New Conference is Planned
The Governor of the State of Maryland Officially Invites
The US - Balkans Business Summit is pleased with the tremendous support it has received from state, federal and international governments for this first-ever event. In fact, since this international?event is being held in the State of Maryland at the University of Baltimore,?Governor?Martin O'Malley personally invited the Heads of State and Government to participate. The official response has been tremendous. Copies of Governor O'Malley's invitation letters to the Heads of State from each country in the Western Balkans may be accessed here: Official Invitation Letters.
US - Balkans Business Summit
Businesses Working Together for the Future
You must register online to attend the summit. Limited seating is available. REGISTRATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AT THE DOOR. REGISTER EARLY!
Business-to-business and business-to-government meetings will be arranged for summit participants on a FIRST-COME, FIRST SERVE basis.
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US - BALKANS BUSINESS SUMMIT SPONSORSHIP PACKET
March 23 & 24, 2011 - Baltimore, Maryland
Should you do business in the Western Balkans?
"As the European Union (EU) expands to the east and south, promising new opportunities for foreign direct investment (FDI) are arising and gaining broader recognition. The Western Balkans ... is considered by many current and prospective investors to offer opportunities as Europe’s next highgrowth business location.
The characteristics driving investment in this region include the access it offers to a growing market of over 150 million consumers, right at the doorstep of the EU; an expanding network of bilateral free trade agreements...a cost-competitive overall operating environment...the abundant availability of skilled labor; competence at all levels of the workforce, marked by professionalism, a strong work ethic, multilingual proficiencies, and strong technical education; local availability of raw materials; a rapidly improving investment climate, with strong government commitment and competitive fiscal and incentive regimes; and a first-mover advantage to those entering the market at the front end of a growing wave of investment."
"Investment Horizons: Western Balkans," The World Bank Group/MIGA, Pg. 1 (May 2006).
Welcome
The Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia – has reached a turning point in its overall business and economic development. The opening of the Western Balkans countries in the past decade has fundamentally altered the political and economic landscape of Europe, and the region has been transformed into a marketplace with dynamic growth, attracting a significant amount of foreign direct investment.
The overall purpose of the US – Balkans Business Summit is to help reinforce broad-based and effective cooperation amongst the countries in the Western Balkans, strengthen economic and commercial ties between the United States and the region, and assist in the mainstreaming of all the Western Balkan countries into Europe.
Through various panel discussions and workshops the summit will assist in developing a dialogue to further increase trade and investment between the Western Balkans and the United States.
The summit is a key meeting place for senior-level private sector representatives and government officials from the Western Balkans and the United States.
Because trade and investment is a “two-way street”, time will also be spent exploring with businesses from the region how they can best conduct business in the United States.
Do not miss this opportunity to be part of this high-level summit. We look forward to seeing you in March at the US – Balkans Business Summit of 2011!
The goals of the US – Balkans Business Summit are:
• To promote a dialogue between the business world and the Western Balkan political scene;
• To enable American and Western Balkan businesses to meet decision-makers face-to-face and to enhance the visibility of their business;
• To improve participants’ knowledge and understanding of Western Balkan affairs; and
• To strengthen an environment of confidence amongst government and private business leaders, non-governmental organizations, and academics, in order to reinforce the United States and Western Balkan economic model.
Why attend:
• Meet high-level decision makers
• Develop business opportunities
• Expand your network
• Get updated on the latest Western Balkan issues
• Attract public and private funding
• Receive media coverage