Cooperative Society (Skopje)

Context

At the beginning of 2018, a publication, The Revision of the Economy in the Balkans: Change Policy, Not Climate, as well as a green economy manual, was published as part of the transnational project carried out by Green European Foundation supported by Blue Link Bulgaria, Sunrise Macedonia and Networked Serbia.

The research done in the previous years has shown immense potential and pointed out the fact that these national economies are currently going in a different direction: subsidising multinational companies and mega infrastructure projects in privatizing natural resources.

A process of political centralisation, by taking competences from the local level and exclusion of the citizens from the economic and social decisions is evident. In this political environment, the only possible solution is a creation of bottom-up, self-organized, citizens’ initiatives with a purpose of association of labor and services. The countries of the region have their own historical legacy of a cooperative economy in socialism, which is now in a process of renewal.

About the event

The Green European Foundation, with the support of ASSED Sunrise, is organising this international conference “Greening the Economy: Cooperative Society”.

The conference will explore the policies relating to the development of the green economy in the region and discuss topics including green procurement, renewable energy and green jobs.

It will also serve as a platform for an exchange of knowledge and a chance to promote green policies in the region, with the aim to raise awareness among stakeholders, politicians, and the general public for the economic potential of a Green Economy.

As part of the event, there will be a promotion of the 2017 Green European Foundation study “Revision of the Economies in the Balkans: CHANGE POLICY NOT CLIMATE!” , which is the result of trans-border cooperation and research in Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria.

Programme

09:30 – 10:30: Arrival of participants and speakers

10:30 – 11:00: Registration and welcome coffee

11:00 – 11:15: Opening:

• Moderating: Maja Morachanin MP
• Aleksandar Gjorgjievski, transnational coordinator

Short presentation of the 2018 project

• ASSED Sunrise – Skopje,

11:15 – 11:30: Presentation of 2017 GEF Publication: Revision of the Economies in the Balkans: Change Policy Not Climate

• Hristina Odzaklievska, Head Researcher, Macedonia
• Zaklina Zivkovic, Networked, National Coordinator, Serbia

11:30 – 12:00: Public Policies Towards a Green Economy in the Republic of Macedonia

• Ljiljana Popovska, MP

12:00 – 12:30: Coffee break

12:30 – 14:00: Panel: Green Economy – Cooperative Society

• Ana Petrovska, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Planning

Open Cooperatives as a Driving Force of the Economic Transformation

• Dirk Holemans, Oikos, Belgium
• Iva Marković, PolEkol, Serbia

14:00 – 15:00: Lunch

Registration

To register for this event, please contact Aleksandar Gjorgjievski aleksgo@gmail.com.