The President of the Bulgarian Industrial Association Bojidar DANEV participated in the international conference “The Challenges Facing Participatory Democracy in an Enlarged Europe” that was held in Vienna on 15 –16 May 2006.
During the Austrian Presidency of the European Union the Austrian Advisory Council for Economic and Social Affairs in cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee organized the conference.
Mr. Herbert TUMPEL, President of the Federal Chamber of Labour, Mr. Rudolf SCHWARZBOECK, President of the Chamber of agriculture, and Ms Anne-Marie SIGMUND, President of EESC opened the forum.
The main topics of the conference covered issues related with: participatory democracy; the role of the social partners and other representative associations of civil society; the contribution of organizations to the reform of the European economic model. The panel case studies explored
• the various ways of involving organized civil society in policy formulation: the role of the economic and social councils and of social partners;
• the involvement of the organized civil society: civil dialogue and its role in the renewal of the European project
• involvement of the social partners: social and macroeconomic dialogue at European level of working relations.
Mr. Alfred FINZ, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance of Austria, presented the point of view of the EU-Presidency.
The Secretary General of the Advisory Council for Economic and Social Affairs Thomas DELAPINA read the closing address by the organizers.
