The College of Europe, set up in 1949, is extending its “brand” and expertise into a series of Executive Seminars targeted to the business community. The Rector, Professor Paul Demaret, is delighted to place the excellence of the College in European Affairs at the service of companies and other organisations. The College of Europe, set up in 1949, is extending its “brand” and expertise into a series of Executive Seminars targeted to the business community. The Rector, Professor Paul Demaret, is delighted to place the excellence of the College in European Affairs at the service of companies and other organisations. The Executive Seminars, each of one-and-ahalf days, will form the new Executive Programme, focused on European policy issues of immediate relevance to business.
The seminars will take place in Brussels, near to the EU institutions. Three Executive Seminars are planned for spring 2008. The first will focus on “EU-Russia Relations: Business Perspective” on 17-18 April. It will examine the implications of the recent Russian elections for relations with the EU and the likely implications for European business, in terms of trade and investment. High level speakers, including H.E. Mr Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian Ambassador to the EU, and Dr Brigita Schmognerova of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (and former Finance Minister of Slovakia), as well as senior representatives of the European Commission and from European and Russian companies. The second Executive Seminar in this series will examine “The European Energy Market” on 22-23 May.
It will provide an opportunity to consider the implications of the evolving liberalisation of the market and associated issues concerning energy security, pipeline diplomacy, and how European firms are responding in the renewables sector. The Seminar is due to be opened by Mr Andries Piebalgs, the European Commissioner for Energy, and will include other high level speakers from the European Investment Bank, major energy sector suppliers and consumer companies. The third Executive Seminar will look at “Climate Change & Sustainable Business Development” on 05-06 June, with well-known commentators including Mr Claude Turmes, MEP, and hopefully Mr Stavros Dimas, the European Commissioner for the Environment, together with speakers from environmental agencies and some of the top firms who have proved that sustainability can bring profitable results, such as Toyota, Philips and Solvay.
This exciting new venture is being managed by the Development Office of the College of Europe, and I have been recruited to develop the seminars and to facilitate the discussions. I was formerly the Director for Trade and regulatory affairs in the UN in Geneva and had responsibility for liaison with the EU. Since leaving the UN at the end of 2005 I have developed a business consultancy and I am a professor at the College of Europe, teaching courses mainly about the external relations of the EU. The Executive Seminars are restricted to some 20/25 participants to enable an intimate atmosphere with opportunities for real discussion and networking among the speakers and the participants. The College of Europe, with nearly sixty years of experience, has trained some of the best and brightest graduates in European affairs, and its Alumni Association is represented on the Management Board and on the Advisory Board for the Executive Programme.
In putting the programmes together, the Project Manager, Jeroen Dubois, and I have considered how businesses are affected by potential European policies and legislation, hopefully providing speakers who will directly address the business implications of the major issues under review. We welcome enquiries about the Executive Seminars - please do not hesitate to contact Jeroen Dubois (contact data to be found on the website). We have also launched a special website for the Seminars - see http://www.coleurope.eu/executiveprogramme.
Registration can best be done on line. We hope that the Executive seminars will in practical ways contribute to shaping effective strategies for dealing with public policy and assisting enterprises to stay one step ahead of their competitors. We have been encouraged by the active contributions of the Advisory Board, under the chairmanship of Baron Daniel Janssen, former Chair of Solvay, and representatives of several major business associations and some major international and European companies see website. The Executive Programme provides a special opportunity to assess the future EU public policy environment for your business, based on the unrivalled expertise and reputation of the College of Europe.