1 November 2004
12:00 – 18:00 Registration at the Registration Desk, National Palace of Culture (NDK)

DAY ONE - 2 November 2004, Tuesday

National Palace of Culture

9:30 – 10:30

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) – The Effective Co-Operation between the Private Business and the Public Governance

Georgi Parvanov, President, Republic of Bulgaria
Filip Vujanovic, President, Republic of Montenegro
Namik Dokle, Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Albania
Miroljub Labus, Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Serbia
Dr. Mladen Ivanic, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Stevco Jakimovski, Minister of Economy of Republic of Macedonia
Christos Katsanis, Executive Director, United Bulgarian Bank, a Member of NBG Group
Valentin Zlatev , General Director, LUKOIL Bulgaria , Chairman of the Management Board, LUKOIL Neftochim Bourgas, LUKOIL President Representative for Bulgaria , Albania , Macedonia , Croatia , Serbia , Montenegro
Liubomir Pavlov, Chairman, Supervisory Board, Municipal Bank

Moderator: George Tabakov , Chairman , Bulgaria Economic Forum

10:30 – 10:45 Networking

MAIN STREAM: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP.
HOSTED BY MUNICIPAL BANK, FORUM STRATEGIC PARTNER
Location: Hall 9, National Palace of Culture

10:45 – 12:15

PLENARY SESSION 1: Economic Prospects in the Southeast European Countries for 2005. The importance of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the competitiveness of the economies

Lidya Shouleva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Republic of Bulgaria
Miroljub Labus , Deputy Prime Minister, Republic of Serbia
Milen Veltchev , Minister of Finance, Republic of Bolgaria
Stevco Jakimovski , Minister of Economy, Republic of Macedonia
Marian Lupu , Minister of Economy, Republic of Moldova
Vladimir Vrankovic, State Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Economy and Entrepreneurship, Republic of Croatia
Bojidar Danev, Chairman, Bulgarian Industrial Association
John Moran , Representative for Eastern European Region, OPIC
Michael Bleyzer , President, SigmaBleyzer
Sasho Dontchev , CEO, Overgas Inc.

Moderator : Anthony Robinson, Financial Times

Hosted by : Bulgarian Ministry of Economy

12:15 – 12:45 Networking

12:45– 13:45

PANEL 1:

Part 1: Private Sector Participation (PSP) in Public Services and Utilities.

Valentin Cerovski, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Republic of Bulgaria
Ivan Chomakov , Mayor, Plovdiv Municipality , Bulgaria
Angel Gekov, Executive Director, Municipal Bank
Bruno de Cazalet , Partner, Gide Loyrette NouelAnthony Smith, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
Anthony Smith , Partner, Simmons & Simmons
Robert Goegelle, Head of CSM (Corporate Sales&Marketing) , SIEMENS Business Services

Moderator: Nikolay Minkov, Manager, Uconomics Ltd.

13:45 – 14:00 Networking

14:00 – 15:00

PANEL 2: Public-Private Partnership - Successful Business Practices.

Hosted by: Bulgarian Industrial Association

15:00 – 15:30 Networking

15:30 – 17:00

ROUND TABLE: Public-Private Partnership - Financing of Investment Projects in the Public Sector - Challenges and Trends

Ivan Chomakov , Mayor, Plovdiv Municipality , Bulgaria
Vania Vassileva, Chief Executive Director, Municipal Bank
Angel Gekov, Executive Director, Municipal Bank
Ventcesslav Nikolov, Member of the Supervisory Board, Municipal Bank
Ivan Chomakov , Mayor, Plovdiv Municipality , Bulgaria
Günter Kradischnig , ICG Infora Consulting Group GmbH , Austria
Vesselin Gentchev , Solicitor, Addleshaw Goddard , United Kingdom
Lyubcho Zikov , Editor-in-Chief, Kapital Weekly , Macedonia

Hosted by : Municipal Bank

MAIN STREAM: FINANCIAL MARKETS

HOSTED BY UNITED BULGARIAN BANK, FORUM STRATEGIC PARTNER

Location: Hall 8, National Palace of Culture

10:45 – 12:15

PANEL 1: Development in South East Europe Banking Systems. The Role of International Groups and the Challenges set by the Basel II Standards

Dimitar Kostov , Chairman, Bulgarian Commercial Banks Association
Chisto Mihailovski, Chairman, Bulgarian Credit – Rating Agency
George Zavvos , Member, Legal Service, European Commission, Ex-member European Parliament
Dr. Steven Lang, Director Europe Operations, Peldec Decision Systems
George Anastasiadis , Director Economic Development & Transition Unit, CITY, Affiliated Institution of the University of Sheffield
Andrew Jeffreys , Oxford Business Group

