Philippe de Buck, Former Director-General, BusinessEurope

A new European Commission will soon take office and begin formulating action plans for the next five years. How is this Commission organized and what will be its priorities for the EU? Is there a new institutional relationship between the Commission, the Council and the newly-elected EU Parliament?

The new Commission will face an economic situation in most EU Member States that is far from rosy. Is there a way out of the crisis? Is the EU reinforcing itself? What are the priorities of the European business community? Is the monetary policy of the ECB appropriate? Trade is a key component for growth. What is the current EU trade policy taking into account in view of the current impasse in the WTO, the contested negotiations with the US and the difficulties encountered with important emerging economies?

Our special guest speaker at this event will offer some of his insights on the questions raised above and about the incoming European Commission based on his extensive experience and contacts built up over more than three decades. He will give a short presentation, after which he will be available for a Q&A and exchange session.

Philippe de Buck was Director-General of BusinessEurope from 2002-2012. Prior to this position De Buck worked for over 20 years for Agoria, the Belgian multicultural federation for the technology industry. At Agoria, he began as Legal Advisor and held various other positions before becoming CEO in 1987, a post he retained until 2001. During his distinguished career he has also served on the boards of directors of ING Belgium SA and BASF Antwerpen and the advisory boards of EURid (in charge of the .eu domain name), the European Policy Centre (a think tank in Brussels) and Euractive Foundation. He also has an active interest in music. He was a member of the board of directors of the Brussels Philharmonic Society and the SA "Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth".

BusinessEurope is one of the most prominent and influential business organisations in Europe, representing more than 20 million small, medium and large companies in Europe, employing over 106 million people. Active in European affairs since 1958, BusinessEurope's members are 41 leading national industrial and employers federations from 35 countries, working together to achieve growth and competitiveness in Europe.