On April 9, 2024, Stara Zagora municipality hosted a Regional Meeting of Socially Responsible Employers, organized by “Enterprise” magazine and the National Association of Socially Responsible Employers (NASRE), in partnership with the Bulgarian SMEs Promotion Agency ( BSMEPA).

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the topics of corporate social responsibility and the benefits for business and society, cooperation between institutions, employers, disadvantaged people, their needs and wants. The conclusion of the event was that in Bulgaria there are still many unrealized opportunities for the development of social responsibility and the implementation of successful practices to ensure a decent workplace and a better life for people.

The discussions were attended by Boyko Takov, PhD – Executive Director of the BSMEPA and Head of the National Contact Point for Responsible business conduct of Bulgaria, Mr. Radostin Tanev – Deputy Mayor in the Municipality of Stara Zagora with portfolio “Transport, ecology, investments and green transition”, Mrs. Natalia Hristova – Executive Director of the National Association of Socially Responsible Employers “NASRE”, Mrs. Neli Kostadinova – Expert in the “Regional Center for the Development of the Social Economy” at the Ministry of labor and social policy.

The Head of the NCP-Bulgaria expressed the support of BSMEPA in the direction of social entrepreneurship by presenting the instruments representing various projects and initiatives that the Agency organizes. He particularly emphasized the activities of the National Contact Point of Bulgaria for Responsible business conduct, which is part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The activities he presented correspond to the plans of BSMEPA to promote the successful business models of socially responsible enterprises of Bulgaria, as a country that strives for membership in the OECD.