The developments and opportunities that will arise from the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area, which becomes a reality in 2010, will be the themes of a two-day international conference being organised by EMCS Ltd at the Malta Hilton on 26 and 27 January.
The conference entitled “Trade Finance in the Mediterranean: Towards the 2010 Euro-Med Free Trade Area” has Bank of Valletta as its lead sponsor.
Presenting Bank of Valletta’s sponsorship to Dr C. Grech, chairman and managing director of EMCS Ltd, Tonio Depasquale, CEO at Bank of Valletta referred to the bank’s commitment to play an active role in the development and advancement of Malta’s business community.
“Our support to this conference underlines our resolve to assist the business community. BOV is very active in the area of trade finance and operates a number of representative offices in the Euro-Mediterranean Regions that give support to its customers doing business in countries such as Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. Indeed, our representative offices in these countries play an important role in this regard,” Mr Depasquale said.
“We are confident that our support will contribute to the success of this international conference and look on this event as a win-win situation both for the development as well as for the fostering of new business opportunities in the region,” Mr Depasquale said.
Mr Depasquale and Dr Grech had the opportunity to discuss the final programme for the event. Dr Grech explained the final preparations taking place for the organisation of this conference and reiterated the importance of this event for all those seeking new trading opportunities in the Euro-Mediterranean region. “Within the coming decade, the projected Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area will become a reality, bringing about major developments in the region as goods and services will be traded freely in one of the largest free markets in the world. Malta, being in the middle of this region and the developments taking place within it, is bound to be in a position to take advantage of all the business potential,” Dr Grech said.
“Everyone is aware of the inadequate trade financing infrastructure that exists in the region, which could hinder this development and limit the active participation of potential small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs. The conference will also address this problem with all those who will be directly involved in this new process,” Dr Grech added.
A good number of delegates from Malta and abroad have already been attracted to attend this conference. Over 120 delegates are expected to participate, making this event an attractive and essential venue for networking opportunities. The two-day conference will address advisers, traders and importers to and from countries within the Mediterranean countries, trade financing specialists, manufacturers and exporters, bankers and insurance institutions and professionals from financial and legal institutions, public sector officials, audit firms and business advisory firms.
The conference shall be addressed by a series of high profile speakers including Jilani Benm, Barek – president, Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Souleymane Traore – Senior Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation; Roderick E Chalmers – chairman, Bank of Valletta; Jeroen Kohnstamm – Secretary General, Factors Chain International; Margrith Lutschg-Emmenegger – president, Fimbank; Uwe Malezki – Managing Director, Malta Freeport Terminals and MEP Dr Simon Busuttil as vice chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee for MAGHREB. The conference will evaluate a number of critical areas such as the progress towards the establishment of the EuroMed Free Trade Area, examine the existing trade finance infrastructure for trade with North Africa and the Middle East, potential for its further development and how the trade finance environment can be enhanced.
The conference will also discuss a series of initiatives taken by a number of institutions as FIMbank, Commercial International Bank and International Finance Corporation of the World Bank and will feature presentations by leading business exponents from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and Malta.
Local companies that are actively involved in international business are encouraged to attend so as to garner a better understanding of the new trade financing tools available, as well as to benefit from the extensive networking opportunities with business people from various countries in the Mediterranean.
For further information about the conference visit www.emcs.com.mt