7th Conference of German Economic Clubs from Central and Eastern Europe, 28-29 September 2018 in Minsk
On 28 and 29 September, the NBEC held its key event of the year - the 7th Conference of German Economic Clubs from CEE countries. The event was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Great Stone Industrial Park and brought together business and political representatives from Belarus and Germany, regional experts and about 120 participants from 6 countries.
Conferences of German Economic Clubs from Central and Eastern Europe, initiated by the German Economic Club of Russia, have been held annually since 2011 as part of the clubs' interregional partnership. Informal and open communication between representatives of German clubs was the basis of the conference this time as well. In addition, within the framework of the conference we wanted to give all our guests the opportunity to establish contacts and further connections also beyond the members of our organizations. In addition to representatives of German economic clubs from CEE countries, representatives of Belarusian business circles and associations, representatives of government agencies relevant to our priority topics as well as companies and associations from Germany were invited to the conference. This led to a professional, open and fruitful exchange of views based on common interest and reinforced by the heterogeneity of the participants.
As at previous events, the conference focused on topics of relevance to many of our club members. The topics actually continued the conversation started last year in Timisoara ("Impact of societal trends") and focused on the economic consequences of the ongoing disengagement, sanctions and retaliatory sanctions that have affected CEE countries in recent years. The focus was on the practical effects of political action on the economy, both in the short and long term. This was discussed in detail in the first plenary session, entitled "The consequences of economic and political steps for German business in Central and Eastern Europe".
Next, the focus was on business opportunities in Belarus. During the discussions, visiting representatives of foreign companies got acquainted with Belarus as a platform for business and had a chance to make contacts. This started with the second plenary session, which was attended by senior financial sector experts from Germany and Belarus. This session was devoted to trade and investment financing in Belarus.
After the panel discussions, the conference participants dispersed, according to their preferences, into three parallel round tables dealing with various aspects of the Belarusian economy. The topics of the roundtables were: investment and start-up opportunities in Belarus, the role of the country in the context of the BRI initiative, and the IT sector. Heterogeneity of the participants of the roundtables - experts from German companies in Belarus, from Belarusian companies, representatives of state agencies, and of course our guests from other countries, representing German business in CEE countries - ensured a productive exchange of information between the participants.
The second day of the event was reserved for visiting conference participants and GBEC members.
The day began with a visit to the Great Stone industrial park: an introduction to the park, an informative exchange with the head of the park administration and the final conference session. The event concluded with a visit to the Strochitsy ethnomuseum near Minsk.
Conferences of German Economic Clubs from Central and Eastern Europe, initiated by the German Economic Club of Russia, have been held annually since 2011 as part of the clubs' interregional partnership. Informal and open communication between representatives of German clubs was the basis of the conference this time as well. In addition, within the framework of the conference we wanted to give all our guests the opportunity to establish contacts and further connections also beyond the members of our organizations. In addition to representatives of German economic clubs from CEE countries, representatives of Belarusian business circles and associations, representatives of government agencies relevant to our priority topics as well as companies and associations from Germany were invited to the conference. This led to a professional, open and fruitful exchange of views based on common interest and reinforced by the heterogeneity of the participants.
As at previous events, the conference focused on topics of relevance to many of our club members. The topics actually continued the conversation started last year in Timisoara ("Impact of societal trends") and focused on the economic consequences of the ongoing disengagement, sanctions and retaliatory sanctions that have affected CEE countries in recent years. The focus was on the practical effects of political action on the economy, both in the short and long term. This was discussed in detail in the first plenary session, entitled "The consequences of economic and political steps for German business in Central and Eastern Europe".
Next, the focus was on business opportunities in Belarus. During the discussions, visiting representatives of foreign companies got acquainted with Belarus as a platform for business and had a chance to make contacts. This started with the second plenary session, which was attended by senior financial sector experts from Germany and Belarus. This session was devoted to trade and investment financing in Belarus.
