Belarusian Entrepreneurship Week starts today until 24 March in Minsk, organised by the ‘Republican Confederation of Entrepreneurship’ together with the Economy Ministry, the ministry's department of entrepreneurship, the Belarusian Fund of Financial Support for Entrepreneurs and regional business associations.
The week’s events include round table meetings and panel discussions on topical issues related to the business community, training seminars and conferences, field-specific sessions, speeches from top managers and business leaders of the country. Participants will discuss the most important issues and priority areas for business development in Belarus.
The issues of accessibility of financial instruments for business development, foreign economic activities of SMEs and their role in the development of the region, issues related to the legal regulation of SMEs, partnerships of business and non-profit organisations, and opportunities for business development in a start-up system will all be on the agenda of events.
All events are designed for a wide audience, from schoolchildren to representatives of big businesses.
This year, the key event of Belarusian Entrepreneurship Week will be the republican business forum ‘Development of Belarusian Entrepreneurship: Strategy and Tactics’ on 20 March at the National Library of the Republic of Belarus. The target audience of the forum is entrepreneurs, managers, top managers, owners, directors, marketers, investors, representatives of government agencies, the diplomatic corps, academia, and the media. The forum will be held in the format of a plenary session and three thematic round tables on current topics.
It is planned that the forum will present the results of the Business Optimism Index (IDO) survey, an analytical study that shows how business owners evaluate the conditions created in the country for the development of entrepreneurship, and the draft National Business Platform of Belarus - a document containing proposals for improving the business climate in Belarus, which is produced with the involvement of the entire business community of Belarus.
Detailed information about the event can be found at www.rce.by.
The EU supports SME development in Belarus through projects implemented under its EU4Business initiative, through which SMEs can benefit from EU-funded financial and advisory tools. These aim to provide SMEs with access to finance, provide business advice or technical assistance, and support female entrepreneurship. Tools include the EBRD Advice for Small Businesses programme, and the European Fund for South East Europe (EFSE), providing loans to SMEs.