18 Sep IMPACTA: Project Partners and Stakeholders Meeting in Chișinău
17-18.09.2026
The first MAG (Multi-action Stakeholders Group) networking event within the IMPACTA project (Interreg Danube Region Programme) was held in Chișinău on 17 and 18 September, bringing together project partners, associated strategic partners and representatives of local support groups from across the Danube Region. During the two-day meeting, participants had the opportunity to get to know each other, exchange experiences and present good practices in supporting women entrepreneurs, as well as discuss opportunities for applying these approaches in different local contexts.
The meeting was attended by Dragana Panajotović, Executive Director of the Association of Business Women in Serbia (ABW), and Lija Stojković, Project Manager at ABW, as members of the ABW project team. Mirjana Bogdanović, Head of the Budget Fund and Subsidies Unit at the Secretariat for Economy of the City of Belgrade, participated on behalf of the City of Belgrade. The meeting provided an opportunity for participants from different countries to become more familiar with the organisations they will be working with during the upcoming phases of the project and to identify opportunities for joint cooperation.
A dedicated part of the programme focused on exchanging good practices in supporting women who start, develop and grow their businesses. Seven programmes and initiatives from participating countries were presented, covering different forms of support – from training and mentoring to business skills development and networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
As part of this session, the Association of Business Women in Serbia presented the WIN project, namely the establishment of the Women’s Ethno Hub in Loznica, as an example of good practice from Serbia. Following the presentations of initiatives from different countries, participants discussed which elements had contributed to their success and which approaches could be applied or adapted to other local contexts.
This was followed by a joint workshop entitled Women’s Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation Models – From Good Practices to Solutions Applicable in Other Local Contexts. Participants were divided into smaller groups, where they discussed how the elements presented during the previous session could be applied to activities to be implemented within the IMPACTA project.
Particular attention was given to practical ways of supporting women entrepreneurs, including mentoring, peer exchange, digital support, networking, cooperation with local organisations and institutions, access to finance, and connecting women with relevant support services and programmes. The aim was not to simply transfer entire programmes from one country to another, but to identify individual approaches that could be adapted to local needs.
The second day of the meeting focused on agreeing on next steps and coordinating project activities. Project partners discussed progress to date, the development of training materials and methodologies, the work of local support groups, and the preparation of a practical guide for policymakers and professionals. Particular attention was given to plans for implementing the project’s five pilot programmes, their interconnections and opportunities for cooperation.
As part of the joint programme, participants also visited local business in the Chișinău area Madaline Wood Bag, run by Maria Bumbu, a member of AFAM, the host organisation of the meeting. The visits provided an opportunity to learn about concrete entrepreneurial experiences and connect the topics discussed during the meeting with real-life business practices.
The first MAG meeting marks the beginning of continuous cooperation and exchange of experience among organisations and institutions involved in the project across the Danube Region. The aim is to use the knowledge and experience of participants not only for information exchange, but also to improve concrete support programmes for women entrepreneurs that will be developed and tested through IMPACTA.
In this way, the project connects the experience of different countries with the concrete needs of women starting and growing their businesses, while creating opportunities for new contacts, cooperation and the development of practical solutions that can be applied in different local contexts.
The IMPACTA project is implemented within the Interreg Danube Region Programme, with the aim of strengthening women’s entrepreneurship through the development of innovative support models, cooperation among different stakeholders, and the testing of new approaches across the Danube Region.