Moderator: Christos Katsanis, Executive Director, United Bulgarian Bank, a Member of NBG Group

Hosted by: United Bulgarian Bank

12:15 – 13:15 Networking

13:15 – 14:45

PANEL 2: Cooperation of Stock Exchanges and Integration of the Capital Markets in South East Europe

Christos Katsanis, Executive Director, United Bulgarian Bank, a Member of NBG Group
Apostol Apostolov , Chairman, Financial Supervision Commission
Vassilis Margaris , Manager of Salonica Stock Exchange Center , Greece
Stere Farmache , General Manager&CEO, Bucharest Stock Exchange , Romania
Evgeni Zografski , CEO, Macedonian Stock Exchange
Georgi Draichev – CEO, Bulgarian Stock Exchange Sofia
Leif Vindevag , OMX Exchanges, Stockholm
Scott McCleskey , Senior Director, Europe , NASD International
Zoran Grubisic, Ph.D., University “Bracha Karich”, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro

Hosted by: United Bulgarian Bank

14:45 – 15:00 Networking

15:00 – 16:30

PANEL 3: Asset Management Opportunities on the East European Capital Markets

Alexander Nikolov , Deputy Chairman, Board of Directors, Karoll Capital Management
William Franks , Vice-President, SigmaBleyzer
Nikolaos Bertsos , President, Association of Greek Institutional Investors
Peter Ballinger , Director - Business Development - Europe and Eurasia , OPIC
Dimana Rankova , Deputy Chairperson in Charge of Investment Activities Division, Financial Supervision Commission
Nikolay Kolev , Derivatives Expert, Karoll Finance

Hosted by: Karoll Finance Company

MAIN STREAM: INVESTMENT PROMOTION IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE

Location: Hall 3.2, National Palace of Culture  

10:45 – 12:00

REGIONAL ROUND TABLE: Competitors or Partners for Attracting Investments to Southeast Europe

Pavel Ezekiev, Executive Director, InvestBulgaria Agency
Declan Murphy , Programme Director, Investment Compact, OECD
Mirza Hajric , Director General, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Igor Maricic , Managing Director, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of Croatia
Matej Kovac , Director Slovenian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, Republic of Slovenia
Maja Kurcieva-Filipova, Head of Investment Promotion Unit, Ministry of Economy, Republic of Macedonia
Anela Darkovska , Director Legal Department, Privatization Agency, Republic of Macedonia
Anica Guteska , Director Financial Department, Privatization Agency, Republic of Macedonia
Aneta Gradinaru , Investment Consultatnt, Moldovan Export Promotion Agency,
Katarina Gloncakova-Golev, Head of Direct Marketing Department FDI Division, Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, Republic of Slovakia
Maela Cunaj , Expert, Client Service and Information Department, Albanian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (ANIH)
Ioan Gaush, Romanian Agency for Investment Promotion, Romania
Representative from the Agency for Economic Restructuring and Foreign Investments

Hosted by: InvestBulgaria Agency 

12:00 – 12:15 Networking  

12:15 – 13:30>

DISCUSSION: United in Diversity - Goal and Winning Strategy of Southeast Europe

Pavel Ezekiev, Executive Director, InvestBulgaria Agency
Declan Murphy , Programme Director, Investment Compact, OECD
Mirza Hajric , Director General, Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Igor Maricic , Managing Director, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of Croatia
Mr. Matej Kovac , Director Slovenian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, Republic of Slovenia
Maja Kurcieva-Filipova, Head of Investment Promotion Unit, Ministry of Economy, Macedonia
Anela Darkovska , Director Legal Department, Privatization Agency, Republic of Macedonia ,
Anica Guteska , Director Financial Department, Privatization Agency, Republic of Macedonia
Aneta Gradinaru , Investment Consultatnt, Moldovan Export Promotion Agency,
Katarina Gloncakova-Golev, Head of Direct Marketing Department FDI Division, Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency, Slovakia
Maela Cunaj , Expert, Client Service and Information Department, Albanian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (ANIH)
Ioan Gaush, Romanian Agency for Investment Promotion, Romania
Representative from the Agency for Economic Restructuring and Foreign Investments, Republic of Montenegro

13:30 – 13:45 Networking

13:45 – 15:15

ROUND TABLE: Domestic and International Employers' Perceptions of the Climate for Investment and Labor in Bulgaria in 2004

Eduardo Tugendhat, President, CARANA Corporation
Miguel Zweig, Consultant, USAID Labor Market Project

Hosted by : Labour Market Project, USAID

15 :15 – 15 :30 Networking

MAIN STREAM: ENERGY

Location: Hall 3, National Palace of Culture

10:45 – 12:30

PLENARY SESSION 3: Development of the Investments in Energy Efficiency sector. Renewable Energy Sources

