Events
Growth and Jobs in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Legal Framework for Growth and Jobs
June 18, 2015Sofia


Organized by the World Bank Group team in Bulgaria in cooperation with Deputy Prime Minister for European Coordination and Institutional Affairs, the conference aims to stimulate a broad public discussion on the important cross-cutting agenda of growth and job creation in Bulgaria. It is an opportunity for an engaged conversation with the private sector supported by global knowledge of the World Bank Group experts.

The World Bank Group Country Office team in Bulgaria is organizing a special event under the umbrella of Southeast Europe Economic Forum and in partnership with Deputy Prime Minister for European Coordination and Institutional Affairs.

The conference aims to stimulate a broad public discussion on the important cross cutting agenda of growth and job creation. While it is the private sector that creates jobs, it is the policies of the government that either could facilitate or hinder private sector growth, investments, and demand for labor. Making progress on this agenda requires many government institutions and agencies to agree on a common vision and fulfill their respective roles and responsibilities in this agenda.

The event is under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister for European Coordination and Institutional Affairs Meglena Kuneva. Under her leadership, it will be an opportunity for an engaged conversation between the Bulgarian Government and the private sector supported by global knowledge of World Bank Group teams.

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00 Registration

10:00-10:30

Welcome note: Tony Thompson, Country Manager for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, Europe and Central Asia

Opening Address: Meglena Kuneva, Deputy Prime Minister for European Coordination and Institutional Affairs

Key Note Speaker: Mr. Siddharth Sharma, Senior Economist, Trade & Competitiveness, the World Bank Group

10:30 – 12:30

Session I: The Voice of Bulgaria’s Entrepreneurs: Bulgarian Government listens to the business

Chair: Meglena Kuneva, Deputy Prime Minister for European Coordination and Institutional Affairs

Moderator: Georgi Tabakov, Bulgaria Economic Forum

12:30 -13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 14:30

Session II Obstacles to job creation: the business environment

Moderator: Svetla Kostadinova, Institute for Market Economy

Special Guest Speaker: Diarmaid Smyth from the Central Bank of Ireland – “Irish Economy and Growth”

Presentation:

Bulgaria’s Performance in Doing Business and what we can learn from successful reformers in East Europe and Central Asia –Iva Hamel, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist

Q&A – open discussion

14:30 – 15:30

Session IV: Getting the right people for the job: the human capital dimension

Chair: Iskren Angelov, Head of unit at Labor Market Policy and Labor Mobility Directorate, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

Moderator: George Stoytchev, the Executive Director of OSI-Sofia

Special Guest Speaker – Maria Vincenza Desiderio, Policy Analyst, “Policies of legal emigration”

Presentation:

“Results of new skills assessment of working-age population in Bulgaria and its relationship with labor market outcomes” - Abla Safir, Economist, World Bank Group

Q&A and open discussion




Welcome