International conference and fair

15 – 16 December 2022 • hybrid
10:00h – 18:00h

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Resavska 15

BALKANS GO CIRCULAR

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Live places are limited to 100 participants. Hurry up!
Please book your seat by writing to milica.adamovic@cirekon.rs
Balkans Go Circular • 15-16. December 2022.

STRONGER AND BETTER Only together!

Become part of the Balkan circular network and find out in which ways you can improve your business, become competitive on the European market and ensure the development of your company. More than 40 participants of the international conference will talk about the current situation in the Balkans, about systemic solutions for systemic challenges, current regulations and the power of international collaboration. See you at Balkans Go Circular!

How important are regional cooperation

and cooperation between local governments and the private sector?

1

How to solve complex business

and social challenges in the Balkan region through circular economy?

2

What are the sustainable systemic solutions

for circular cities in the Balkan region?

3

What are the current financial opportunities

and challenges in circular economy in the Balkans?

4

BALKANS GO CIRCULAR

About the conference

Balkans Go Circular is an international conference where the biggest experts in the field of circular economy and other relevant stakeholders from the academic sector, business world and public institutions will present systemic solutions for systemic challenges that the entire Balkan region and the world are currently facing.

Participants and the audience from studios in Belgrade, Athens, Sofia, Sarajevo, Timișoara and Podgorica will share the exchange the latest information in the field of circular economy and map the biggest challenges that Balkan countries are currently facing, as well offer solutions for systemic improvements.

LISTEN TO THE Keynote speakers and panelists

Vedad Suljić

Managing Director at CETEOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Valentin Nikolov

Executive Director of Bulgarian Construction Chamber

Siniša Mitrović

Head of the Center for Circular Economy, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri

Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Prof. dr Darko Nadić

Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University in Belgrade

Prof. Chrysi Laspidou

Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, University of Thessaly, Greece

Olivera Vukajlović

Director General of the Directorate for Enhancing Competitiveness, Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism

Nadia Petkova

Director, Regional Network, SME Finance & Development, EBRD

Ms Aleksandra Miladinović

Western Balkan Regional Coordinator for Policy Dialog and Stakeholders Relations, SME Finance & Development, EBRD

Milena Popović Martinelli

Principal Climate Strategy Delivery for Western Balkans, EBRD

Milan Veselinov

Founder and Director of CirEkon

Mihailo Vesović

Director of the Division for Strategic Analyses, Services and Internationalization, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

Maria Palakarkina

Executive Director of Bulgarian Association of Recycling

Ismar Ćeremida

Project Coordinator in UNDP BiH

Ignacio Chanza

Ecosystem Developer for Southern Europe, EIT Climate-KIC

Harald Friedl

Circular Activist | Speaker | Entrepreneur | Mentor | Advisor

Francesca Montevecchi

Project coordinator and environmental expert, Environment Agency Austria, Waste & Material Flow Management

Evisi Kopliku

Expert on Competitiveness, Regional Cooperation Council

Dr. Srna Sudar

Head of Project Office at University of Montenegro

Dr. Kirsten Dunlop

Chief Executive Officer, EIT Climate-KIC

Dr. Anna-Vera Deinhammer

Director for Circular Cities & Regions, Circular Economy Forum Austria

Dr Simonida Vukadinović

Assistant Professor at Educons University Sremska Kamenica, Serbia

Dr Elena Simina Lakatos

Founding President of the Ernest Lupan Institute for Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM)

Cristina Badulescu

Coordinator of EIT Climate KIC Romania Hub

Andrei Geica

Co-Founder, Chief Policy and Impact Officer, Sporos Platform, Greece

Anđela Bošković

Founder of "Eko Korijen" publishing & consulting

Ana Mitić-Radulović

Project Coordinator in UNDP Serbia

Aleksandra Vučinić

Head of Group for Circular and Green Economy in Ministry of Environmental Protection of Republic of Serbia

BALKANS GO CIRCULAR

Exibition and success promotion

Place where you can:

  • Build your bussiness relations with other exhibitors and business visitors from the region
  • Strengthen your brand name and corporate image
  • Present your succes stories
  • Exchange knowlegde and business experience with representatives from regional business, academia, media and government sectors

AGENDA Learn more & schedule

During two days of rich program, through 4 panels, 2 workshops and 6 presentations by keynote speakers and by presenting more than 20 successful examples from practice, that will provide answers to present-day questions. Select date and learn about the themes and speakers.

