/initiatives in this area 
 Tanasije Marinkovich – Serbia
 Dr. Hasan Engin ŞENER - Turkey


13-13:30 Lunch 

13:30-16:00 Afternoon session: 
Better Regulation – Svetla Kostadinova, Executive Director, Institute for Market Economics
Conclusions, presentation of the current situation in Bulgaria, recommendations.
Gergana Maneva, Roumiana Atanassova, ABCS
14-14:15 Coffee break 
Sharing information, experience and resources. Discussions
 
17-19:30 Reception

 

This conference is part of a project under the same name carried out by the Association of Bulgarian Chevening Scholars with the kind support of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

 

CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURA 2000 – CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 
 

Antonia Chilikova

by Martin Ivanov, PhD, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (project leader);

Svetozara Petkova, USAID;

Christina Georgieva, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences;

Venelin Stoychev, University of Sofia.

Preface

Event: Essay writing and drawing competition

by Svetozara Petkova, Dimitar Draganov, Martin Ivanov

As part of the project aiming to integrate Bulgarian students of different social backgrounds, in the spring of 2006 ABCS announced a competition for students’ compositions and drawings in schools in the towns of Mezdra, Troyan and Mirkovo.

The objectives of the activity were:

by Emilia Slavova

This project gives an opportunity to those of us who have returned from study in the UK with a host of priceless experiences and impressions to share them with others and to translate their experiences into ideas about transforming their surroundings.