With consternation we learnt of the death of Dr. Helmut Zilk, Honorary Member of Vienna Economic Forum for many years.  

Dr. Zilk was Minister for Education from 1983-1984 and from 1984-1994 Mayor of Vienna.

The Board of Vienna Economic Forum would like to express our deepest sympathy at the loss of Dr. Helmut Zilk to his wife and family.

___________________________________________________________________________________

UBCCE, Media Partner of Vienna Economic Forum

Second Business Forum "Discovering Investment Opportunities of Southeast Anatolia: An Emerging Region in Turkey"

UBCCE, Media Partner of Vienna Economic Forum, and the first independent and voluntary business organization of the Black Sea and Caspian Region is holding its Second Business Forum on “Discovering Investment opportunities of Southeast  Anatolia: An Emerging Region inTurkey” in Şanlıurfa, Turkey on October 22, 2008.

Hosted by the GAP Regional Development Administration and Federation of Eastern and Southeastern Industrialists’ and Business Association (DOGÜNSİFED) , the Second Business Forum of Union of Black Sea and Caspain Confederation of Enterprises (UBCCE) will be held under the chairmanship of Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TÜSİAD).

H.E. Nazım Ekren, Minister of State and Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey will inaugurate the Forum. UBCCE and TÜSİAD (Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association) President Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, TİSK (Turkish Confederation of Employers Association) President Tuğrul Kudatgobilik, TURKONFED (Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation) President Celal Beysel, DOGUNSIFED (Federation of Eastern and Southeastern Industrialists’ and Business Association) President Tarkan Kadooğlu and Governor of Şanlıurfa, Yusuf Yavaşcan will be delivering welcome addresses for the participants of the Event.

The Forum will be held in two different panels and high level officials and representatives of the business community of the Region will have the opportunity to share their views on investment opportunities in this emerging part of  Turkey. Following the panels, the Forum participants will have the opportunity to make explaratory sight visits to existing investments in GAP Region including Atatürk Dam, Tat canned food factory and Limak cement factory.

UBCCE Business Forum is intended as a regional event that the Organization holds annually in a different country of the Region, on different themes, with the principle aim of bringing together the business community and the officials of different countries of the Black Sea and Caspian in order to create a platform of dialogue for raising the voice of private business.

Serbian receives Erhard Busek prize for South-East Europe 2008

Serbian journalist Brankica Stankovic this year receives the prize worth 2.000 Euro. Stankovic since 1997 has been editor of the Belgrade radio and TV channel B92. Her journalistic work has contributed to a better understanding and removal of barriers between the peoples in South-East Europe. 

Atelier Sarajevo is the winner of mobilkom austria award 08

Atelier Sarajevo: the childrens arts project of the Austrian Culture Association is winner of mobilkom austria award 08

The winner of the award 08 of mobilkom austria, Member of Vienna Economic Forum, amounting to 12.000 Euro,  is "Atelier Sarajevo". In this project of the Austrian Culture Association (Österreichische Kulturvereinigung, ÖKV) children learn the acceptance of society's variety as a basis for a peaceful together. mobilkom austria award 08 called NPOs, NGOs and associations to present projects with the topic "How to Grow Freedom - Society's Engagement for supporting freedom and democracy". The prize was donated during the event mobile.futuretalk 08 on 14 October with the presence of Kofi Annan in MuseumsQuartier in Vienna. Nine excellent projects from 196 were on the shortlist.

H.E. Mr. Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro and Patron of Vienna Economic Forum, was in Vienna on the occasion of the event "First Business Roundtable with the Government of Montenegro".

Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum, handed over to H.E. Prime Minister Djukanovic the jubilee present for the 5th Vienna Economic Forum, taking place on 10-11 November 2008 in Vienna. 

Amb. Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum and H.E. Mr. Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro

On 30 September 2008 Soravia Center in Skopje, Macedonia, was opened by the CEO of Soravia Group and Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum, KR Hanno Soravia. H.E. Dr. Fatmir Besimi, Minister for Economy und H.E. Dr. Trajko Slaveski, Minister for Finances of the Republic of Macedonia, took part in the opening ceremony and were delighted about the engagement of Soravia Group, Member of Vienna Economic Forum, in Macedonia and their significance for the whole region.

Soravia Center Skopje is located in the heart of the Macedonian capital Skopje close to the pedestrian zone. In the neighborhood are government institutions as well as financial institutes. Center Skopje is the first office building of Western standard in Skopje, and the demand is already impressive.

from left: H.E. Dr. Fatmir Besimi, Minister for Economy, KR Hanno Soravia, CEO of Soravia Group and the Soravia Center in Skopje

The CEE-Symposium at the The International Conference on Business Informatics 2009, 25-27 February 2009 in Vienna, aims to bring together researchers and practitioners for discussing innovative aspects of Business Informatics in the CEE region.

Particularly the symposium aims to cover topics in the fields of education, cooperation between academia and industry on ‘research’ level and impact on industrial projects.

Union of Black Sea and Caspian Confederation of Enterprises, UBCCE's Business Forum organized yearly in a different country of the Black Sea and Caspian Region, will take place this year, under the chairmanship of Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD),  in Sanliurfa, Turkey on October 21-22, 2008, with a view of sharing investment opportunities of Southeast Anatolia.

Further information is available on: http://www.ubcce.org/

Union of Black Sea and Caspian Confederation of Enterprises (UBCCE), "The Voice of Business in the Black Sea and Caspian Region", recently communicated the summer issue of its Quarterly Bulletin.  