10:00 - 10:20

Grand Opening

  1. Milan Veselinov, Founder and Director of CirEkon, Serbia
  2. Ms Nadia Petkova, Director, Regional Network, SME Finance & Development, EBRD

speaker-1

Milan Veselinov

speaker-2

Nadia Petkova

10:20 - 10:40

KEYNOTE 1 • Why and how to collaborate in creating a circular world?

Keynote speaker:
Dr Kirsten Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer, EIT Climate-KIC

speaker-1

Dr. Kirsten Dunlop

10:45 - 11:55

PANEL 1 • Deep scanning of circularity today - The Balkan story

-Current situation in the region -

Join us at our opening panel and let’s discuss the current situation in the region.

We will go throw deep scanning of circularity in the Balkans with:

  1. Olivera Vukajlović, Acting Head of Directorate of Competitiveness Enhancement in Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, Montenegro
  2. Vedad Suljić, Managing Director at CETEOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  3. Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Division for Strategic Analyses, Services and Internationalization, Serbian Chamber of Commerce
  4. Aleksandra Vučinić, Head of Group for Circular and Green Economy in Ministry of Environmental Protection of Republic of Serbia

The panel will be moderated by: Siniša Mitrović, Head of the Center for Circular Economy of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce

The prosperous speakers will "take the stage" to present answers to the following questions:

  1. What is expected in export for Balkan countries when it comes to circular economy?
  2. What are the regulatory boundaries we are now facing and how are we dealing with them?
  3. How do we take impact measurement in countries?
  4. When we say – systemic shift, what do we mean by that in context of Balkan countries?

Balkans Go Circular offers answers!

speaker-1

Olivera Vukajlović

speaker-2

Vedad Suljić

speaker-3

Mihailo Vesović

speaker-4

Aleksandra Vučinić

speaker-5

Siniša Mitrović

12:05 - 12:45

Case studies show

The best business practices

  1. Nikola Stanojević, SOMA
  2. Hanadi Džabić, RCB Nanotehnologija
  3. Pavle Milošević, Fragment
  4. Marko Mihailović, Bitgear

speaker-1

Nikola Stanojević

speaker-2

Hanadi Džabić

speaker-3

Pavle Milošević

speaker-4

Marko Mihailović

12:45 - 13:05

Q&A

For case studies

13:05 - 13:50

Lunch break

13:50 - 13:55

Welcome and announcement afternoon session

13:55 - 15:25

WORSKHOP 1 • A new way of planning the transition- the deep demo approach

Use the opportunity to learn from the best

Lecturer: Ignacio Chanzá, Ecosystem Developer for Southern Europe, EIT Climate-KIC

speaker-1

Ignacio Chanza

13:55 - 15:00 • ⛓️ Parallel session

⛓️ Case studies show

The best business practices

  1. Nikos Therapos, Babylon Gardens
  2. Dr. Aida Szilagy, National Centre for Sustainable Production and Consumption
  3. Francesca Montevecchi, EU4Green

speaker-1

Nikos Therapos

speaker-2

Dr Aida Szilagyi

speaker-3

Francesca Montevecchi

15:00 - 15:25 • ⛓️ Parallel session

⛓️ Q&A

for case studies

15:30 - 15:50

KEYNOTE 2 • Sustainable Finance: A crisis element for the sustainability transition

Keynote speaker:

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri, Professor at Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Director Sustainable Development Unit & EIT Climate-KIC Hub Greece, Athena RC, President EAERE

speaker-1

Prof. Phoebe Koundouri

15:55 - 17:15

PANEL 2 • Collaboration as the best way for Transformation to Circular

Why is important to have an opportunity to learn about circular economy, to communicate “circularity” and to collaborate in creating a circular world – find out in our second panel from distinguished experts:

