Within the framework of the Hellenic Presidency of the EU 2003, the Business Advisory Council for SEE and The Ministry of Macedonia & Thrace in cooperation with the Business Information and Clearing Centre (BICC) and the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank are organizing the event on "Reconstruction in Southeast Europe: The Challenge of PPPs",

Apart from the two Co-chairs of the SEE Business Advisory Council, the Minister for Macedonia and Thrace, George Paschalides, the Serbia and Montenegro Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Goran Pitic, and the Stability Pact Special Co-ordinator Erhard Busek are amongst the distinguished keynote speakers.

Click here for full program and full list of speakers.

Media are kindly invited to the event, 

Electra Palace, Thessaloniki, Greece, April 5-6, 2003, starting at 10.00

The event addresses issues such as PPP regulatory framework, challenges of cross-border projects, project costs and financing (opportunities, constraints, delivering operational results), sharing experiences from pilot projects in other EU/SEE countries, benefits for civil society.

The event provides a platform for a dialogue among public and private sector actors for the development of efficient PPP schemes in SEE, in finding out about recent changes, understand obligations, share experiences from existing implemented PPP projects, learn about delivering operational results-deadlines and cost control in PPP initiatives as well as hear about future positions on PPPs schemes from major international and regional financial institutions operating in the region. The event conclusions should influence the debate on how effective public private partnership schemes can ameliorate economic and social development conditions in the respective countries in SEE.

The event brings together representatives from private sector companies, International Financial Institutions, governments from SEE, the EU and the US with experience on efficient public private schemes. Its conclusions will be organized in the form of a report to be disseminated by BICC to the relevant SEE and international decision makers.

In order to achieve maximum impact of these conclusions, the Business Advisory Council for SEE will organize briefings in Brussels and SEE capitals, as a follow up to this event.