SEETAL - Results for BAATPE at the end of the project
Presentation by Mrs. Valeria Jekova, Chairman of BAATPE, Bulgaria
Brussels, 4 June 2009
The participation of BAATPE in project SEETAL can't be qualified only as useful or good. From the beginning it became a real source of information and additional qualification, for our association's staff, as well as for all our firms-members.
As we all know very well, the project SEETAL has its main objectives:
- Introduction to European legislation.
- Support of representative business organizations from Southeastern Europe - sector textiles, clothing and furs.
- To improve the communicative capacity and communication skills of each organization with its member companies.
- To improve the status of organizations, such as active and informed partners in the local public.
- To establish good relations with other European associations of the sectors with the aim of long-term cooperation and exchange of good practices.
The content of the project was framed within seminars and meetings that contain an authentic project task, a resolution for challenging problems and propose multidisciplinary information. The right realization of the seminars required two kind of collaboration:
During the first phase of the project, we succeed to create good relations with all the representatives from the partners associations. We can honestly say that it was the first successful step of the project which helps BAATPE to meet its international obligations as European Association and to create strategic partnerships with the other participants. We are very grateful for the information and the support that we received from our European coordinators and partners who have been an integral part of this whole project from the beginning to the end. The project inspires our association with the belief that we can be more helpful for our members and we can take higher responsibility for their European projects and investigations.
During the second phase of the project, from February to April 2009, following the organization schema of the project, BAATPE succeed to prepare three consecutive seminars and one (inter)national conference. The events met great interest and responded to the Association' members needs to receive complete and efficient information and help about the major actualities, problems and aims on the Bulgarian and European fashion / textile market.
The organized seminars - in three different cities in Bulgaria (Sofia, Plovdiv, Ruse) and concerning different topics from the discussed ones ( International trade, Patent defense, Reach, etc. ) - help our Association to elucidate unfamiliar important areas in the European legislation and to test a different ways to approach to its members, to work efficiently on the major problems, to satisfy the professional curiosity of the Bulgarian companies from the branch and to remain reliable to the economic international situation. We truly believe that the activities that we initiated were completely necessary for the right development and presentation on the Bulgarian companies on the international and the European market in order to meet proudly the foreign requirements.
The National conference, organized on 13 of March 2009, in cooperation with the two other Bulgarian partners associations - BATEC and BU of LFFHI, became a really successful event which was attended by more than 140 Bulgarian firms from the sector. The event created the preposition to reunite together the representatives from both Bulgarian and European organizations, associations and governments agencies and to respond to all important questions for the branch. With personal presentations in the conference took part experts from our European partners associations - EURATEX, COTANCE, STFI, WorkShop, representatives from the Bulgarian government organizations - Ministry of Economy and Energy, Business Agency for Small and Medium sizes enterprises, Social and Economic Council of Bulgaria, and also independent experts from our companies - members - Dzalli, Euromoda, PDA Manufacturing. The conference, which could be named international as well, became a scene to present the divers profesional opinions about the current situation in the branch in Europe and Bulgaria, in particular. The large portfolio of specially defined presentations permits the guests of the conference to study the impact of the international economic and financial situation on their own future business activities and to receive competent ideas for development in the actual context.
The event received large media support which facilitates the popularization of the branch problems and the ways to get support from the institutions.In fact, by creating and supporting the international cooperation between the partner sewing associations, by facilitating and guiding our companies - members through the proposed themes, the project SEETAL showed us an efficient way to rise and popularize the role of BAATPE for its members and to resist the economic crysis in the industry.
Supporting the communication, practice and information exchange between the associations, administrative units, and enterprises of partner countires rise the level of mutually beneficial international business partnership - the better way to face the real challenge of decreasing demand and reducing production
To conclude, I just want to present in brief the achieved project results:
a) Strength connectivity and accessibility to international history, legislation and market resources through exchange of information and best practices
b) Stimulate regional business cooperation by developing international partnerships among apparel and textile associations, participation in the project
c) Efficient detailed working knowledge on every topic mentioned in the project