  1. Anđela Bošković, Founder of "Eko Korijen" publishing & consulting, Montenegro
  2. Ana Mitić-Radulović, Project Coordinator, UNDP Serbia
  3. Prof. dr Darko Nadić, Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University in Belgrade, Serbia
  4. Milan Veselinov, Founder and Director of CirEkon, Serbia
  5. Dr Simonida Vukadinović, Assistant Professor at Educons University Sremska Kamenica, Serbia

During this interesting panel we will discuss:

  1. Why is it important to have multi-sector cooperation for circular solutions?
  2. How can small businesses engage in circular transformation?
  3. Is there a possibility for cooperation between “small” and “big” players?
  4. How to communicate “circularity”?
  5. Are there circular economy programs at the universities in the region?
  6. Is there an interest for circular economy among students?

Balkans Go Circular offers answers!

speaker-1

Ana Mitić-Radulović

speaker-2

Prof. dr Darko Nadić

speaker-3

Milan Veselinov

speaker-4

Anđela Bošković

speaker-5

Dr Simonida Vukadinović

17:20 - 17:40

KEYNOTE 3 • Impactful value in CE - The bottom-up

Keynote speaker:

Ismar Ćeremida, UNDP BiH

speaker-1

Ismar Ćeremida

17:40 - 18:00

CONCLUSIONS DAY 1

10:00 - 10:20

OPENING DAY 2

10:20 - 10:40

KEYNOTE 4 • How circular economy connects business, policies, and leadership?

Keynote speaker:
Dr. Elena Simina Lakatos, Founding President of the Ernest Lupan Institute for Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM)

speaker-1

Dr Elena Simina Lakatos

10:45 - 12:05

WORKSHOP 2

Resilience through change management for circularity

10:45 - 11:45 • ⛓️ Parallel session

⛓️ Case studies show

The best business practices

  1. Aleksandra Lazović – Lønningen, EatMeApp
  2. Branislava Grubor, RKS Kompoziti
  3. Maja Halilović, Maja Halilović BioDesign
  4. Zejneba Burajić, Wool-line

speaker-1

Aleksandra Lazović-Lonnigen

speaker-2

Branislava Grubor

speaker-3

Maja Halilović

speaker-4

Zejneba Burajić

11:45 - 12:05 • ⛓️ Parallel session

⛓️ Q&A

For case studies

12:05 - 12:10

Promo video

12:10 - 12:40

KEYNOTE 5 • Funding and opportunities for circular innovation in SMEs

Keynote speaker:

Valentin Nikolov, Executive Director of Bulgarian Construction Chamber

speaker-1

Valentin Nikolov

12:40 - 13:10

Lunch break

13:10 - 13:15

Afternoon sessions announcements

13:15 - 13:35

KEYNOTE 6 • What do you need to do-NOW ...in a complex world of circularity...

Keynote speaker:

Harald Friedl, Circular Activist • Speaker • Entrepreneur • Mentor • Advisor

speaker-1

Harald Friedl

13:40 - 15:00

PANEL 3 • A complex reality demands complexity related solutions - What works and what doesn’t in a circular world?

  • Balkans Go Circular offers answers whether Circular Economy in crisis times is key for success or a long-forgotten promise? -

We will discuss about complex system thinking for complex problem solving with relevant experts:

  1. Maria Palakarkina, Executive Director of Bulgarian Association of Recycling
  2. Prof. Chrysi Laspidou, Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, University of Thessaly, Greece
  3. Ismar Ćeremida, Project Coordinator, UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina
  4. Dr. Anna-Vera Deinhammer, Director for Circular Cities & Regions, Circular Economy Forum Austria
  5. Dr. Srna Sudar, Head of Project Office at University of Montenegro

The panel will be moderated by: Cristina Badulescu, Coordinator of EIT Climate KIC Romania Hub