The Bulletin may be reached from the following link: www.ubcce.org/QuarterlyBulletin.htm

Verbund, cooperation partner of  Vienna Economic Forum, has a strong partner in Turkey with Sabanci Holding. The shared  company Enerji SA is expected to reach a share of ten percent of the Turkish energy market. By 2012 Verbund will connect 2500 Megawatt power plant capacities to the Turkish power network, among them nine hydroelectric power plants.

Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG (RZB) and Eastern Europe subsidiary Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding AG, members of Vienna Economic Forum, received the title "Best Bank in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)" from the reknown British financial magazine Euromoney. At the same time their network banks in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegowina, Serbia and Slovakia were elected the best bank in their respective country. Furthermore Raiffeisen Investment AG was voted best investment bank in Montenegro.

With consternation we learned of the sudden death of Mr. Johannes Kinský, Member of the Board of Erste Bank, am 29. Juni 2008.  

Johannes Kinský, who died aged merely 44, since July 2007 has been engaged in the Board of Erste Bank in building up the new Division Group Corporate and Investment Banking . As Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum he represented Erste Bank in our gremium. We all will miss him as partner and good friend.

The Board of Vienna Economic Forum would like to express our deepest sympathy at the loss of Johannes Kinský to his wife and children.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Karl Stoss, CEO of Casinos Austria AG and Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum, was decorated the Award of Great Silver Medal for Merits for the Republic of Austria by Vice Chancellor Dr. Wilhelm Molterer.

On 13 June 2008 the 7th Traditional Meeting of the Friends from the Adriatic to the Black Sea took place in the Bulgarian Cultural Institute Haus Wittgenstein in Vienna.

The event has been hosted by Vienna Economic Forum and the Ambassadors of the Member Countries of Vienna Economic Forum – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.

All Member Countries presented to the guests of this summer event the specialities of their national cuisine and specific regional drinks, as well as a special musical program prepared by the Member Countries and presented by the artists in the salon of Haus Wittgenstein.

As usually the Garden party was the popular event of the season. More than 300 guests came to the 7th Traditional Meeting. Founders, Members and Members of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum enjoyed the culinary fantasies from the region.

On the occasion of the working visit to prepare Vienna Economic Forum- Tirana Meeting, taking place on 8-9 June 2008 in the Albanian capital, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva met H.E. Mr. Sokol Olldashi, Minister of Public Works and Transportation and Telecommunication of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Minister Genc Ruli, Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy of the Republic of Albania, Deputy Minister Florjon Mima of the Ministry of Finances of the Republic of Albania, representatives of the Cabinet of H.E. Prime Minister Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha and Mr. Denis Kalenja, CEO of ALBINVEST.

The Ministers and high representatives of the Republic of Albania and the Secretary General were satisfied after the intensive talks and preparations.

Announcement of Vienna Economic Forum - Tirana Meeting by Albinvest: http://www.albinvest.gov.al/dokumenti.asp?id=456&kujam=200&menu=101

H.E. Mr. Sokol Olldashi, Minister of Public Works and Transportation and Telecommunication of the Republic of Albania with Secretary General Amb. Dr. Elena Kirtcheva

Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum, Ambassador Dr. Kirtcheva, participated in the 11th Eurasian Economic Summit from 1-3 May 2008, organized by The Marmara Foundation.

The conference was opened by the President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Abdullah Gül as well as by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H. E. Ilham Aliyev.

Dr. Akkan Suver, President of Marmara Foundation, welcomed numerous guests and participants from the Caspian Region, Balkans, United Nations and EU, among them H.E. Gediminas Kirkilas, Prime Minister of Lithuania, H.E. Prof. Dr. Vujica Lazovic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Montenegro, H.E. Genc Ruli, Minister for Economy, Trade and Energy of Albania, as well as many Ministers and Representatives of the Governments of the Region.

The participants actively took part in the discussions of the conference, with the topics Energy, International Values in Economics, Istanbul as European Capital of Culture 2010, International Cooperation in Tourism and cultural Relations, Eurasian Economic Cooperation and the Role of Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

The conference was a big success and participants profited from many new contacts as well as deepened relations among these regions.

v.l.n.r., hinten: H.E. Köksal Toptan, Speaker of Grand National Assembly of Turkey; Mrs. Suver; H.E. Zhelya Zhelev, Former President of Bulgaria; Mrs. Zheleva; H.E. Emil Constantinescu, Former President of Romania; Amb. Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum; H.E. Jusuf Kalamperovic, Minister of Internal Affairs of Montenegro; H.E. Prof. Dr. Vujica Lazovic, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Montenegro vorne: Mrs. Constantinescu; H.E. Ion Iliescu, Former President of Romania; Hon. Dr. Akkan Suver, President of the Marmara Foundation; Mrs. Kalamperovic; Mrs. Lazovic

Presentation of his book on 7 May 2008

Dr. Erhard Busek "Eine Seele für Europa. Aufgaben für einen Kontinent"

Bookshop Kuppitsch on Wednesday, 7 May 2008 at 7.30 p.m. Schottengasse 4, 1010 Wien 1st floor

On Monday, 10 March 2008 the Annual General Assembly of Vienna Economic Forum took place.

Dkfm. Karl Fink, General Director of Wiener Städtischen Versicherung / Vienna Insurance Group and Vice-President of Vienna Economic Forum, hosted the meeting in Ringturm in Vienna.

President Dr. Erhard Busek had the pleasure to welcome many new members and co-operation partners of Vienna Economic Forum as well as the new Member Country Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Ukraine, H.E. Yulia Tymoshenko, the new Members of the Board Johannes Kinsky (Member of the Board, Erste Bank Group), Dr. Viktoria Kickinger (Secretary General, Österreichische Post AG), Dr. Friedhelm Boschert (CEO, Volksbank International AG) and Honorary Member Dr. Suzanne Rödler (Medical Specialist for internal medicine and cardiology, AKH Vienna).