Cerchez Hall - Cotroceni Palace

   Press Releases  

(Romanian version)

The project relates to the priority regarding the implementation and enforcement of the internal market acquis in the Phare programme countries. Its aim is to provide a consistent follow-up to the recently deployed European Conference on Competition through  a permanent confrontation of  the case of Romania with other CEE experiences in the field of its efforts to eliminate the barriers for the free movement of services and improve the free movement of capitals, aimed to generate a stable, coherent and cohesive information, communication, mutual assistance and consultation impartial system for promoting the EU liberalisation/competition policies. The identified target groups are located in seven Central Eastern European countries and are composed from experts of the general and specialised regulatory bodies, corporate members of the chambers of commerce, employer organisations and concerned professional associations.

This action is planned to consolidate our REGENT Centre created in June 2001, especially the projects aimed to support the partnerships between public authorities and private & NGO sector organisations from national/regional capitals in EU and CEEC in the field of accelerating the European integration process. Also, we design to provide a practical impact and follow-up to other two initiatives supported in the past by projects supported by DG Education and DG Press: the research study and advocacy campaign “Europeanisation of Romania through Regional Development and Diversity“, and the newly created EU PROCESS ACADEMY - an intensive training programme for CEE  experts in European integration.

In terms of priority issues for 2004, the competition policy represents an essential dimension of the whole European accession process within the European Single Market.  As such, we are decided to concentrate on the effectiveness of enforcing/ implementation operations.  This could be attained through both the full harmonisation of the competition and State aid policy and rules, according to the EU legislative framework in the above mentioned field (including economic regulations, privatisation, antitrust measures, State aid supervision, international trade). In order to implement  the competition policy and rules within the structural reform, we consider that a special attention must be paid to the links between Chapter 6 - Competition Policy - and other more demanding  chapters of the Single Market acquis,  implied by the preparation of Romanian companies and involved bodies/authorities for a free and fair pan - European and global competition, and a for achieving a stronger socio-economic cohesion of the acceding countries involving various fields (energy, industrial policy or regional policy).

Using the mediation of our NGO advocacy and mediation capabilities, and choosing Romania as a main study-case of the project, to be framed and confronted with other more advanced CEEC economies/reforms of the competition system, we believe to give our specific contribution to the supporting efforts of EU and to the acceleration of the entire integration process in our region.  

The identified target groups:

• experts of the CEEC general and specialised regulatory bodies;

• CEEC corporate members of the chambers of commerce and industries;

• CEEC representatives of  the employer organisations and concerned professional associations;

• EU representatives of the chambers of commerce and foreign investors associations in CEEC.

Hall Cerchez - Cotroceni Palace

Bucharest, ROMANIA

7 March 2005

9:30 – 10: 20 The Great Reception CERCHEZ Hall (Cotroceni National Museum). Official Openings

• Message of H.E. the President of Romania, Mr. Traian BASESCU

delivered by Mr. Theodor STOLOJAN, Presidential Counsellor, former Prime Minister

• Message on the Presidency of the European Union

delivered by H.E. Mr. Fernand Kartheiser, Ambassador of the Great Duchy of Luxembourg

• Speeches on the behalf of the Delegation of the European Commission, delivered by H.E. Mr. Ambassador Jonathan SCHEELE, Romanian Competition Council, delivered by Mr. Vicepresident George MUSLIU, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, delivered by Mr. Prim Vicepresident Jose IACOBESCU, Ministry of European Integration, delivered by Mr. Minister-Delegate Leonard ORBAN.

 

Co-moderators: Prof. Dr. Theodor Viorel MELESCANU, Vice President of the Romanian Senate

                         Mr. Mihai FERARIU, Av. , Honorary Council of the Great Duchy of Luxembourg

10:20 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 12:30 Thematic Workshops:

a)       in the CERCHEZ  Hall – addressed to big international and Romanian companies:

• issues related to the legislation and the implementation of the regulations and standards of the Single Market in the new EU Member States and in the Candidate Countries: the companies’ conduct prior and after the mergers, the conditions of granting state aids, the market concentrations (anti-trust policies and the regulation of cartels’ activities), the management of the post-privatization of the Romanian companies (compliance programs).

b)      in the German Living Room – addressed to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs):

• aspects connected to the fight against unfair competition, seen from the SME’s point of view: the labour legislation, the brands and inventions counterfait, misleading advertising