After the panel discussions, the conference participants dispersed, according to their preferences, into three parallel round tables dealing with various aspects of the Belarusian economy. The topics of the roundtables were: investment and start-up opportunities in Belarus, the role of the country in the context of the BRI initiative, and the IT sector. Heterogeneity of the participants of the roundtables - experts from German companies in Belarus, from Belarusian companies, representatives of state agencies, and of course our guests from other countries, representing German business in CEE countries - ensured a productive exchange of information between the participants.
The second day of the event was reserved for visiting conference participants and GBEC members.
The day began with a visit to the Great Stone industrial park: an introduction to the park, an informative exchange with the head of the park administration and the final conference session. The event concluded with a visit to the Strochitsy ethnomuseum near Minsk.
Im Anschluss lag der Fokus auf dem Standort Belarus. Fachliche Diskussionen sollten den Wirtschaftsstandort den angereisten Unternehmensvertretern vorstellen und zugleich die Möglichkeit zur Knüpfung von Kontakten bieten. Den Anfang machte hierbei die zweite Paneldiskussion, die hochrangige und prominente Experten des Finanzsektors aus Deutschland und Belarus zusammenbrauchte und sich den Fragen der Finanzierung von Handelsgeschäften und Investitionsvorhaben in Belarus widmete.
Im Anschluss an die Paneldiskussionen konnten sich die Teilnehmer der Konferenz je nach Präferenz auf drei parallel laufende Runde Tische verteilen, welche sich mit unterschiedlichen Aspekten des Wirtschaftsstandorts Belarus befassten und damit Möglichkeiten und Entwicklungen aufzeigten. Dazu gehörten Investitions- und Einstiegsmöglichkeiten, die Rolle des Landes im Kontext der BRI-Initiative, sowie der Schwerpunkt IT-Sektor. Die runden Tische haben durch ihre heterogene Besetzung einen Informationsfluss in beide Richtungen sichergestellt – zwischen Experten aus den jeweiligen Feldern aus der deutschen Unternehmerschaft in Belarus, aber auch aus der belarussischen Unternehmensgemeinde, mit Vertretern staatlicher zuständiger Gremien, und natürlich - last but not least - mit Vertretern deutscher Unternehmen aus den Gastländern in MOE und aus Deutschland.
Der zweite Tag der Veranstaltung wandte sich noch einmal explizit an die angereisten Teilnehmer der Konferenz und die Clubmitglieder des DBWC e.V. Den Anfang machte hierbei der Besuch des Industrieparks Great Stone, eine Besichtigung des Parks, ein Informativer Austausch mit dem Leiter der Administration des Parks, sowie die Abschlusssitzung der Konferenz vor Ort. Im Anschluss fand das Event seinen Ausklang in einem Besuch des Ethno-Museums „Stroichizi“ nahe Minsk.
Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei unseren Konferenzpartnern, die mit Ihren Beiträgen die Konferenz sehr bereichert haben und ohne deren Unterstützung die Durchführung der Konferenz in dieser Art und Weise nicht möglich gewesen wäre:
Bei der deutschen Botschaft in Minsk und Botschafter Peter Dettmar,
Bei unserem Generalpartner Belarusbank
Bei unserem Generalpartner SCHNEIDER GROUP,
Bei unserem Informationspartner, dem OWC Verlag für Außenwirtschaft,
Bei dem Industriepark „Great Stone“ und dem Leiter der Administration des Parks Alexander Grigorievich Yaroshenko.
Unser Dank gilt auch unseren Panelisten und Referenten, die durch Ihre Beiträge im Rahmen der beiden Panelsitzungen und der drei Runden Tische die Konferenz fachlich wie menschlich mit Inhalt, Profil und Leben füllten. Das genaue Programm der Konferenz mit allen Beteiligten kann hier abgerufen werden.
