Gender equality in all spheres of politics, business and public life is not only correct, but also economically profitable.” Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Council of Business Women in Bulgaria (CBWB) stated during a visit to the European institutions in Brussels. She quoted studies, according to which companies that have a greater percentage of women in their management, are doing much better than those in which there are less women on leadership positions.

A delegation of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria is on a two-day working visit to Brussels at the invitation of MEP Maria Gabriel and Eva Paunova (EPP) , Filiz Hyusmenova and Iskra Mihaylova ( ALDE). The delegation includes 13 businesswomen, representatives of some of the most successful companies in Bulgaria from the technology sector, finance and banking, hospitality and business consulting. The visit includes 10 business meetings with influential politicians and NGO representatives at European level organized by the MEPs. Issues related to the promotion of gender equality and professional growth of women, women quotas in the private sector, the digital skills of women and the active participation of women in politics, were discussed during the conversations with the householders in the European Parliament building. The participants shared the opinion that despite the progress, more measures and initiatives are needed to achieve real equality between men and women.

Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova presented the mission and the leading initiatives of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. She spoke in details about the Leadership Academy, which for the second consecutive year provides an opportunity for women of middle management positions and small business owners to improve their leadership skills, to acquire new knowledge and learn best practices for successful realization in the future. The Council also works to retain young people in Bulgaria. By the National Traineeship Initiative “We are staying in Bulgaria ” nearly 300 young people from Bulgarian and foreign universities will have the opportunity to take the first steps in their careers in leading companies, which are members of the Council , ” said she.

The chairperson of The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria presented the results of the Global Women Leaders’ Forum, organized by the Council in the end of May 2016, jointly with UNESCO under the patronage of the Director General of the organization Irina Bokova. She focused mainly on the Sofia Declaration adopted at the forum, which invites governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector to take measures to promote equal participation of women in government bodies and public administration, management of companies and other spheres of life. It urges the responsible authorities to initiate the necessary legislative and administrative reforms to provide equal rights and women’s access to economic resources, education and training opportunities, technology.

The topic of gender equality was at the heart of the other discussions during the first day of the working visit of the Council in Brussels. The ladies in the delegation met the Vice President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, Kristalina Georgieva, Vice President of the European Parliament Mairead McGuinness and MEPs Martina Dlabajová and Angelika Niebler and the ALDE Party Gender Equality Network Flo Clucas.

“Achieving a single digital market in the EU is a long process, but we must be able to ensure that women acquire the necessary digital skills for it. To achieve this goal, the initiative must come from both the regions themselves and with the support from European level, ” Niebler said.

“European institutions are more effective, when we have gender equality. In the European Commission we set the goal to have 40% women at senior management level by 2019 , “Kristalina Georgieva said. According to her, the best decisions in business and politics are taken when the whole talent, both men and women have, is unfolded. She pointed out that in order to deal with challenges such as migration, security and others, a functioning economy is needed. The Vice-President of the European Commission presented her responsibilities as Commissioner for the EU budget and said that it provides funds for financial instruments and guarantees, which aim to improve and boost the economy of Europe. Mrs. Georgieva accepted the invitation to be member of the organization.

“In your face women not only in Bulgaria but also around the world have a wonderful example to follow. The presence of role models to inspire young women and girls is essential for the creation of a new generation of leaders,” Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova told the Commissioner.

Today the working visit of the delegation of the Council in Brussels continues with talks with leaders of the American Chamber of Commerce in the EU, the European Political Strategy Centre of the Juncker Commission and the ALDE Party Gender Equality Network. The main emphasis in the program is the meeting with the European Commissioner for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and small and medium businesses Mrs. Elzbieta Bienkowska .