BusinessEurope Headlines No. 2015-28

President Marcegaglia defends women’s economic empowerment at G7 forum in Berlin

"The involvement of leaders at the highest level and of the business community is key to making concrete progress on women’s participation in the economic life", BusinessEurope's President Emma Marcegaglia said at the G7 forum for dialogue with women. The event, hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany, on 16 and 17 September was organised as a follow-up to the G7 summit held on 7-8 June in Schloss Elmau, Germany, where heads of state and government committed to take concrete action with regard to women and girls empowerment.

Read more or contact: Guillaume Cravero

EU-ASEAN: building a stronger partnership

On 14 September, BusinessEurope met a delegation from the EU-ASEAN Business Council to discuss ways of improving trade and investment ties between EU and ASEAN countries. ASEAN is already a very important trade and investment destination for the EU; the market potential remains very high. BusinessEurope strongly supports the conclusion of ambitious trade and investment agreements in the area like it was the case recently for Vietnam. Such agreements can be stepping stones towards a future region-to-region agreement that remains a top priority. The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss ways of bettering information exchanges and cooperation between business organisations present in ASEAN countries and BusinessEurope, contributing to a business environment that is more conducive for EU companies.

Contact: Luisa Santos

Discussing climate with Dutch Minister for the Environment

'The European business community is committed to and has high expectations from the international climate summit in December in Paris' – this was one of the messages BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer gave to the Dutch Minister for the Environment, Wilma Mansveld at a meeting in The Hague on 10 September. He also stressed the necessary changes to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme proposal to keep Europe’s industry competitive, and highlighted circular economy as well as better regulation as other key topics in view of the forthcoming Dutch presidency of the EU.

Contact: Alexandre Affre

Improve access to capital markets

Give companies better access to capital markets as those markets are currently fragmented and regulated differently across the EU, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said on 11 September when meeting Olivier Guersent, Director General of DG Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. Financial market integration and building a Capital Markets Union must be core objectives for the European Commission. Deeper and more liquid markets will contribute to reducing the cost of financing and encourage cross-border trade and investment. BusinessEurope identified five key areas under which EU policy-makers need to take action: improve information flows regarding growth prospects for small and medium-sized companies; ensure that financial regulation strikes the right balance between improving financial stability and supporting investment; develop alternatives to bank finance; restore confidence in securitisation; and promote tax systems which support equity-financed investment.

Read more or contact: Erik Berggren

Implementation of EU’s first sustainability chapter

The EU-Korea free-trade agreement, in force since July 2011, is the first EU agreement with a chapter on trade and sustainable development. BusinessEurope is member of the EU Domestic Advisory Group responsible for monitoring implementation of such a chapter and was in Seoul, South Korea, last week to meet its South-Korean counterpart at what is known as the EU-Korea Civil Society Forum. Four years since the agreement entered into force, the forum provides a useful platform to discuss topics of common interest - this year: participation of civil society in the international climate change negotiations and fixed-term contracts. BusinessEurope hopes progress continues to be made in the representativeness and structure of the forum to ensure a successful monitoring exercise.

Contact: Eleonora Catella

Employers discuss working conditions of tomorrow at Luxembourg presidency conference

There is the potential for cross-border EU mobility to play a greater role in meeting companies’ skills needs and to create a win-win scenario for employers and workers. And new forms of work, including cross-border, are an opportunity for Europe to increase growth and employment, not a threat. These were the messages expressed by Nils Trampe, Chair of BusinessEurope's Industrial Relations Working Group, during the conference “Working conditions of tomorrow” organised by the Luxembourg Presidency on 10-11 September. Speaking at the same conference, Christina Haslund, Director for Health and Safety at the Danish employer federation DA, welcomed the EU strategic framework on health and safety at work, in particular the focus on better implementation and simplification of existing EU and national legislation in the field. This is the best way to ensure that workers are protected from risks at the workplace in an efficient and proportionate way.

Contact: Magdalena Bober