Balkans Go Circular will offer answers to following questions:

  1. How should the new smart sustainable circular neighbourhood areas look like?
  2. What is necessary to fulfil the circular market demand?
  3. How do we ensure a constant supply of materials?
  4. How do we deal with the broken food supply chains?

speaker-1

Ismar Ćeremida

speaker-2

Prof. Chrysi Laspidou

speaker-3

Dr. Anna-Vera Deinhammer

speaker-4

Dr. Srna Sudar

speaker-5

Cristina Badulescu

speaker-6

Maria Palakarkina

15:05 - 15:45

CEBB PRESENTATION AND Q&A

15:45 - 15:55

Announcement of MoU and signing

15:55 - 16:15

KEYNOTE 7 • EBRD - Financing and opportunities

Keynote speaker:

Aleksandra Miladinović, Western Balkan Regional Coordinator for Policy Dialog and Stakeholders Relations, SME Finance & Development, EBRD

speaker-1

Ms Aleksandra Miladinović

16:20 - 17:25

CLOSING PANEL • Circular economy erases boundaries

Learn from the best:

  1. Andrei Geica, Co-Founder, Chief Policy and Impact Officer, Sporos Platform, Greece
  2. Ignacio Chanza, Ecosystem Developer for Southern Europe at EIT Climate-KIC
  3. Francesca Montevecchi,Project coordinator and environmental expert, Environment Agency Austria, Waste & Material Flow Management
  4. Aleksandra Miladinović, Western Balkan Regional Coordinator for Policy Dialog and Stakeholders Relations, SME Finance & Development, EBRD
  5. Evisi Kopliku, Expert on Competitiveness at Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
  6. Milena Popović Martinelli, Principal Climate Strategy Delivery for Western Balkans, EBRD

The panel will be moderated by: Milan Veselinov, Founder and Director of CirEkon

Balkans Go Circular will tackle the following questions:

  1. How important is the joint progress of the region in the field of circular economy? How do regional offices harmonize or plan regional programs, initiatives, and projects?
  2. Are international projects a way to go in establishing circular business models?
  3. How important is the harmonization of regulations at the international level?
  1. What are the current leading documents and strategies that establish harmonization and synchronization of activities?
  2. What is the role of EIT Climate-KIC in the Balkan circular story?

speaker-1

Andrei Geica

speaker-2

Milan Veselinov

speaker-3

Ignacio Chanza

speaker-4

Francesca Montevecchi

speaker-5

Ms Aleksandra Miladinović

speaker-6

Evisi Kopliku

speaker-7

Milena Popović Martinelli

17:25 - 17:35

Highlights and conclusions

17:40 - 18:00

Closing ceremony

Supported by the EIT Climate-KIC Circular Economy Balkan Beacons project

The consortium consisting of the Center for Circular Economy CirEkon d.o.o. (Serbia), Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, Timis Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (Romania), Cleantech Bulgaria, Athena Research and Innovation Center (Greece), Wuppertal Institute of Climate, Environment and Energy (Germany), Regional Education and Information Center for Sustainable Development in South-East Europe REIC (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro joined forces in 2020 to promote the circular economy model in the Balkans through education trainings, research, information distribution, implementation of the circular economy model and cooperation.

Circular Economy Balkan Beacons Project is supported by EIT Climate-KIC Co-funded by the EU and aims to prepare companies for coming systemic circular economy implementation.

During the implementation of the project activities, we attracted over 1500 visitors at our accompanying events, and achieved successful cooperation with over 20 cities of the region, 7 competent ministries and 10 companies.

The main goal of cooperation is to support small and medium-sized enterprises, cities and future circular innovators from the Balkan countries to further inform themselves on the topic of circular economy, educate them and prepare them to welcome the process of transition to a new business model, which, in fact, may be the only guarantee of survival and competitiveness on the foreign market.

We have already successfully organized The Balkans Go Circular conference, where at the end of 2020 we were among the first in the region to bring the topic of the circular economy closer to the public from the region.

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