Brussels, 07/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - It is on Friday 9 June, from 13.30 that Prince Philippe of Belgium will open the work of the European Business Summit, in the presence of the European Commissioner for Industry Erkki Liikanen (see EUROPE of 11 February). Organised by he FEB (Fédération des Entreprises de Brlgique) in collaboration with the European Employers' Organisation, Unice, this summit will bring together high-level businessmen and European decision-makers. Talks will be mainly on ways of filling the gap that exists between the EU and the United States in questions of innovation, and this on the basis of the Benchmarking 2000 report prepared by Unice on "Stimulating Innovation and Creativity in Europe" (see EUROPE of 11 and 31 May 2000). The President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, Unice President Georges Jacobs and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt will take part in the closing session on Saturday 10 June (15.30 to 18.00 hrs.). At least some ten members of the European Commission will be taking part in some phase of the work. Many activities relating to the Forum are also being organised, on different aspects of innovation policy, such as: public/private partnerships, education and training, the speed of the placing of a product on the market, public mentality faced with innovation. Information: website: http://www.ebsimmit @org
Qualms by four personalities, response by Unice President
"We definitely do not accept that, on the occasion of the European Business Summit, European employers attempt to increasingly subdue the European authorities to their objectives. These objectives were defined by Unice in a document: "Unice's priorities for the new European Commission." The European employers want to have this creed of neoliberal globalisation as sole reference for Europe, from the Commission to trade unions and in the European Parliament. We say NO": this is what Olivier Hoedeman (Corporate Europe Observatory, Amsterdam), the German writer Johnn-Gunther Konig, Jaap Kruithof (professor emeritus at the University of Ghent, Belgium) and Jacques Nikonoff (ATTAC, France) state in a petition.
They explained their stance at a press conference at 10.30 on Thursday 8 June, at the Eastman Building of the European Parliament.
Informed of these criticisms against the employers' event, Unice President Georges Jacobs reacted in an open letter, recalling that: "the goal of the Summit is to set up a direct dialogue between the business and political community in the EU on the theme of innovation. Unice - being not only the business representative in Europe but also a social partner at EU level - is committed to rising employment and raising the standard of living. We believe that stimulating innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit is one way of achieving this".