751 businesses take over the European Parliament

Brussels, 15 July 2010

Following the success of the first edition in 2008, a second edition of the “European Parliament of Enterprises” (EPE) will take place on 14 October.

751 entrepreneurs of all sizes and sectors and coming from the 27 EU Member States will gather in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels to debate and vote on specific business-related issues. 24 entrepreneurs from 18 non-EU countries will also attend as observers.

Participants will have their say on crucial topics currently debated at EU level, and by which they are directly affected.

Topics will be treated in three different sessions and include:

• Session 1 – Conditions: the economic crisis, the EU’s SME policy, the digital agenda, collective redress and consumer rights.
• Session 2 – Resources: late payments, education, labour market, environment and energy issues.
• Session 3 – Markets: company law, international relations, trade agreements, market access.

European Parliament and European Commission representatives will be present in each session to react to companies’ votes.

Alessandro Barberis, President of EUROCHAMBRES, said: “This event comes at a perfect time, when many subjects directly concerning the future of the business community are on the table of European institutions. If politicians are eager to know what entrepreneurs expect from them, the European Parliament of Enterprises will give them the answer.”

Institutional representatives having already confirmed their participation in the event include: Herman VAN ROMPUY, President of the European Council, MEP Wolf KLINZ , Chairman of the Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis, MEP Herbert REUL , Chairman of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, MEP Malcolm HARBOUR , Member of the European Parliament and the Chairman of the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Antonio TAJANI , Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship and Karel De GUHT , EU Commissioner in charge of Trade.

The EPE also benefits from the support of the Belgian Presidency of the EU.

The European Parliament of Enterprises is organised by EUROCHAMBRES, the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with its network of National Chambers.

The detailed programme of the EPE can be downloaded from
www.eurochambres.eu/content/default.asp?PageID=1&DocID=2565 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Contact: Irina Tikhonova, +32 (0)2 282 08 58, tikhonova@eurochambres.eu
Press contact: Guendalina Cominotti, +32 (0)2 282 08 66, cominotti@eurochambres.eu
Official website of the European Parliament of Enterprises: www.parliament-of-enterprises.eu