Bulgarian Association of Regional Development Agencies and Business Centres BARDA NETWORK CONTRIBUTION TO THE SME COMPETITIVENESS AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sofia (Bulgaria), 27 th 28 th September 2007 Milena DACHEVA Project Manager
CONTENTS BARDA Network BARDA Role Key Messages 2
The Republic of Bulgaria Location In the centre of Southeast Europe Neighbouring countries Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania Territory 110,912 sq.km Population 7,761 milion Capital Sofia, 1,2 m people Major cities Plovdiv, Varna and Bourgas Official language Bulgarian Foreign languages used in business English, German, Russian and Italian 3
What is BARDA? Decentralised association of regional development agencies and business centres whose main activities are focused mainly on SMEs support and regional development Legally independent, non-governmental umbrella organisation 4
BARDA History BARDA was established in 1997 as an independent NGO with the assistance of EEC/ILO/GOPA (through the GTZ Program: Vocational Training and Active Employment Measures ) 5
BARDA Structure 22 Regional Development Agencies and SME Support Centres (RDAs) B A R D A General Member Assembly Fora NUTS II & NUTS III levels Management Board Executive Secretariat in Sofia 6
BARDA Network Vidin +BI Rousse + BI (2) + EIC BI Belogradchik Vratza + BI Pleven Razgrad (2) Dobrich BI Mezdra Shumen Varna Sofia Sofia Sliven Pernik + Bi Samokov Pazardjik Stara Zagora Yambol Blagoevgrad Plovdiv BI Madan Haskovo + GTZ Sandanski + EIC Kardjali + BI + GTZ RDAs (Full Members) - 22 Business Incubators - 9 Euro Info Centres 2 7 GTZ Centres 2
BARDA Fora At NUTS II level 6 Fora At NUTS III level - 28 Fora Network coordination at regional level (RDAs + other stakeholders) Development and implementation of the regional policy Provide and support the process of regional decentralization Exchange of good practices, resources, experiences, etc. 8
Members of BARDA RDAs/BCs Local Authorities Local Chambers of Commerce Local Branch Associations Employment Offices Vocational Training Institutions Academia Banks Private Companies Others 9
BARDA Vertical Relations INTERNATIONAL LEVEL EURADA OECD LEED Programme UNECE Multiplier Point in Bulgaria NATIONAL LEVEL Monitoring Committee for the Regional Development OP Working Group for NDP and NSRF 2007-2013 Working Groups for various Operational Programmes 2007 2013 Advisory Council for SME Promotion MoEE Member of Civil Society Council at the Minister of European Affairs Participation on Steering Committees under projects and consultative groups at public institutions REGIONAL LEVEL Participation in Regional Councils for Development in the Six Planning 10 Regions
Main Co-operation operation Partners EU Commission (through Leonardo da Vinci Programme) EU Commission (through ESF) EU Commission (through INTERREG III B CADSES) The Government of the Netherlands (MATRA) U.K. Government (DFID) Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works Bulgarian SME Promotion Agency Bulgarian Ministry of Economy and Energy Ministry of Finances Ministry of Agriculture and Forests Ministry of Labour and Social Policy Bulgarian Economic Forum Others 11
Role of BARDA RDAs & BCs Providing assistance to the regional and local authorities Supporting the regions in PCM, etc. Provision of vocational training services Providing consultancy services and information to existing and start-up local businesses Hosting foreign investors SME financial assistance 12
SME Support Services RDA SME Support Services Qualification Courses Intermediate Support Information Consultancy Research SME Support Programs Basic Courses short 1-5 days long 6-40 days Seminars for Entrepreneurs SME Info Seminars Bulgarian to Foreign SMEs Foreign to Bulgarian SMEs Bulgarian to Bulgarian SMEs Economic, Tax info Internet info Production Quality Management Business Planning Business Management Marketing Pre-planning Research Submitting Business Proposals Participation in National & International Programs Exhibitions and Fairs Participation SME Issues Workshops SME Checking Services SMEs Technical Capacity Registration Procedures Note: Services may differ and range according to the specific needs of the target group in the region. 13
