The fifth edition of the Italian Business Forum (IBF) was held in Ljubljana, organized by the Italian-Slovenian Forum, the Italian Embassy in Ljubljana, the ICE Agency, and the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the institute Jožef Stefan, a center of scientific research. The theme of the works, which were attended by over 120 representatives of the authorities, the business, the third sector, and civil society, was the social enterprise, analysed with different approaches by the speakers, who have shared, in a constructive atmosphere, their experience and skills, always keeping in mind the themes of entrepreneurship, innovation and competitiveness.

Jurij Giacomelli, President of the Italian-Slovenian Forum, and Jadran Lenarcic, Director of the Jozef Stefan Institute, the main technological center of Slovenia, stressed the strength of bilateral exchange, which can bring together government representatives and successful entrepreneurs from the two countries. In the institutional greetings, the Italian Ambassador Paolo Trichilo stressed the positive implications of exchange and collaboration for the development of a Social Company between Italy, one of the leading countries in Europe in the field, and Slovenia, and more generally, the importance of the social dimension in Europe.

The Forum offered a dense series of interventions that covered the entire span of social entrepreneurship, from governmental to academic and operational bodies. The Slovenian State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister, Tadej Slapnik, and the Chief Technical Advisor of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Bruno Busacca, explained the guidelines of national policies on the third sector and the innovations put into field to accompany their development.

Professor Carlo Borzaga, President of the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprises(EURICSE), and Mojca Žganec Metelko, Secretary General of the Slovenian Social Entrepreneurship Forum, explained the point of view of the research sector and that of the field experience, underlining the potential and prospects of innovation that a Company is able to blend, without losing its role as social actor that produces goods and services for those who can not afford them. Silvan Persolja, from Klet Brda, a winery of Gorizia that brings together the work of 400 families of wine growers, Stefania Marcone of Legacoop, and Marco Ratti of Banca Prossima exposed their best practices and success stories in terms of the positive impact they have, both for the territory and in terms of business.

Barbara Predan, Director of the Institute of Design at the University of Ljubljana (ALOU) indicated the innovation contribution created by cooperation networks. Finally, in the closing panel moderated by the Director of ICE Ljubljana, Elisa Scelsa, and by the CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Giancarlo Miranda, entrepreneurial and financial aspects were examined, through the excellent interventions by Aquafil, Poligon Creative Centre, Unicredit Bank Slovenia, leading companies who daily combine entrepreneurship with the most important issues for social enterprise.

(ITALPRESS/MNA).

Source: medNews