The largest business event in Central Europe begins next week when the 7th European Economic Congress takes place on 20-22 April at the new International Conference Centre in Katowice. The event will bring together over 6,000 guests, among them four EU commissioners, seven ministers of the Republic of Poland and over 30 secretaries and undersecretaries of state, 10 ministers and deputy ministers of foreign governments and almost 150 presidents and deputy presidents from some of the largest companies, enterprises and institutions from all over the world.
Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, will pay her first visit to Poland, and to the European Economic Congress in Katowice, since she took the position in 2012.
A discussion on the issue of the European Union’s large-scale investment programme, 300 billion for New Europe, will be attended by: Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs; Jyrki Katainen, European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness; Janusz Lewandowski, Chairman, Polish Prime Minister‘s Economic Council, Member of the European Parliament; Markku Markkula, President of the European Committee of Regions; Janusz Piechociński, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Minister of Economy; Maricel Popa, Secretary of State in the Romanian Ministry of Economy and László Szabó, Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Parliamentary State Secretary.
Special guests on the second day of the 7th European Economic Congress in Katowice will include Ilya Ponomarev, Russian State Duma Deputy, who on 20 March 2014 was the only Russian lawmaker to vote against the annexation of Crimea. In recent weeks, the Russian State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, voted to deprive
Mr. Ponomarev of the immunity of the opposition deputy. The session attended by Mr. Ponomarev will be chaired by Piotr Buras of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
The three-day debate in Katowice will also be a forum for sharing the knowledge and experience of: Leszek Balcerowicz, Chairman of the Civic Development Forum Foundation, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and former President of the National Bank of Poland; Jerzy Buzek, Member of the European Parliament, President of the EP 2009-2012, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland 1997-2001, Chairman of the EEC Council; Miguel Arias Cañete, European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy; Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev, Leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR); Horst Köhler, President of Germany 2004-2010, German economist and politician; Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland; Jan Kulczyk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Kulczyk Investments, founder of the CEED Institute; Włodzimierz Karpiński, Minister of Treasury of the Republic of Poland; Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation; Ivan Mikloš, Slovakian politician, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Slovakia 2010-2012, and Lech Wałęsa, President of Poland 1990-1995.
Among the leading themes and issues to be discussed at the 7th edition of the largest business conference in Eastern and Central Europe are the large-scale EU investment programme, the role of the state in the economy, innovative Europe, and the challenges of the global economy, new markets and new directions. There will also be exchanges of views and experience in the areas of industry and climate, as well as responsible business and young participants in the European labour market.
The agenda of the European Economic Congress 2015 is full of theme-based sessions dedicated to various sectors of the economy and public life, such as energy and raw materials, infrastructure, transport, man and technologies, mining and metallurgy, the healthcare market, the construction and real estate market, investments, regional policy, management, city, local government and leisure industry.
The 7th European Economic Congress in Katowice will also comprise: the 3rd Africa-Central Europe Economic Cooperation Forum; the 4th Europe-China Economic Forum; Poland-South Korea Economic Forum; and the 1st Poland-Countries of the Arabian Peninsula Economic Forum. Among accompanying events will be the award ceremonies of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), the CEED Institute, Top Inwestycje Komunalne (Top Municipal Investments) and Mieszkam tu! Mądre pomysły na mądre miasto (I Live here! Clever ideas for a smart city).
A new item on the agenda of the largest business event in Central Europe is the EEC Project – Leaders of Tomorrow, which is aimed at creating and promoting active citizenship and increasing the involvement of young people in public life. The project offers students open lectures, opportunities to take the role of speaker or listener in a discussion, and to cooperate in the organization of the event.
Among the guests of the European Economic Congress 2015 in Katowice will be representatives of some of the largest Polish companies, such as Grupa Azoty, Enea, Lotos, Orlen, PGE, PKP and Tauron, and of global brands including ArcelorMittal, Fujitsu, Hitachi, ING, Kapsch and Siemens.
The 7th European Economic Congress in Katowice will take place on 20-22 April 2015. For the first time this year, all congress events will take place at the same site – the newly-opened International Conference Centre (Katowice, ul. Olimpijska).
The European Economic Congress – EEC in Katowice is a three-day cycle of debates, meetings and accompanying events attended by 6,000 guests from Poland, Europe and all over the world. Every year, almost 100 congress sessions are attended by several hundred panellists, EU commissioners, prime ministers, representatives of European governments, CEOs of the largest companies, academics, practitioners and decision makers who have a real impact on social and economic life. Talks on the most burning issues concerning the development of Europe are held in an opinion-making environment in the form of open public debate.
The European Economic Congress is today regarded as the forum for one of the most representative discussions about the future of Europe. The theses that our most distinguished guests put forward are often quoted and broadly discussed.
PTWP SA Group has been the organizer of the European Economic Congress since it was first held in 2009.
More information on: The European Economic Congress
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