Milko Kovachev, Minister of energy and energy resources, Republic of Bulgaria
Tasco Ermenkov, Executive Director, Energy Efficiency Agency, Republic of Bulgaria

Moderator: Slavcho Neykov, Chief Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Energy Resources, Bulgaria

Hosted by: Ministry of Energy and Energy Resources

12:30– 13:45 Networking

13:45– 15:15

PANEL 1: Energy Efficiency Development Achievements in Southeast Europe – Good Practices. Discussions

Agim Bregasi , General Director of Electro-Energetics, Ministry of Industry and Energy, Republic of Albania
Besim Islami , Head, National Agency of Energy, Republic of Albania
Gabriel Baleanu, General Directorate of Energy Policy, Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Republic of Romania

Hosted by: Ministry of Energy and Energy Resources

15:15 - 15:30 Networking

15:30 - 17:15

Adrian Borotea , Counselor, Romanian Electricity Regulatory Authority
Dr. Thomas Meyer , Head of Corporate Development Europe , E.ON
Dr. Warren Phillips , Financial Manager, AMBO

Hosted by: ENEL

DAY ONE - 2 November 2004, Tuesday

HILTON HOTEL

MAIN STREAM: ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF SECURITY

HOSTED BY: AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Location: Mussala Hall, Hilton Hotel

11:00 – 11:45

PLENARY SESSION: Economic Dimensions of Security

Dr. Mladen Ivanic , Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Filiz Hyusmenova , Minister (Responsible for crisis management and emergency situations), Republic of Bulgaria
Bojidar Bojinov , President, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Republic of Bulgaria
James Pardew , US Ambassador to Bulgaria
Vlado Buchkovski , Minister of Defense, Republic of Macedonia
Edward Hogan , Director, Defence and Domestic Security Programs, UNISYS, Global Public Sector in USA

Moderator: Kenneth M. Lefkowitz , President, AmCham Bulgaria

11:45 – 12:45

PANEL 1: Business Solutions for Better Regional Security and Safety

Filiz Hyusmenova , Minister (Responsible for crisis management and emergency situations), Republic of Bulgaria
Boiko Kotzev , Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
Gen. Nikola Nikolov - Head of the State Agency "Civil Protection", Bulgaria
Edward Hogan , Director, Defence and Domestic Security Programs, UNISYS, Global Public Sector in USA
Ron Landenberg , Director, Communications Systems Operations (CSO) , Motorola

Moderator: Velizar Shalamanov , Chairman of the Management Council, the George C. Marshall Association - Bulgaria

Corporate representatives: UNISYS

13:00 – 14:30 Business Lunch*:

Guest Speaker:

Mladen Ivanich – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Vlado Buchkovski , Minister of Defense, Republic of Macedonia

Seasons Restaurant

Hilton Hotel

*Subject to supplementary registration

14:30 – 15:30

PANEL 2: Investing in Public Safety and Security for Trade and Transport Facilitation

Krassimira Martinova , Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication
Jennifer Snyder , Manager for Europe and Eurasia Region Business Development, U.S. Trade and Development Agency
Tom Conway , Managing Partner, Homeland Security, US Federal Government Group, UNISYS
EXIM Bank , USA , Representative

Moderator: World Bank , Representative

15:30 - 15:45 Networking

15:45 – 16:45

PANEL 3: Improving Border Crossing Control: Better Public Safety, More Efficient Trade Flows

Gen. Valeri Grigorov , Director, National Office “Border Police”
Paulus Guitink , Senior Transport Specialist, the World Bank
George Tchernev , Vice Chairman, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Ron Landenberg , Director, Communications Systems Operations (CSO), Motorola

Moderator: George Tchernev , Vice Chairman, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Co-organizer : Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

DAY TWO - 3 November 2004, Wednesday
National Palace of Culture

MAIN STREAM: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR

Location: Hall 9, National Palace of Culture

9:30 - 10:45
PLENARY SESSION 4: Investment Opportunities in the Transport Sector in Southeast Europe

Nikolay Vassilev, CFA, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Republic of Bulgaria
Agron Buxhaku, Minister of Transport and Communications, Republic of Macedonia
Boris Jivec , State Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Republic of Slovenia
Michalis Liapis , Minister of Transport and Communications, Republic of Greece
Miodrag Jocic , Deputy Minister of Capital Investment, Republic of Serbia
Spartak Poci, Minister of Transport and Communications, Republic of Albania

Moderator: Charles Frank, Director, Central and Eastern European Media Enterprises (former EBRD vice-president)

Hosted by: Ministry of Transport and Communications

10:45– 11:00

Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:00
PLENARY SESSION 4: Part 2: Public-Private Partnership in the Transport Sector

