23.04.2024
On April 22, 2024, a meeting of the Vienna Economic Forum - Sofia Meeting 2024 was held at the Boyana Residence. The Vienna Economic Forum was established on April 24, 2004, and yesterday marked 20 years since its creation. The theme of the forum was "Continuing to Build Economic Bridges During Difficult Times". Representatives from the member states of the forum, including Austria, Turkey, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Albania, Bulgaria, and others, participated.
From the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Savina Mihaylova-Goleminova and Chief Assist. Prof. Dr. Desislava Kalcheva, as well as students from the Strategic Management and Responsible and Sustainable Governance master's programs, took part in the event.
The forum is traditionally organized in spring in each member state with the aim of promoting regional economic cooperation. The member states of the Vienna Economic Forum include Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Within the framework of the forum, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and the Vienna Economic Forum, represented by Mrs. Elena Kirtcheva, Founder and General Secretary of VEF, and Ambassador Dr. Emil Brix, Director of the Austrian Diplomatic Academy and President of VEF, signed a cooperation agreement. A representative from Sofia University was Professor Dr. Reneta Bozhankova, Deputy Rector for International Activities. The goals of the signed memorandum are: organizing joint events and expanding the network of experts; sharing useful information regarding the economic situation to support the organizations' goals; publishing useful information on the websites of the partners regarding the activities of Sofia University and the Vienna Economic Forum, among others.
The new challenge for the Vienna Economic Forum is expected to be the creation of a network of universities from the member states of VEF, aimed at strengthening the link between academic circles and businesses to promote regional economic cooperation, education, and innovation. The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, which initiated the signing of the cooperation memorandum with VEF, will actively participate in implementing the initiative.