The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea - Building partnership for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Competitiveness

demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy, Swedish Embassy in Poland, Office of the Committee for European Integration, Scandinavian – Polish Chamber of Commerce and Baltic Development Forum jointly invite to the conference The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea. Building Partnership for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Competitiveness. The event will take place on 3 June 2009 in Radisson SAS Hotel, Grzybowska street 24 in Warsaw.

The aim of the conference is to explore the fundamental tenets behind the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea, the first macro regional framework of cooperation within the EU. We will examine in details the priorities defined in the area of innovation, competitiveness and entrepreneurship in the context of possible benefits for the business sector. We will identify the barriers to an efficient flow of capital, people, innovation and information, discuss the ways of harnessing innovation through a process of its effective absorption and commercialization and assess investment, development and financial opportunities in selected sectors and between the countries concerned.

It is a business-focused conference that will gather key representatives of the corporate sector, top policy officials from the Baltic Sea States and EU institutions, experts and practitioners in the field and media. The opening speech will be delivered by Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Riksdag, Michał Boni, Member of the Council of Ministers and Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, CEO Pekao SA.

REGISTRATION

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Programmme

8.15 – 8.45 Registration and Welcome Coffee

8.45 – 9.00 Welcome and Introduction

Piotr Serafin, Under Secretary of State, Office of the Committee for European Integration

9.00 – 9.45 Opening speech

Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Riksdag

Michał Boni, Member of the Council of Ministers, The Chancellery of the Prime Minister

Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, CEO Pekao SA

9.45 – 10.30 Hot Chair Session I

The pursuit of growth through innovation. Delivering on the Fifth Community freedom.

Chair: Hans Brask, Director Baltic Development Forum

Special Guest: Mikael Lindholm, Partner Lindholm & Co, expert on strategy, innovation and communication, engaged with Danish most esteemed publications such as the magazine Mandag Morgen and Denmark’s largest business paper Børsen, author of several publications devoted to innovation such as Release the Innovation – Denmark as a creative superpower

10.30 – 11.15 Hot Chair Session II

What is at stake in the Baltic Sea Strategy?

Chair: Adam Jasser, Director of Programmes demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy

Special Guest: Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Chairman, Baltic Development Forum

11.15 – 11.45 Coffee Break

11.45 – 12.30 Discussion Panel I

Priority I: Facing the short-term challenges. Eliminating barriers to trade and competitiveness.

Chair: Dag Hartelius, Ambassador of Sweden

Anders Lindholm, European Commission DG Regio Mec.Andrzej Tokaj, Managing Partner Magnusson Kancelaria Prawnicza

12.30 – 13.30 Discussion Panel II

Priority II: Laying the foundations for long-term growth. Exploiting the macro region’s full business potential through innovation, knowledge and skills.

Chair: Peter Tærø Nielsen, Chairman Scandinavian Polish Chamber of Commerce

Włodzimierz Kiciński, President Nordea Bank Polska Sven Gunnar Edlund, Director of Innovation Actors Division, VINNOVA

13.30 – 14.15 Discussion Panel III

Priority III: Funding and Finance. Finding optimal sources and channels to harness business opportunities within the Baltic Sea Region.

Chair:Paweł Świeboda, President demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy

Johnny Åkerholm, President & CEO of Nordic Investment Bank

Agnieszka Jankowska, Director of Managing Department for Competitiveness and Innovation Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development

14.15 Conclusions

14.30 Lunch

Languages of the conference: Polish and English (simultaneous translation).

More information: www.demoseuropa.eu, www.swedenabroad.com/warszawa, www.strategia-baltyk.ukie.gov.pl, www.spcc.pl, www.bdforum.org