ADRIATIC-IONIAN REGION IS YOU(TH)

“𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧”

Within the AI-NURECC PLUS Initiative and during the “𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜-𝐈𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮(𝐭𝐡)!” Conference organised by the EUSAIR/AII Croatian Presidency, Forum AIC co-organised the panel “𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧”. The event took place on 16th November 2023 at the University of Split Campus (Croatia) and showcased the experiences of young entrepreneurs, leaders in their sectors, aiming to provide an interregional perspective on the challenge of the ‘Brain Drain’. phenomenon. Participants had the chance to hear direct experiences from young people of the macro region and their path to establish themselves in the entrepreneurial sector in the area.

Ms. Natasa Busic, Senior expert advisor at the Split Chambers of Commerce, member of the Forum AIC, moderated the session.

The welcoming greetings were opened by Mr. Gino Sabatini, President of the Marche Chambers of Commerce as well as of Forum AIC. President Sabatini highlighted the importance of giving voice to the young entrepreneurs of the Adriatic-Ionian region, emphasising the role of young people in shaping the sustainable and innovative transition of the macro region. “the interconnected cooperation between universities, chambers of commerce and cities is essential so that our young generation feels seen and represented, and it is also important to provide them with all the right conditions to let them stay and grow in the region”, he said.

The first speaker, Ms. Nastja Logar, Owner of Autentica, Agency for Green marketing and Consulting in Croatia, highlighted the importance of supporting local businesses and sustainability. She also emphasised the main challenges in conducting a sustainable business and in being attractive for customers; the price still plays a fundamental role in sustainability, because customers tend to rely on less expensive products and services at a lower price, instead of choosing sustainable and local productions that may have an elevated price. She added that Croatia, from a strategic point of view, is moving towards sustainable tourism, however, sustainability starts also from and with the people, with the citizens.

Mr. Jacopo Corona, Founder and President of Frolla Social Cooperative Society, explained how his business in Italy started. He explained how there are many young people with disabilities with important skills and abilities, who unfortunately cannot find room for expression and are not supported by the system they live in; therefore, Frolla was created to give space and creativity to people with disabilities, producing biscuits in an artisanal way. He also explained how initially it has been complicated to receive funds, however, through an extraordinary solidarity network and a crowdfunding campaign it has been possible to establish what has become a true social enterprise model.

Ms. Petra Knez Bahor is the Owner and Managing Director of Kontaktni Center in Slovenia, and told the audience about the path that brought her to her business. She highlighted the importance of having mentors in life, by explaining how she entered the Contact Centre sector when she was still a student, profiting from the experiences in many important centres. In her job, she puts the customers and their feedback as priorities and she gives huge importance to the emotional support that a client can receive in case of a complication. She also added that she considers AI a huge helper in her sector, however she believes that emotional intelligence is very much needed when a customer is unsatisfied and needs help.

Mr. Boris Cigler, Director Consulting Service at Otto Ziegler Consulting in Bosnia and Herzegovina, explained how his business spirit came through spending time abroad, particularly during his experience in the US where he dedicated his studies in economics. He suggested to young people of the region to go abroad and learn how to start a business and how to get into the entrepreneurship environment, bringing to light the still problematic reality of the economic sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the slow bureaucracy, which results in long and troubled process for young people to enter the entrepreneurial business. He confirmed that Brain Drain is a big and still very significant problem for the region.

Mr. Uros Bulatovic, Founder and President of Union of Young Entrepreneurs of Montenegro, confirmed the importance of finding mentors and combining skills and knowledge with other young people to create a successful business. “A bunch of young people sharing the same goal can do a lot, even if it’s hard, even if there are bureaucratic barriers”, he firmly said. He also explained how these young organisations receive financial support from the local government through vouchers and funds, but also from the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro that puts co-working spaces at young people’s disposal. In addition, Bulatovic said that an organisation or a business that works on a regional level is considered more attractive for foreign investors, that is why they are trying to switch the Union into a regional organisation. He concluded his speech highlighting that nobody “should be afraid of failure, failure is part of the process; there’s always a solution, one just needs to find it”.

To conclude, brain drain still represents a deep issue in the Adriatic-Ionian area, where young talented people choose to leave their home countries to find fortune in northern European countries. However, having testimonies of young entrepreneurs from the Adriatic-Ionian region who consciously chose to develop their businesses in their home countries, becoming successful entrepreneurs, give youth the faith of a feasible future in the region and highlights the importance of an interconnection between universities, chambers of commerce and institutions to support and let young entrepreneurs grow in the region.