1:00 -  1:30 p.m.    Welcome and registration

1:30 -  1:40 p.m.    Official opening

  • Vasil Velev, Chairman of the governing board of BICA
  • Alain Coheur, President of the Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, EESC

1:40 – 2:10 p.m.    Key note speech

  • Alexander Poulev, Minister of Innovation and Growth of the Republic of Bulgaria
  • Ciyong Zou, Managing Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Directorate of Programmes, Partnerships and Field Coordination 
  • Reneta Koleva, Deputy Minister of Environment and Water of the Republic of Bulgaria
  • Dimitar Danchev, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Bulgaria

2:10 – 3:10 p.m.    Panel 1: International and European pathways towards successful green transition of MSMEs

  • Setting the scene and moderator: Milena Angelova, Rapporteur of the EESC opinion on "SMEs, social economy enterprises, crafts and liberal professions / Fit for 55", EESC, SME Envoy for Bulgaria
  • Ali Karami-Ruiz, Senior Communication Officer, BIAC of OECD
  • Bonifacio Garcia Porras, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG GROW
  • Delphine Rudelli, Director General, Ceemet
  • Lucia Cusmano, Deputy Head of the Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Tourism Division, OECD
  • Kalin Marinov, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of European Competitiveness Funds, Ministry of Innovation and Growth of the Republic of Bulgaria

15 mn for Questions & Answers

3:10 - 4:10 p.m.    Panel 2: Challenges for the climate transition for MSMEs in the current geo political crisis

  • Keynote speech of Hubert Cottogni, Director and Head of Mandate Management, EIF
  • Moderator: Ferre Wyckmans, EESC member
  • Jesús Caballero Pinto, CEO, Sofia International Airport
  • Mariana Iteva, Deputy Country Director, Veolia Bulgaria and Industry Development Director, Veolia Central and Eastern Europe
  • Ani Shopova, Head of Public Relations, Dundee Precious Metals
  • Iliana Andronova, Representative, Bulgarian Bank for Development
  • Lachezar Petkov, Director of Department “Internationalization of the SME”, BSMEPA

15 mn for Questions & Answers

4:10 – 4:30 p.m.    Coffee break

4:30 – 5:30 p.m.    Panel 3: MSME and the new technologies – World, European and Bulgarian perspective

  • Key note speech of Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP
  • Moderator: Rudolf Kolbe, EESC member
  • Rumen Radev, Member of the Governing Board of Institute for sustainable transition and development
  • Plamen Dimitrov, President of Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria
  • Ali Karami-Ruiz, Senior Director and Member of the Executive Committee, Business at OECD (BIAC)
  • Nikolay Doynov, Chairman of the Association of Community Centres
  • Galabin Galabov, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Export Insurance Agency

15 mn for Questions & Answers

5:30 – 6:00 p.m.    Closing remarks

  • Alain Coheur, President of the Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, EESC