• “In a sector like ours it does not matter if you are a man or a woman. What matters is the ability to search and find decisions”, announces Minister Petkova
• The chairperson of CWBB D-r Eng. Boryana Manolova invited Temenuzhka Petkova on the round table on women’s issues in the energy sector

“The first thing I felt when I entered the Ministry of Energy as a Minister was a mistrust and also a wonder of what was a woman doing in this difficult sector. I am happy that I and my team could reverse this view”, announced the Minister of the Energy Temenuzhka Petkova during a business lunch with the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria (CWBB).

The lunch, which is a part of the already traditional meetings of the Council, with leading representatives from the world of politics, business and the non-government sector, was attended by members and supporters of CWBB. The chairman of the Council Dr. eng. Boryana Manolova briefly presented the activity and the main initiatives of the organization as a free training program Leadership Academy under the patronage of Ms. Yordanka Fandakova, the mayor of Sofia Municipality, and National Internship initiative under the patronage of the MEP Eva Paunova. “Our initiatives have a stable nature and we put many efforts and enthusiasm in their realization”, she noticed.

Minister Pavlova expressed gratitude to the Council for the invitation”. It is my honor and pleasure to be in the company of ladies who have managed to impose themselves in so difficult sectors”, she pointed. She told about her personal and professional path, about the difficulties and the challenges, which she faced as a head of one of the most important ministries. “In a sector like energetic it does not matter whether you are a man or a woman. What is important is whether you have the skills to analyze, to search and find decisions”, highlights the Minister.

On the meeting a wide spectrum of questions, related to the energy infrastructure, the investment in the sector, the liberalization of the energy market, the diversification of the energy sources, were discussed. Minister Petkova told about the actions taken from her team in these areas, and the future projects of the Ministry.

Members of the Council, who represent companies from the energy sector, expressed their concern for the lack of trained staff. They gave proposals for different initiatives, which can possibly help to overcome the problem.

Temenuzhka Petkova admitted that there was still some imbalance of the sexes in the energy sector in our country, in which women represent only a small percentage of the workers. Doctor engineer Boryana Manolva invited minister Petkova with the proposal for a round table to be organizated under her patronage. This table would include problems of women in the energetic. On the round table can be targeted measures for the encouragement of a massive involvement of women in the energy sector.

At the end of the meeting Temenuzhka Petkova received an insignia of the Council and was invited as an honorary member of the organization.