On 19 April 2018 were organized the networking event “Business Women in the Danube Region” as well as a workshop on “Digitalization processes within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their effects on the vocational education” by the Priority Area 8 (PA8) of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). 

Тhe welcome speech was giving by Ms. Nataša Kulakowski Kramarić, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Czech Republic and Ms. Katrin Schütz, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Labor and Housing in Baden-Württemberg.

PA8 of the EUSDR was presented by the coordinators of the priority area - Dr. Judit Schrick-Szenczi, Ministry of Economy, Labor and Housing of Baden-Württemberg, Germany and Ms. Paulina Tomaskovic, Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts of the Czech Republic.

During the event RAPIV, represented by Ralitsa Zhekova PhD - Executive Director of RAPIV, presented the project WOMEN IN BUSINESS ‘Fostering the Young Women Entrepreneurship in the Danube Region’, co-funded under the second call for proposals under the INTERREG Danube Transnational Programme 2014-2020, Priority Area 1 “Innovative and socially responsible Danube Region”, specific objective 1.2 “Increase competences for business and social innovations”. 

The networking event offered opportunity to discuss topics like difficulties/chances in doing business in the Danube Region, development of business models, creating and doing business in the digital area, supporting innovation and start-ups,  getting access to supply chains, access to finance, networks, trainings, mentoring, and future cooperation possibilities looking on it from a female angle. 

PA8 of the EUSDR provided an institutional embedding of those themes through the establishment of a new official Working Group “Business Women in the Danube Region”.