For the 14th time, on 6 November 2017, Vienna Economic Forum – The European economic platform based in Vienna, brought together, under the motto “Economy meets Politics”, high-ranking representatives and visionaries of the economy, politics and diplomacy from the Vienna Economic Forum-region, from Europe and neighbouring region at the Novomatic Forum in Vienna.
At the official opening the CEO of Novomatic AG, host and Vice-President of Vienna Economic Forum Mag. Harald Neumann, and the Secretary General Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, together with DI Dr. Günther Rabensteiner, President of Vienna Economic Forum, and Dr. Heinz Fischer, Federal President of Austria (2004-2016) and Patron of Vienna Economic Forum, greeted and welcomed high-ranking participants from 38 Countries.
In his opening speech, H.E. Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of Macedonia, reiterated the important role of the Vienna Economic Forum for the challenges that lay ahead for the countries of the region, such as the EU integration process and the promotion of instruments that strengthen the interaction between business and politics for the benefits of citizen and companies.
In their opening statements, President of Vienna Economic Forum, DI Dr. Günther Rabensteiner and Secretary General Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva emphasized the necessity of this pro-European economic platform based in Vienna to further establish and ensure the regional and economic cooperation and thanked all of the partners for 14 years of successful cooperation.
The First Plenary Session, moderated by Dr. Ognian Donev, Chairman of the Board of Directors & Executive Director of Sopharma PLC and Vice-President of Vienna Economic Forum, focussed on the topic “We live in a digital time! Visions and investors‘ response”. Pragmatically oriented depictions, experiences and visions about how investments can be a motor to competitiveness and growth and what impact the global digitalisation can have on them were shared with insightful contributions by
Main Statement
• Mr. Alexander Riedl, Deputy Head of Unit, Digital Economy and Skills, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Participants
• Mr. Arda Ermut, President, Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum
• H.E. Dr. Kocho Angjushev, Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of the Economic Affairs of Macedonia
• H.E. Valdrin Lluka, Minister of Economic Development of Kosovo
• Mr. Emmanuel Forest, CEO, BOUYGUES Europe SA, Belgium, Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum
• Dr. Dorothee Ritz, General Manager, Microsoft Austria
• Mr. Gordan Milinić, Director, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Dr. Stephan Pachinger, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Austria, Member of Vienna Economic Forum
• Dr. Florin Vodiță, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Romania
The following Round Table Discussion in the afternoon was moderated by Amb. Victor Jackovich, President of Jackovich International LLC, U.S.A., and Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum, and was dedicated to the theme “Regional cooperation as a part of the European integration”. The high-level representatives from the economy and government side discussed the necessity of collaboration between economy and politics under the motto “Economy meets Politics”. Concrete ideas, visions, projects and proposals for problem solutions regarding different fields and from different perspectives were presented and lively discussed by
Main Statement
• Wilhelm Molterer, Managing Director, European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), based in Luxembourg, Former Vice-Chancellor of Austria
Participants
• H.E. Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of Macedonia, Patron of Vienna Economic Forum
• Mag. Heinz Messinger, Managing Director, AME International GmbH, Austria, Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum
• H.E. Dragica Sekulić, Minister of Economy of Montenegro
• Dr. Gabriel Lansky, Partner, LANSKY, GANZGER+partner, Austria, Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum
• Dr. Günther Ofner, Member of the Executive Board, Flughafen Wien AG, Austria, Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum
• Mr. Hakan Ateş, CEO, DenizBank Financial Services Group, Chairman of DenizBank AG, Member of Vienna Economic Forum
• Mag. Peter Lennkh, Member of the Board, Corporate Banking, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Austria, Member of Vienna Economic Forum
• Amb. Gazmend Turdiu, Deputy Secretary-General, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), based in Sarajevo, Strategic Partner of Vienna Economic Forum
A lively discussion paved the way for a common development of the regional economy and it was agreed that this 14th Vienna Economic Forum – Vienna Future Dialogue 2017 is the right moment, platform and instrument to give a genuine, relevant and sustainable impulse and support for the common development of the region as part of a united Europe,
At the end of the panel discussions, at the traditional Vienna Economic Forum Award Ceremony, Dr. Ognian Donev, Vice-President of Vienna Economic Forum, received the Cooperation Partner of the Year 2017 Award on behalf the Sopharma PLC and Dr. Akkan Suver was awarded on behalf of the Marmara Group Foundation as the Strategic Partner of the Year 2017.
The future signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Serbian Association of Economists and Vienna Economic Forum was announced and the Vice-President of OstWestWirtschaftsForum Bayern eV (OWWF), Hermann Pönisch , the President of Vienna Economic Forum, DI Dr. Günther Rabensteiner, and Secretary General Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva signed a MoU for the future cooperation between OWWF Bayern and Vienna Economic Forum.
Mr. Arda Ermut, President, Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum, and the President of Vienna Economic Forum, DI Dr. Günther Rabensteiner, and Secretary General Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva signed a Cooperation Agreement ensuring the continuity of the successful cooperation between ISPAT and Vienna Economic Forum.
At the following Farewell Reception final thoughts and conclusions between all participants and speakers were exchanged in a festive atmosphere and formed the end of yet another successful Vienna Economic Forum. The importance and relevance of this platform has proven itself yet again and will culminate in the 15th Jubilee at the 15th Vienna Economic Forum – Vienna Future Dialogue 2018 on 12 November 2018.
Vienna Economic Forum would like to thank all the cooperation partners: AME International GmbH, Bouygues Europe SA, CANON CEE GmbH, Casinos Austria AG, DenizBank AG, EVN AG, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, HYPO NOE Landesbank, Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), Jackovich International LLC, LANSKY, GANZGER + partner, Novomatic AG, Parivodic Advokati/Lawyers, Österreichische Post AG, Siemens AG Österreich, Sopharma PLC, Flughafen Wien AG, Verbund AG, Wiener Börse AG, Wien Holding GmbH.