Bernard Snoy, Director of Working Table II, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe
Branko Dokic, Minister of Communications and Transport, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgi Draichev , CEO, Bulgarian Stock Exchange – Sofia
Jean-Pierre Vigroux , Senior Partner South-East Europe , PricewaterhouseCoopers
Milen Keremedchiev, National Co-ordinator, Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Republic of Bulgaria
Petr Stejskal , H ead of PPP unit, Ministry of Transport , Czech Republic
Vesselin Gentchev, Solicitor, Addleshaw Goddard, United Kingdom

Moderator: PricewaterhouseCoopers, representative

Hosted by: Ministry of transport and communications

13:15 – 17:00
TRAINING: The Role of Local Authorities for the Attracting of Investments

Ina Raicheva , Head of “Technical Twinning”, Foundation for Local Government Reform

Hosted by: InvestBulgaria Agency

MAIN STREAM: CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE

Location: Hall 8, National Palace of Culture

10:30 – 12:00
PANEL 1: Entry of Foreign Investors in Real Estate Markets in the Region – Comparative Analysis

Christopher Northam, Managing Director, BALKAN HOLDINGS PLC, UK
Elizabeth Cheshmedjieva, KIROV Estate Agency
Strahil Ivanov, Director, Yavlena
Nasko Atanasov, Director, Victoria Invest

Moderator: Krassen Stanchev, Director, Institute for Market Economics

Hosted by: Yavlena and Kirov Real Estate

12:00 – 13:00 Networking

13:00 – 14:15
PANEL 2: Developments in the Real Estate and Construction Business in Southeast Europe

Veneta Krasteva, Plamen Russev, Balkan Consultancy Center
Anna Gaspar, Build & ECon Hungary, Euroconstruct East European Partner
Dr. Margarete Czerny, Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Fernando Paes Afonso, Instituto Tecnico para a Industria da Construcao
Peter Lane , Director, Property Developers International SL , UK
Nikolin Gavrailov, Chairman, Bulgarian Entrepreneurial Chamber
Mariusz Sochacki, Managing Director, PAB-PCR&F Polish Construction Research & Forecasting
Alexander Lazarov, Director, GIS-Sofia

14:15 – 17:00
PANEL 3: Challenges for the Construction Business Sector in the Context of EU Accession

OPENING: Valentin Cerovski, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Republic of Bulgaria

14:15 – 15:15
Part 1: Development of the Construction Business in Bulgaria – Political and Social aspects

Belin Mollov, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Republic of Bulgaria
Simeon Peshov, Chairman, Bulgarian Construction Association
Vassilis Karapampas, FIEC, Greece

15:45 – 17:00
Part 2: Economic and Market Issues of the EU Accession

Boriana Pencheva , Director , Management of European Union Funds Directorate , Ministry of Finance
Miglena Pavlova, Chairman, Public Procurement Agency, Republic of Bulgaria
Yuliana Nikolova, European Institution, Bulgaria

Moderator: Venеta Krusteva, Editor in Chief, the “Construction and the City” newspaper
Hosted by: Bulgarian Building and Construction Chamber
Media Partner: “Construction and the City” newspaper

DAY TWO - 3 November 2004, Wednesday
HILTON HOTEL
MAIN STREAM: PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP - THE ROLE OF ICT
HOSTED BY: AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Location: Moussala Hall, Hilton Hotel

10:00 – 12:00
PANEL 1: Public-Private Synergy in Closing the Digital Gap: Government and Business Co-operation

Nedelcho Nedelchev, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications
Lenka Tuckova, Government Affairs Manager , Intel , Czech Republic
Silviu Hotarau, General Manager, Microsoft South East Europe
Ahmet Hasanbeseoglu, Manager Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco Systems
Florin Ilia , Internet Space Department Manager, SIVECO Bulgarian Telecommunication Company, Corporate Representative

Moderator: Kenneth M. Lefkowitz , President, AmCham Bulgaria

12:00 – 13:00 Networking

13:00 - 14:30 Business Lunch*:

Special Guest:
Nikolay Vassilev, CFA, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications, Republic of Bulgaria

Seasons Restaurant
Hilton Hotel
*Subject to supplementary registration

14:00 - 16:30
PANEL 2: e-Government and Competitiveness of the Economy

Roumen Trifonov , Senior Advisor to the Minister of State Administration, Republic of Bulgaria
Orlin Kousov, Executive Director, High Technologies Agency
Silviu Hotarau, General Manager, Microsoft South East Europe
Piotr Pagowski, Territory Manager for Central Eastern Europe, Intel
Ahmet Hasanbeseoglu, Manager Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco Systems
Gerhard K. Wagner, General Secretary, VIW e-Business Austria

Moderator: Bojidar Danev, Chairman, Bulgarian Industrial Association