REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING HELD WITHIN THE WOMEX PROJECT

REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING HELD WITHIN THE WOMEX PROJECT

20.03.2026

The Association of Business Women in Serbia took part in a regional stakeholder meeting held on 19 March 2026 within the framework of the WOMEX project – The Role of Women in the Competitiveness of Exporting SMEs. The project is funded through the Interreg Europe programme and supported by the European Union. The event was hosted at the premises of the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration Belgrade and gathered representatives of relevant institutions and organizations, as well as women entrepreneurs from export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.

The meeting focused on the exchange of experiences, presentation of the project’s progress to date, and opening a dialogue on improving support measures for women operating in international markets.

As part of the working session, representatives of the Association of Business Women in Serbia – Dragana Panajotović, Ivana Petrović, and Jelena Vujičić – presented the initial findings of the research conducted within the project. Special emphasis was placed on the methodological framework, as well as preliminary results highlighting key challenges faced by women in export activities, along with opportunities to enhance their competitiveness.

In the introductory session, participants were presented with the objectives and agenda of the meeting, as well as an overview of the project’s implementation so far. Sonja Manojlović from the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration Belgrade presented the project activities, partnership structure, and upcoming steps.

An important segment of the meeting was dedicated to the institutional support framework. Ljiljana Marković presented measures and activities within the Employment Programme of the City of Belgrade, with a particular focus on support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as opportunities for further strengthening the economic position of women.

The central part of the meeting was an open and interactive discussion between stakeholders and women entrepreneurs. Business owners and managers from the companies Solo, Euro Profil, Hedera Vita, and Slovo shared practical insights, pointing out key challenges such as administrative and market barriers, limited access to finance, and the need to strengthen capacities in marketing, digitalization, and internationalization.

The meeting concluded with the definition of next steps, including further analysis of the collected recommendations and their integration into future WOMEX project activities, with the aim of enhancing the position and competitiveness of women in export-oriented SMEs.

More information about the WOMEX project is available here.