On August 26, 2026, the premises of the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration of Belgrade hosted the [[nt]]III [[/nt]]meeting of stakeholders for the project [[nt]]WOMEX – The Role of Women in the Competitiveness of Exporting SMEs [[/nt]], which is being implemented with the support of the European Union through the [[nt]]Interreg Europe[[/nt]] program.
The meeting brought together representatives from institutions and organizations supporting entrepreneurship development, as well as female entrepreneurs, with the goal of jointly assessing the needs of women who operate or plan to operate in the international market.
Sonja Manojlović, a member of the project team from the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration of Belgrade, presented the [[nt]]WOMEX[[/nt]] project, the activities completed so far, and those planned for the upcoming period.
The results of research on the position, challenges, and needs of women in export-oriented micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises were presented by Dragana Panajotović, a member of the project team from the Association of Business Women in Serbia. The presented results served as a starting point for further discussion with the meeting participants.
Ljiljana Marković, a member of the project team from the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration of Belgrade, presented activities related to the development of the City of Belgrade's Employment Program and Action Plan, as well as opportunities to use the [[nt]]WOMEX[[/nt]] project to define proposed support measures for women in export-oriented SMEs that could be considered in the process of improving this public policy document.
The meeting continued with a discussion among the participants regarding the specific needs of women entrepreneurs looking to enter and expand into foreign markets. Topics included export financing, finding customers and business partners, accessing foreign markets, standardization and certification, necessary skills and professional support, mentoring, promotion, as well as participation in international trade fairs and B2B events.
Special attention was given to which forms of support would be most practical and beneficial for entrepreneurs, as well as their experiences with existing support programs.
The exchange of experiences, suggestions, and opinions allowed for a better understanding of the needs of women in export-oriented SMEs and potential directions for support. The results of the discussion will serve as a solid foundation for further defining concrete measures and activities within the process of improving the City of Belgrade's Employment Program and its Action Plan.
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