site.btaPrime Minister: For an Economy with a Soul, We Must Listen More to Women

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov highlighted the indispensable role of women in public life, the economy and politics in his opening speech at the 5th Global Women Leaders Forum in Sofia on Thursday, as quoted by the government press service. The event has been organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. Its main theme is "Fast and furious changing world. Women in the driving seat."

Zhelyazkov said: "If we want an economy with a soul, politics with vision and technology with morality, we must listen more to women and act together with them." In his words, women have traditionally been bearers of resilience and guardians of order. They educate generations and are the first to sense when society loses its balance.

"They do not change the world through revolutions, but through perseverance," the Prime Minister added, saying that women do not seek to subdue the world but to heal it.

According to him, women traditionally participate quietly, consistently and with great impact on the economy. He pointed out that they represent 50% of the talent for growth, with women university graduates in Bulgaria making up more than 60% and their representation in the field of information and communication technology reaching almost 30%, placing the country third in the EU.

"In the era of artificial intelligence and automation, society needs the human factor, empathy, critical thinking and ethical guidance," he said, referring to women as bearers of these values.

In conclusion, he noted that Bulgaria has a genuine opportunity to become a European centre of female talent and entrepreneurship, from women's access to financing and participation in real governance to the combination of professional and family roles.

The Prime Minister took personal commitment on the path towards gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Official participants in the forum include MEP Eva Maydell (EPP) and Iliyana Ivanova of the European Court of Auditors.