With regards to the first bit of the joint study visit in Sofia and Athens, the partners were introduced to the entrepreneurial context of Bulgaria. In the first session of the visit, the representatives of each country were informed about the existing legislation with regards to the requirements for a start-up visa and the politics underlying the notion of Bulgaria acting as a European start up incubator.
The session continued with a discussion on the aid programs focusing on migrants and/or refugees and the initiatives founded to provide support and guidance to those in need. Caritas Bulgaria and St. Anna’s also attended the event and contributed to the conversation with its hands-on experience on the matter and multi-year expertise on migration and capacity building for foreigners.
The day concluded with the conduction of a CIA (Competitive Intelligence Analysis) on the project itself, its mission, goals and each country’s contribution and responsibilities.
As far as the study visit in Athens is concerned, the partners had the chance to visit the National Center for Scientific Research – ‘Demokritos’ and discuss with its highly skilled staff the creation of Incubators for migrants, the lack of enough job vacancies for both foreigners and locals, the positive outcomes of the integration of migrants and last but not least, the Greek refugee policy and legislation.
The second session of the day focused on the Greek context around starting and registering a start up while Caritas Greece joined the panel to provide valuable insights on the existing training schemes for migrants, refugees and foreigners with regards to acquiring marketable skills. The partners renewed their date for the next study visit in Latvia/Lithuania for the end of May.