In an occasion for congratulation as well as a note of caution, BIAC and its Polish member federation, Polish Confederation of Private Employers, held a conference April 1-2 on “EU Enlargement and International Trade – New Challenges for Business.”
Some 350 business and government representatives from accession countries and other OECD and non-OECD countries took part in the two-day conference to hear messages from Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, OECD Secretary Donald J. Johnston and more than 20 other business and government representatives.
Speakers applauded the progress made by the EU’s newest members – Poland in particular – since the collapse of the Berlin Wall 15 years ago.
“The enlargement of the European Union will provide new market opportunities and stimuli for a fresh wave of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said BIAC Chairman Bruno Lamborghini, at the closing of the conference.
But some warned that over-relying on the anticipated benefits of EU membership might impede even greater rewards from trade liberalization at the multilateral level.
“While [regional trade agreements such as the EU] have many benefits, they also have costs,” stated USCIB Senior Vice President Timothy Deal. “Left unchecked, they could lead to a fragmented trading system.”
BIAC announced it would create a working group on “emerging OECD economies issues.” Dr. Lamborghini explained that when joining international institutions like the EU, the WTO or the OECD, these emerging countries – and their business communities – must often struggle to define their role in a new environment.
BIAC hopes the working group will enhance the two-way flow of ideas originating from emerging countries to the OECD. It will be chaired by Ryszard Pospieszynski of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers.
During the conference, BIAC gave the strong message that the benefits stemming from successful regional economic integration, such as EU enlargement, must be shared throughout the entire OECD business community.
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USCIB Mission Report on Enlargement – Kris Knutsen, who left USCIB recently to take a position with Deloitte & Touche (see Member & Staff News), completed a two-week mission to Brussels in February under the auspices of the EU Visitors Program. The mission focused on the possible effects of EU enlargement, both on the incoming countries and on the EU’s major institutions. Members can access a report of the mission in the Members Only area of www.uscib.org. To obtain your username and password, please contact USCIB Membership (212-703-5049 or membership@uscib.org ).