BARDA Network Structures Business Incubators Rousse, Vidin, Pernik, Kardjali, Madan, Mezdra, Vratza, Belogradchik Euro Info Centres Sandanski, Rousse Quality Management System Centres Kardjali, Pazardjik (EN ISO 9001:2000 and the related EN ISO 14001:1996 (Environmental Management Systems), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems), HACCP, BS 8555, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Vocational training Centres Pleven, Pernik, Plovdiv, Pazardjik, Stara Zagora, Sliven, Samokov, Sandanski, Vidin, Vratza, Rousse, Blagoevgrad, Varna, Haskovo, Kardjali Financial assistance (Guarantee Fund, Loan Fund, Machine Leasing) - Rousse 14
BARDA First Class Information System 15
Business Incubators www.bgincubator.net 16
SME Information System www.smebg.net 17
BARDA Training Programme Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund Public Private Partnership RDA Management Business Consulting Business Planning Marketing & Sales for SMEs SME Financial Analysis Human Resource Management Introduction to QMS Project Cycle Management Financial Management of NGOs Management Accounting for NGOs Others 18
Municipal Development Plan of Sofia City (2007-2013) 2013) Priority Axis 1 Priority Axis 2 Priority Axis 3 Priority Axis 4 Priority Axis 5 Improving the competitiveness through knowledge-based economy and information society Development and modernisation of the transport and engineering-technical infrastructure creating favourable conditions for growth and employment Improving the living environment and quality of the life Development of the European territorial cooperation, partnership and European integration Institutional capacity building for effective governance and development of Sofia City municipality 19
BARDA Transnational Projects 1/2 HARVEST: Holistic Approach to Regional Vocational Sector-based Training (Leonardo da Vinci) MINEM: Meeting the Information Needs of Economic Migrants (European Year of Workers Mobility 2006) PRO-CHANGE: Innovative Pan- European Structures for Managing Economic Change and Restructuring at Local Level (Innovative Measures under Article 6 of the ESF) 20
BARDA Transnational Projects 2/2 EMBRACE: Improving the Access of SMEs from Rural Regions to the Knowledge and Information Society (INTERREG III B CADSES Community Initiative ) STERE/O: Faire la chasse aux stereotypes de sexe agissant sur la division du travail dans l Europe elargie (Community Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2001-2005)) And many, many others 21
Bulgarian RDAs: Some Facts 1/3 No regulatory framework no RDAs Act Financial resources NO SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT Rely mainly on EU-funded projects for the benefit of the regions Co-financing by own resources 22
Bulgarian RDAs: Some Facts 2/3 Services provided as full range as possible Experience in projects and initiatives various transnational, national, regional and local 23
Bulgarian RDAs: Some Facts 3/3 Expertise highly-qualified and experienced staff Members of various expert and working groups at all NUTS levels 24
Key Messages to the Bulgarian Authorities 1/4 WAKE UP!!! 25
Key Messages to the Bulgarian Authorities 2/4 WE WANT TO: Have a Bulgarian RDA Act: as soon as possible!!! Occupy the same decent place as the other European RDAs: when??? Receive financial support from the Government: why self-financing with own resources the activities for the benefits of the regions??? 26
Key Messages to the Bulgarian Authorities 3/4 WE WANT TO: Continue working effectively for the benefit of our regions: they really need our experience and expertise!!! Be as active partners as possible: we could work in partnership for the development of the Bulgarian regions in the context of the cohesion and European territorial cooperation (2007-2013) 27
Key Messages to the Bulgarian Authorities 4/4 IS IT TOO DIFFICULT TO BE ACHIEVED??? 28
Contact Data Ms. Milena Dacheva Head of International Programmes and Funding Department BARDA Tel. (+359 2) 9830342 Fax (+359 2) 9830341 E-mail: mdacheva@barda.info Website: 29
Bulgarian Association of Regional Development Agencies and Business Centres Thank you for your attention Milena DACHEVA Project Manager