DEAR MEMBERS OF VIENNA ECONOMIC FORUM!
You surely can imagine how proud we are that in 2013 we celebrated our 10th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum! From an Idea in 2004 to a International Non-Governmental Organization with a Special consultative status to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) – this is the Vienna Economic Forum success story!
We experienced permanently the importance of cooperation its significance for achieving positive and concrete results on regional and subregional level, also during our meetings in 2013.
An important event of the year 2013 was “Vienna Economic Talks – Meet Croatia in Vienna. New Member – New Opportunities”, after the successful accession of Vienna Economic Forum-member country Croatia to the European Union. And we are very proud that this country experiences further support in Austria, by the nomination of Dr. Franz Wohlfahrt, CEO of NOVOMATIC AG and Member of the Board of Vienna Economic Forum as Honorary Consul of Croatia with Consular District Lower Austria.
“Vienna Economic Talks – Meet Montenegro in Vienna”, which was organized in cooperation with Casinos Austria AG and Vienna Insurance Group was another mile stone for the good European and Atlantic development of the VEF Member Country Montenegro.
The 12th Traditional Garden Party “Culinary and musical journey through the partner countries of Vienna Economic Forum” with its unique atmosphere has become a popular summer event in Vienna and a proof of how much people have in common and how important the good economic development and the peaceful relations between neighbouring countries are for all.
For the 10th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum we had the pleasure to welcome 550 participants from 34 countries and 19 international organisations from the region of the Vienna Economic Forum and beyond, to celebrate its first decade of existence. H.E. Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister of Montenegro and Patron of Vienna Economic Forum, H.E. Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania and Patron of Vienna Economic Forum, H.E. Daniela Bobeva-Filipova, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Development of Bulgaria, Ms. Rasa Noreikiene, Vice Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania and many more high-ranking participants from the region participated. H.E. Dr. Heinz Fischer, Federal President of the Republic of Austria and H.E. Dr. Erwin Pröll, Governor of Lower Austria, sent special addresses.
Let us cordially congratulate Mr. Werner Anzengruber, CEO of Verbund AG, as Partner of the Year 2013; Montenegro as Partner Country of the Year 2013; Dr. Herbert Stepic and Raiffeisen Bank International AG, as Partner of the Decade 2004-2013.
We want to thank all members, partners and friends of Vienna Economic Forum for their continuous support and active participation in all these 10 successful years and we are looking forward to meet all of you at the 11th Vienna Economic Forum on 23-24 November 2014 in Palais Niederösterreich!
Dr. Erhard Busek Amb. Dr. Elena Kirtcheva
President Secretary General