The sixth edition of the European Economic Congress in Katowice will take place between 7-9 May 2014. It is an exceptional time, for 9 May is the date on which the Europe Day is celebrated. It will also be exactly ten years since the greatest enlargement of the European Union has taken place in history. Ten states, including the countries of Central Europe and the Baltic Republics, accessed the European Union at that time. It will also be an important time due to the current events and new circumstances that Poland, Europe and the world have to face.
‘The European Economic Congress in Katowice is a debate on the most important economic issues. It constitutes a forum for the exchange of opinions and it also actively shapes them. We discuss topics of the greatest importance to the entrepreneurs of micro-, small, medium-sized and large enterprises, as well as: the problems and challenges that cities, regions, the country and Euroregions have to face; the European Union; and global challenges and selected places of particular importance to the Polish business, such as Africa or China. The Congress is a platform of debate for Central Europe with an increasing range of influence,’ said Wojciech Kuśpik, Initiator of the EEC and Chairman of the Board of PTWP Group.
In 40 days, the capital of Upper Silesia will become a meeting place for leading politicians, entrepreneurs and decision-makers who have influence on economic and social life, as well as representatives of science and business practitioners from around the world, experts, advisers and charismatic visionaries.
Guests who have declared to take part in the European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice include: Fatima Haram Acyl – Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission; Zdeněk Bakala – Deputy Chairman of the Board, Director, New World Resources (NWR), Co-Founder, BXR Group; Essossimna Legzim-Balouki – Minister of Commerce and Private Sector Development of the Togolese Republic; Elżbieta Bieńkowska – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Development of the Republic of Poland; Ignacio Garcia Bercero – EU Chief Negotiator for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; Miftah Ismail – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chairman of the Board, Board of Investment, Pakistan; Khurram Dastgir Khan – Minister for Commerce of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Włodzimierz Karpiński – Minister of Treasury of the Republic of Poland; Mari Kiviniemi – Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland between 2010-2011; Lena Kolarska–Bobińska – Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland; Jan Kulczyk– Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Kulczyk Investments, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEEP; William Lacy Swing – Director General of the International Organization for Migration, Ambassador of the United States; and Lech Wałęsa – President of the Republic of Poland between 1990-1995.
Guests invited by Jerzy Buzek, Member of the European Parliament, former President of the European Parliament and Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, as well as Honorary Chairman of the Patronage Council of the EEC, include: László Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy. Owing to the efforts of Janusz Piechociński, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Poland, the debates of the Congress will be attended by the Ministers of Economy from the countries of Central Europe.
‘The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a trade agreement currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States. It will be the European Economic Congress in Katowice where the EU Chief Negotiator will attend meetings and debates with the participation of representatives of business and politics. It is likely that the US Chief Negotiator will be present as well,’ added Wojciech Kuśpik.
Topics of the key sessions of the European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice will also include an assessment of the last ten years of the European Union and the current development dilemmas of the European Union. The issues to be discussed will include: reindustrialisation (a continuation of the debate initiated during the conference entitled “Industrial Policy of the European Union – The Economic Weimar Triangle”, held in Kraków between 6-7 February 2014), innovations, removal of free market barriers and other potential tools for economic recovery, as well as the future of the energy industry in Europe in the context of the assumptions of the climate policy and global changes in the sector of energy and energy carriers.
The European answer to economic slowdown has also been formulated by issues related to the new financial framework of the European Union and its priority political objectives. The internal debate on the tenth anniversary of the enlargement of the European Union, to be held during the European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice, will be complemented by the subject matter of migration and changes in the HR and labour market of the European Union.
The European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice will also encompass debates and sessions on such fields of the economy and public life as: finance; the energy industry and fuels; mining and metallurgy; self-government and regional policy; infrastructure, transport and logistics; construction and property; the food market; and the health market.
Among the most important events accompanying the European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice, it is worth mentioning the following: The 3rd European Union – China Economic Cooperation Forum, the 2nd Africa – Central Europe Economic Cooperation Forum and the 1st Pakistan – Central Europe Economic Cooperation Forum, as well as the conferring of awards in two contests, i.e. Top Inwestycje Komunalne 2014 (Top Municipal Investments 2014) and Top Inwestycje w Przestrzeni Miejskiej 2014 (Top Investments in the Urban Space 2014).
An introductory conference to the European Economic Congress 2014 – “The Polish road to low-carbon economy” – will take place on 8 April 2014 in Katowice, with the participation of Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland.
The European Economic Congress 2014 in Katowice will be attended by representatives of the largest Polish enterprises (including Grupa Azoty, Enea, Lotos, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa, Orlen, PGE, PKP and TAURON), as well as global brands (e.g. Alstom, ArcelorMittal, ING, Kapsch, Microsoft, Orange and Siemens).
More information on: The European Economic Congress