Im Anschluss an die Paneldiskussionen konnten sich die Teilnehmer der Konferenz je nach Präferenz auf drei parallel laufende Runde Tische verteilen, welche sich mit unterschiedlichen Aspekten des Wirtschaftsstandorts Belarus befassten und damit Möglichkeiten und Entwicklungen aufzeigten. Dazu gehörten Investitions- und Einstiegsmöglichkeiten, die Rolle des Landes im Kontext der BRI-Initiative, sowie der Schwerpunkt IT-Sektor. Die runden Tische haben durch ihre heterogene Besetzung einen Informationsfluss in beide Richtungen sichergestellt – zwischen Experten aus den jeweiligen Feldern aus der deutschen Unternehmerschaft in Belarus, aber auch aus der belarussischen Unternehmensgemeinde, mit Vertretern staatlicher zuständiger Gremien, und natürlich - last but not least - mit Vertretern deutscher Unternehmen aus den Gastländern in MOE und aus Deutschland.
Der zweite Tag der Veranstaltung wandte sich noch einmal explizit an die angereisten Teilnehmer der Konferenz und die Clubmitglieder des DBWC e.V. Den Anfang machte hierbei der Besuch des Industrieparks Great Stone, eine Besichtigung des Parks, ein Informativer Austausch mit dem Leiter der Administration des Parks, sowie die Abschlusssitzung der Konferenz vor Ort. Im Anschluss fand das Event seinen Ausklang in einem Besuch des Ethno-Museums „Stroichizi“ nahe Minsk.
Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei unseren Konferenzpartnern, die mit Ihren Beiträgen die Konferenz sehr bereichert haben und ohne deren Unterstützung die Durchführung der Konferenz in dieser Art und Weise nicht möglich gewesen wäre:
Bei der deutschen Botschaft in Minsk und Botschafter Peter Dettmar,
Bei unserem Generalpartner Belarusbank
Bei unserem Generalpartner SCHNEIDER GROUP,
Bei unserem Informationspartner, dem OWC Verlag für Außenwirtschaft,
Bei dem Industriepark „Great Stone“ und dem Leiter der Administration des Parks Alexander Grigorievich Yaroshenko.
Unser Dank gilt auch unseren Panelisten und Referenten, die durch Ihre Beiträge im Rahmen der beiden Panelsitzungen und der drei Runden Tische die Konferenz fachlich wie menschlich mit Inhalt, Profil und Leben füllten. Das genaue Programm der Konferenz mit allen Beteiligten kann hier abgerufen werden.
We would like to express our gratitude to our conference partners, who filled the event with their valuable contributions and without whose support we would not have been able to organize the conference as it was:
- the German Embassy in Minsk and Ambassador Peter Dettmar,
- our general partner Belarusbank,
- our general partner SCHNEIDER GROUP,
- our media partner OWC Verlag für Außenwirtschaft,
- Great Stone Industrial Park and Alexander Grigorievich Yaroshenko, head of the park's administration.
We would also like to thank our referees and moderators who, through their active participation in two plenary sessions and three round tables, filled the conference with content, profile and life, both from a professional point of view and in terms of personal communication. The conference programme with all participants can be found here.
We hope that all participants took away certain impulses from the event, maybe even concrete ideas and projects and, of course, interesting contacts and look forward to continuing our communication next year at the Eighth Conference of German Economic Clubs from CEE countries.
- the German Embassy in Minsk and Ambassador Peter Dettmar,
- our general partner Belarusbank,
- our general partner SCHNEIDER GROUP,
- our media partner OWC Verlag für Außenwirtschaft,
- Great Stone Industrial Park and Alexander Grigorievich Yaroshenko, head of the park's administration.
We would also like to thank our referees and moderators who, through their active participation in two plenary sessions and three round tables, filled the conference with content, profile and life, both from a professional point of view and in terms of personal communication. The conference programme with all participants can be found here.
We hope that all participants took away certain impulses from the event, maybe even concrete ideas and projects and, of course, interesting contacts and look forward to continuing our communication next year at the Eighth Conference of German Economic Clubs from CEE countries.