Brussels, Belgium – The International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) collaborated with the European People’s Party (EPP) to host a bi-regional conference that linked women parliamentarians from the Latin America Region and Central and Eastern Europe with their counterparts in the European Parliament from April 14-16, 2008 in Brussels, Belgium.

The conference focused on women’s economic empowerment and provided the opportunity for delegates to meet European Parliament members including Doris Pack from Germany and Dushana Zdravkova from Bulgaria. Pack currently serves as the president of the Women of the EPP and is the chairwoman on the delegation for relations with the countries of South-Eastern Europe. Zdravkova is the vice chairwoman on the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and is a member of the delegation for relations with the United States. Both members are a part of the EPP and discussed with conference participants their roles within the European Parliament.

During the three-day program, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Union of the EPP, the WDN and the SME Women hosted a working breakfast entitled, “Women in Business and Politics,” at the European Parliament. The breakfast was moderated by SME Women President Corien Wortmann-Kool, member of the European Parliament, EPP vice president, and member of the EP Committee on International Trade. Participants heard from keynote speakers on the advancement of economic and political status of women from the United States, Israel, Hungary and Serbia. Yvonne Boice, President of Fugazy International Travel and representing as a member of the WDN, spoke on the importance of women networking to help one another succeed in business.

Other highlights of the conference included a question and answer session with Christopher Murray, Chargé d’Affaires of the US mission to the EU, and an informational session on the EPP given by Political Advisor of the EPP Emanuela Farris.

The Women’s Democracy Network is an initiative established by IRI to foster relationships among women leaders from around the world, and to provide them with the opportunities to share experiences and develop the skills needed for professional advancement. The network encourages and supports women working to advance civic and economic participation in their countries and to create regional networks to strengthen their development.