Bulgarian Association of Apparel and Textile Producers and Exporters (BAATPE), member of EURATEX, in partnership with the Bulgarian Association of Textile and Clothing (BATEK) and The Branch Union of leather, fur, footwear and industry were the organizers of the event, which gathered more than 130 representatives of Bulgarian companies from the sector of textiles, clothing and furs.
A forum not only provide the guests information about the project SEETAL, but seriously consider the current situation of the branch at the time as a discussion on problems and prospects of the garment sector, textiles and leather, the impact of global financial crisis on the industry, possible anti-crisis measures and actions of state institutions and industry organizations .
Main attention was paid to the views expressed by European experts and consultants from COTANCE, EURATEX and STFI.
Mr. Bill Lakin, General Secretary of EURATEX, and Mr. Gustavo Gonzalez from COTANCE expressed their concerns regarding the future of the textile, clothing and leather industry in Bulgaria and Europe. Despite pessimistic notes in their presentation, both guest speakers though that the reasons the Bulgarian and European companies face in the sector are not only the result of international financial and economic crisis and there are available solutions to deal more easily with the difficulties.
Together with representatives of Bulgarian business and branch organizations, they are united around the view that a stronger support and interest by the national government and banking institutions are part of the factors that may help firms to overcome the current situation.
The representatives of the Bulgarian institutions and state administration who attended the forum have recognized the lack of existing measures to tackle the crisis, but expressed willingness to cooperate more closely on those issues.
The national conference was attended also by representatives of foreign companies in Bulgaria. Ms. Hristina Krasteva, executive director of «Dzali», and Mr. Ivan Karadachki, executive director of the company «Evromoda», gave concrete examples of successful international investments in the country and stressed the role of good organization and leadership for the success of each company.
Mr Phill Downing, executive director of «PDA Manufacturing Group UK» and Mr. Brian Sainsburry, senior expert at the same company presented a detailed comparative analysis of methods for increasing productivity in business sector, both in Europe and in Bulgaria.
The conference ended with the presentation of the information platform One Stop Shop, established under the project SEETAL. Mr. Marco Barteld from STFI (Germany), clarified the function of the platform as a key source of information on EU legislation in the field of textiles and clothing, and a communication mediator between organizations partners in the project.
For more information:
Tel. : (02) 969 3161, BAATPE.
Presentations from the event:
Bill Lakin, EURATEX: свали pdf (77Kb)
Stephanie le Berre, EURATEX: свали pdf (134Kb)
Marco Barteld, EURATEX: свали pdf (6Mb)