Programme

10:00 - 10:45 - Welcome address and high-level opening session

  • H.E. Klaus IOHANNIS, President of Romania
  • Florin JIANU, President, CNIPMMR
  • Jacek KRAWCZYK, President, EESC Employers' Group
  • Ulrike RABMER-KOLLER, President, SMEunited

10:45 - 10:55 - Signing Ceremony of the Bucharest Declaration in the presence of H.E. Mr. Klaus IOHANNIS, President of Romania

  • Florin JIANU, President, CNIPMMR
  • Jacek KRAWCZYK, President, EESC Employers' Group
  • Ulrike RABMER-KOLLER, President, SMEunited

10:55 - 11:00 - Introductory remarks by Cosmin MARINESCU, Presidential Administration, Economic and Social Policies

11:00 - 12:00 - Workshop 1 – Finance entrepreneurship

  • Ramona JURUBIȚĂ, Finance task-force representative, Coalition for Romania's development
  • Daniel MAREELS, EESC Employers' Group Vice-President
  • Albin MAGGIAR, Vice-President of the International Affairs Commission, CPME
  • Sergiu MANEA, Vice-President Romanian Banking Association

Q&A session

Moderator: Tudor MUȘAT

The theme of the Workshop 1 is SME Finance: banking regulations, which incentivise lending to SMEs, supporting alternative forms of finance, new financial instruments within the next MFF, which focus on innovation and investments, guarantees for loans, mezzanine instruments and security, public support of SME finance.

12:00 - 13:00 - Workshop 2 – Young and women entrepreneurs

  • Dragoș ANASTASIU, Entrepreneurship task-force representative, Coalition for Romania's development
  • Violeta JELIĆ, EESC Employers' Group Vice-President
  • Silvia CANEVA, Head of Skills and Entrepreneurship Policy, EUROCHAMBRES
  • Alexandrina ROBU CEPOI, Chair of the Women Committee – Young Entrepreneurs Organization of the European Union

Q&A session

Moderator: Tudor MUȘAT

The theme of the Workshop 2 is young and women entrepreneurs: the measures necessary for promoting and supporting young/women entrepreneurs at national/European level, good practices, access to training, mentoring, advice and business networking opportunities, support in accessing alternative sources of funding.

13:00 - 14:15 Lunch

14:15 - 15:15 - Workshop 3 – Digital Europe

  • Liviu DRĂGAN, Digital task-force representative, Coalition for Romania's development
  • Ulrich SAMM, EESC Employers' Group Member, President of Digital Agenda Group
  • Véronique WILLEMS, General Secretary, SMEunited
  • Joaquin V. BOSTON, Senior International Advisor and Member of the Board at United Nations’ UNGSII, President of Entreps & 5Gcitizens, Vice-President of JEUNE

Q&A session

Moderator: Tudor MUȘAT

The theme of the Workshop 3 is digitalisation: the opportunities offered by digitalisation, know-how on digital transformation, the right framework conditions and financing to get the necessary investments done, an equal access to data for SMEs, investments in cyber security and involvement in steering artificial intelligence, a facilitating environment ensuring the right level of skills development, financial support, capacity building, appropriate infrastructure and standardisation.

15:15 - 16:15 - Workshop 4 – European Cohesion and regional development

  • Pietro Francesco DE LOTTO, Employers' Group Member, Spokesperson of SME Category
  • Stefano MALLIA, EESC Employers' Group Vice-President
  • Jan Mikołaj DZIECIOLOWSKI, Member of Cabinet in charge of Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Cabinet Corina Crețu
  • Andrea GELFI, President of Young Entrepreneurs Organization of European Union

Q&A session

Moderator: Tudor MUȘAT

The panel's core theme is the need for a precise roadmap including action priorities, concrete measures, deadlines for implementation, the appointment of a European Commissioner responsible for the implementation of the new Small Business Act for Europe, the appointment of a correspondent for SMEs in each direction General of the Commission. Also, the panel will focus on "Think Small First" to "Act Small First" with accent on the importance of young and women entrepreneurs for European businesses and finding the right European instruments for their “acting” in the economy.

16:15 - 16:45 - Concluding remarks

  • Florin JIANU, President, CNIPMMR
  • Jacek KRAWCZYK, President, EESC Employers' Group
  • Ulrike RABMER-KOLLER, President, SMEunited