Dino Santina: Bulgarian Crafts Hungry for Innovations

Novinite Insider » INTERVIEW | June 29, 2006, Thursday // 00:00
Dino Santina: Bulgarian Crafts Hungry for Innovations Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia News Agency)

It was for the first time this year that Italian crafts are so lavishly represented in Bulgaria. It happened during the "Bravo Italia" initiative, in the framework of Third Italian Festival in Sofia. Dino Santina, Lombardia's district governor in charge of crafts, talked extensively on his impressions and plans for cooperation with Bulgarian craftsmen with Sofia News Agency Editor Ivelina Puhaleva.


Q: It is for the first time in Bulgaria that such large and profound demonstration of Italian crafts is made during the traditional Italian Festival? What brought about the idea of adding it?

A: The Italian Festival has its aim, among others, to make known Bulgarians with the Italian culture and in this way strengthen the bilateral economic and business relations - and particularly it is entrusted to "il colore" - the colour, and even "il calore" - "the heat" as a messenger. This is why we decided to encounter the Bulgarian craftsmen with the craftsmen of Lombardia.

We had a meeting {on Tuesday, June 27} with Bulgarian colleagues here, in Sofia. We have already decided to take on more actively developing the relations between our two sides. We also extended an invitation to our Bulgarian colleagues - and they accepted - to participate in the most important fair of crafts in Milan, "L'Artigiano in Fiera". This venue is frequented by some three million visitors annually.

Unique among all similar events in Italy and throughout the world, it has emerged to be the new trade Fair of work where tradition and innovation meet to generate the highest quality in handicraft.

We will arrange a special Bulgarian "corner" or stand where our friends from Bulgaria will be able to meet and talk Italian partners, to reveal the beauty and artisanship of the Bulgarian products.

Q: In which level will the Bulgarian side be presented - by the Crafts Association only or also by separate exhibiting companies?

A: Specifically, the Milan Fair gives floor to encounters between companies, which represent particularly their products. We have already seen here, while in Sofia, many cases of excellent crafts production and it will be amazing for the people and artisans of Lombardia to get known with this treasure.

The Milan Fair includes different sections according to geographical origins of products, thus allowing to ideally cross all the Italian regions and world's countries. Visitors are brought to discover the strong connexion existing between the products on display and their country of origin, between different cultures and local traditions.

Of course, we will welcome the development of bilateral relations on all levels, including institutional, regional, professional and purely business. An example for this is now the presence of so many Italian companies in Bulgaria.

Q: When will this Milan Fair take place?

A: In winter, starting on December 2. It will gather under one roof representatives of some 100 companies from all over the world.

Through live demonstrations, craftsmen at the exhibition are also given the opportunity to make their ingenuity and creativeness more visible.

Q: What kind of institutional incentives for the development of crafts would you recommend to your Bulgarian colleagues?

A: The region of Lombardia is leading in Italy in the production for domestic use and crafts. It accounts for a third of the country's export, but it is specific that we are representing just region, not a whole country, as is Bulgaria. So, we could not give proper advices, but we could be useful by sharing our experience.

For example, Lombardia has developed an effective organizational system of ort adopted a new law envisioning more actively supported implementation of new technologies into crafts work, internationalization of any new technologies obtained by our craftsmen, simplification of bureaucracy for artisans and also eased ways of crediting artisans.

I can quote for instance the system of organization existing in Lombardia, which comprises all craftsmen in the district, allowing them use assistance at the cost of EUR 80 M. It is entirely directed towards sustainable development of artisans, their production, the introduction of new technologies.

This is what we are going to demonstrate to our Bulgarian colleagues once they come to visit us in Bulgaria. And if they deem it appropriate for their work, Bulgarian crafts could develop a system similar to the one in Lombardia.

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