Second National Stakeholder Group Meeting Held as Part of the WE.Circular Project

Second National Stakeholder Group Meeting Held as Part of the WE.Circular Project

02.09.2024.

The second online meeting of the National Stakeholder Group as a part of the project Boosting Digital and Industrial Capacity for Sustainable Circular Transition of Women Entrepreneurs in the Danube Region – WE.Circular was held on September 2, 2024, organized by the Association of Business Women in Serbia (ABW), the Serbian partner on the project.

The meeting was moderated by Sanja Popović Pantić PhD, President of ABW, who opened the event with an introductory address highlighting the importance of the project.

Lija Stojković, Project Manager of ABW, presented the project’s progress to date, including completed and ongoing activities. During her presentation, she tackled the results of the National Skills Gap and Needs Analysis for Women Entrepreneurs in Serbia and the conclusions from the first Transnational Stakeholder Meeting in Moldova.

Aleksandra Vučinić, Head of the Group for Circular and Green Economy at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, spoke about the development of the circular economy in Serbia. She emphasized the importance of the rational use of raw materials and energy savings in waste management processes, highlighting the Ministry’s achievements through projects like Circular Communities, implemented in partnership with UNDP and financially supported by the Global Environmental Fund.

Nebojša Vraneš, Advisor at the Center for Circular Economy of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, discussed the support provided by the Chamber to businesses aiming for circular transformation. He outlined activities carried out in 2023 and 2024, such as training circular economy (CE) consultants, distributing guides on circular agriculture and chemical management, and translating ISO standards for circular economy into Serbian.

The meeting was also attended by Tijana Sekulić (AT Consulting), Miodrag Kostić (Business Knowledge Consulting Agency), and Daniela Kuzmanović (Mihajlo Pupin Institute).

Highlighted Good Practices

Participants discussed concrete initiatives in waste management, including the project Towards Better Food Waste Management in the Republic of Serbia, supported by the German Development Agency (GIZ). This project facilitated the recycling of 1,000 tons of food waste through collaboration with recycling operators.

Conclusions and Next Steps

The meeting brought together seven participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Marked by constructive dialogue and idea exchange, the event contributed to strengthening cooperation for the promotion of circular economy and sustainable business models in Serbia.

The WE.Circular project is funded through the Interreg Danube Region Program, spans 30 months, and includes 15 partners from 12 countries: Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.