On 10 June 2021, Vienna Economic Forum, together with EastEuroCo Executive Search Group, long-standing Strategic Partner of Vienna Economic Forum, co- organized the “Regional Talk Towards EU Accession-Western Balkans Labour Markets Review”, with the partners on-site in Budapest.
The Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum, Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, has had the honour, online from the Vienna Economic Forum premises in Vienna, to open the discussion on this very important topic.
In her Opening Remarks Ambassador Dr. Kirtcheva spoke about the necessity for constant growth and adjustment to the changing conditions of the global happenings through the prism of the regional specificity and underlined that: “Only by putting in the efforts, we can assure that the ongoing brain drain process and massive migration for employment purposes will be stopped, thus securing a proper and highly skilled work force on the hand and fair and well paid working environment on the other”. In her greeting words to the EU Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner, H.E. Mr. Olivér Várhelyi, and to all of the high-ranking online participants and viewers the Secretary General said that: “Vienna Economic Forum was built on a vision, to contribute to the economic cooperation and development of the 13 VEF Member countries as a region that grows together” and only if we follow this vision and put in all of our efforts we can achieve “a social change, a real synergy of employers and employees and courage to see the future of the region and Europe”!
On the topic of Investors’ experiences, among others we had the honour to also hear the experts views of two Board Members of Vienna Economic Forum.
Mr. Wilbert Verheijen, Managing Director, Canon CEE GmbH, Member of the Board of VEF talked about his views of the Western Balkans as a growth opportunity, especially in the developing economies of the countries of the region. He sees the biggest opportunity in the future in what is called digital transformation, i.e. moving the business processes from analogue to digital for which improving the digital skills of the work force from the region would be highly valuable. Canon’s philosophy: “living and working together for the common good” is something Mr. Verheijen hopes to be applicable in the countries of the region in terms of not only doing business but also making a positive contribution to the social development in each country where the company is present.
Dr. Stephan Pachinger, LL.M., Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Member of the Board of VEF provided several aspects which based on the experience of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are highly relevant and should ultimately provide means to make sure that any undertaken investment results in the positive expectation associated with it and ensures that the aspirations put into place materialize and are not jeopardised. Dr. Pachinger presented several Considerations for Investors in the Western Balkans and introduced respective areas that are of utmost importance from a legal perspective.
The consequent presentations, contributions and discussions from the high representatives of all of the countries form the Western Balkan region, followed by the most interesting insights offered by the initiator of the online Discussion, host and main organizer from Budapest, Hungary, on this very important topic were very informative and knowledgeable.
Vienna Economic Forum thanks to Mr. Sándor Söpkéz and to EastEuroCo Executive Search Group for the excellent cooperation and co-organization of the online Discussion and for the close and fruitful collaboration over the many years.
The following link provides a direct access to the Western Balkans Labour Markets Review – Regional Talk Towards EU Accession online discussion recorded video:
Please find here the Agenda for the online Discussion.