Co-moderators: high representatives of the Romanian Competition Council, EU Pre-accession Counsellors, Ministry of Public Finances and Ministry of European Integration

12:30 – 13:30  (alternative)– the German Living Room – Press Conference: the evaluation of the European Conference and the launching of the Special Report

12:30 – 13:30  (alternative) – Guided visit of the Cotroceni National Museum

13:30 – 15:00 Central Hall – Lunch (Buffet)

15:00 – 17:00 The Great Reception CERCHEZ Hall – Round Table: “Perspectives and Responsibilities of the Romanian Business Environment before Romania’s Accession to the European Union”  – aspects concerning the legislative regulations, the implementation and promotion of the good practices on a more competitive market.

17:00 – 18:00 The Great Reception Hall CERCHEZ – The First Edition of Awarding the CEFTAC PLATFORM Trophies:

The Trophies of the CEFTAC Platform for: the most transparent conduct of a company in the field of competition; the most performant management in favour of an indigenous successful brand; the most credible PR/Media campaign in favour of increasing the competitiveness for a product/offer of services; the most efficient media organisation in supporting a fair European competition; the best law/consulting company in the field of competition law; the most flexible company/banking scheme aimed to support the development of Romanian companies.

(The list of nominations is available at the "Trophy"section of the CEFTAC Platform)

§         Vin d’Honneur

LIST of SPECIAL GUESTS

·       on the behalf of the PRESIDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, represented by the Great Duchy of Luxembourg:

H.E. Mr. Lawyer Mihai FERARIU, Honorary Consul

·       on the behalf of the Delegation of the European Commission in Bucharest:

H.E. Mr. Ambassador Jonathan SCHEELE

·       on the behalf of the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands:

H.E. Mr. Pieter Jan WOLTHERS, Ambassador

• on the behalf of the Royal Embassy of Norway:

E.S. Mr. Leif Arne ULLAND, Ambassador

• on the behalf of the Embassy of Poland :

Mr. Tomasz SUPROWICZ , Prim Counsellor

Mr. Mihai BALASANU, Executive Director

The Organising Committee of the European Seminar:     Main Organiser: EUROLINK - House of Europe Foundation in Bucharest
Official Partners:
Romanian Competition Council
Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Romania and Bucharest
British-Romanian Chamber of Commerce
Romanian National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC)
National Association of Internet Service Providers – Romania (ANISP)
National Museum Cotroceni
Associate Partner
Main Sponsors:
Holcim (Romania) SA
ING Romania
Philip Morris Romania
La Strada
Technical Sponsors:
3M
Biroul de Imagine
Media Partners:
Afaceri Europene
Brand4Brands
BURSA Press Group
CARIERE
Comunicatedepresa.ro
Comunicatii Mobile
Evenimentul Zilei
Radio Mix
Romanian Business Journal

For your information, please find below a selective list of the institutions, companies and organisations, which joined the CEFTAC Platform and express their interest to participate to the European Seminar:

• Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

• Royal Embassy of Norway

• Royal Embassy of the Netherlands

• Embassy of Poland

• Embassy of Hungary

• Delegation of the European Commission in Bucharest

• Hugarian Competition Authority

• Academia de Advocacy

• Automobile Dacia

• Banca Comerciala Romana

• Baurom Construct

• Bucovina Enterprises

• Cabinet de Avocatura Calin Andrei Zamfirescu

• Centrul Parteneriat pentru Egalitate

• CN Posta Romana

• Fundatia pentru o Societate Deschisa

• Graffiti BBDO

• Holcim Romania SA

• ING Romania

• McCann Erickson

• Mittal Steel

• MOBIFON SA

• Nestle Romania

• PETROSERV SA

• Raiffeisen Bank

• Royal Consulting

• SCA Hahui si Asociatii

• SCA Linklaters Miculiti & Asociatii

• SCA Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen

• Tenaris pentru Europa de Est si CIS

• Total Consult

• ZETEA Srl

• Presidency of Romania

• Senate of Romania

• Romanian Chamber of Deputies

• Romanian Competition Council

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Ministry  of Communications and Information Tehnology

• Ministery of Public Finances

• Ministery of European Integration

• National Association of Internet Service Providers – Romania (ANISP)

• National Regulatory Authority in Natural Gas sector (ANRGN)

• Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Romania

• British-Romanian Chamber of Commerce

• University of Bucharest