EU-Brazil Business Summit

During the Swedish Presidency of the European Union the EU-Brazil Summit will take place in Sweden. The Swedish Prime Minister Mr Fredrik Reinfeldt, the European Commission President Mr José Manuel Barroso and the Bazilian President Mr Luis Inácio Lula da Silva will meet in Stockholm on 6 October.

In connection with the Political Summit a Business Summit, the third since 2007, will also take place in Stockholm during the 6 October.

The Business Summit will be hosted by the President of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise Ms Signhild Arnegård Hansen. BUSINESSEUROPE and the Brazilian Employers and Industrial organisation, CNI have together with the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise a joint responsability for the programme. The format will be a round table discussion with participation from CEOs from both EU and Brazil.

The aim is to deliver a joint declaration from the EU and Brazilian business communities to the three political leaders, who will attend for a portion of the Business Summit-event.

Venue will be the Grand Hotel in Stockholm

Link to Hotel reservations: www.mcistockholm.se/businessummit

Building cooperation for the post-crisis world: A Roundtable Discussion

Stockholm, October 6, 2009

Agenda (as of 29 September)

9:00 – 9:30 Opening remarks: Business Priorities for the EU-Brazil Partnership

• Signhild Arnegård Hansen, Chairman of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and Vice President of BUSINESSEUROPE
• Armando Monteiro, President of CNI
• Jürgen R. Thumann, President, BUSINESSEUROPE

09.30-10.15 How to boost investment in the crisis and its aftermath?

Introduction: Signhild Arnegård Hansen

• Ingo Plöger, President,IP Desenvolvimento Empresarial e Institucional
• EU presenter
• Open discussion

10.15-11.00 How to foster trade and combat protectionism in the crisis and its aftermath?

Introduction: Iñaki Urdangarin, Co-Chairman, Mercosur European Union Business Forum, Member of the Board, Telefónica

• Francisco Turra, President, Brazilian Chicken Producers and Exporters Association
• Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman SEB
• Open discussion

11.00-11.45 How to deal with the challenges and opportunities of climate change and energy supply?

Introduction: Armando Monteiro Neto

• Brazil presenter
• Leif Johansson CEO Volvo AB
• Open discussion

11.45-12.30 Interaction with Dr. Ewa Björling, Minister for Trade, Sweden; Baroness Catherine Ashton, Commissioner for Trade European Union, Mr. Miguel Jorge, Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazil

12.30-14.00 Lunch, with the participation of the Ministers and Commissioner

14.15-15.15 Closing Session with the presence of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, President José Manuel Barroso and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

15.15- Press-Conference

Discussion Background

1. How to boost investment in the crisis and its aftermath?

• The tax agenda: How can EU and Brazilian companies cooperate on tax issues? How to reduce the tax burden on investment? What is the role of bilateral tax treaties? Which priority measures should be undertaken to reduce investment costs? Are there lessons from the European experience for the internationalization of Brazilian companies?
• The role of public private partnerships (PPPs): Can PPPs help the development of infrastructure in the current environment in Brazil and in the EU? How to increase private sector participation in these programs and how to improve its access to project finance schemes?
• Regulation and investment: Are there protectionist measures hampering foreign direct investment? What are the risks of over-regulation?

2. How to foster trade and combat protectionism in the crisis and its aftermath?

• Protectionism: How can the EU and Brazil work together to support open markets at this challenging time?
• The EU-Brazil Partnership Agreement and the bilateral agenda: What has the experience been to date of EU-Brazil regulatory dialogues? Are there other bilateral initiatives to be undertaken in order to remove non-tariff barriers or to avoid the creation of new ones? How will the new regulatory initiatives in the EU and Brazil affect bilateral trade? How to deepen the economic and business content of the Partnership Agreement?
• The EU-Mercosur free-trade negotiations: Is there room for progress in the bi-regional negotiations? Which should be the priorities for closing the agreement? How could the EU-Brazil Partnership help?
• The Doha Round: EU and Brazil are two of the main players in the Doha Round negotiations: how should they cooperate for the closing of the agreement?

3. How to deal with the challenges and opportunities on climate change, energy and trade?

• The road to Copenhagen: Which are the main messages of the business sectors of both sides to the climate change negotiators?
• Technology cooperation: How can both sides cooperate to the exchange and the development of climate friendly technologies?
• Trade and climate change: How to avoid the creation of new trade barriers coming from climate change regulations (e.g. border tax adjustments, subsidies, standardization issues etc.).