Mission Statement

-- To highlight new business opportunities in Southeast Europe.

-- To provide partnering between U.S. firms and companies from Southeastern Europe to develop partnerships and business relationships to promote economic growth and stability.

-- To address ways to improve the Southeast Europe region’s business climate.

Event Description

As a result of President Clinton’s request that the Commerce Department organize a major commercial development event in Southeast Europe this fall, ITA will sponsor a conference entitled "Southeast Europe: Commercial Opportunities and Partnerships" in Sofia, Bulgaria on November 1-2, 1999. The conference will highlight reconstruction and business opportunities for American companies in the six "front line states" bordering Yugoslavia (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Macedonia), and Kosovo and Montenegro. It will introduce U.S. companies, particularly those with operations in Western Europe and those already doing business in Central/Eastern Europe, to the challenges and opportunities for doing business in Southeast Europe.

The conference will also feature a policy roundtable, chaired by Secretary Daley, with leaders from the frontline states, to discuss impediments to trade and investment in the region.

The Secretary will also open the conference, deliver a luncheon keynote address, and hold bilateral meetings with his government counterparts from the region. The heads of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the Export-Import Bank of the United States will accompany Secretary Daley.

MATCHMAKING

The conference will also provide a mechanism for U.S. companies to meet and form relationships with potential local partners, and promote regional cooperation in general. At the conclusion of the conference, US&FCS Sofia will organize one-on-one appointments between U.S. companies and businesspeople from throughout Southeast Europe who attend the conference.

Commercial Setting

NATO has completed a successful military effort to bring peace to Kosovo, and the U.S. has renewed its commitment to an integrated, democratic and prosperous Europe that includes Southeast Europe. The U.S. and the European Union (EU) have begun the complex and enormous task of reconstructing Kosovo and securing economic prosperity in Southeast Europe. The U.S. supports the EU’s leadership role in designing and implementing the Southeast Europe Stability Pact, specifically the reconstruction efforts necessary to link the region to the rest of the continent.

The Department of Commerce is actively working to engage the U.S. private sector in the reconstruction of Kosovo and the economic development of Southeast Europe in order to help spur economic growth and development of the frontline states.

Conference Goals

The conference’s goals are:

• To promote wider involvement of U.S. companies in the region.

• To address structural impediments to investment and trade.

• To provide U.S. firms, who plan to expand their presence in the region, access to key government officials and potential business partners.

• To enhance the exposure of small and medium-sized U.S. firms to importers, distributors and purchasers in the target countries, through one-on-one meetings.

U.S. firms participating in the conference will be introduced to business opportunities, qualified commercial partners and potential representatives through conference events and a series of one-on-one meetings. Conference activities will also include a business reception and a sit-down luncheon. The Secretary will work to advance U.S. commercial objectives for these companies and the sectors they represent. The $300 participation fee covers all conference costs, including the luncheon, reception, coffee breaks, program, and matchmaking.

Timetable

Participants arrive according to their own schedules, and the conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, November 1, 1999. Participation will end at approximately noon on Tuesday, November 2.

Promotion and recruitment will be led by US&FCS Vienna and will include Showcase Europe posts, the Export Assistance Centers and domestic Europe teams, ITA’s Central and Eastern Europe Business Information Center (CEEBIC), and the Office of Multilateral Development Bank Operations (MDBO). Promotion will be done via paper and electronic mailings from internal mailing lists, telephone recruitment, publication in the Federal Register, and ITA’s home page. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, provided the company meets the conditions for participation listed below. Recruitment will close on October 15, 1999, although applications will be accepted after this date subject to available space.

Conditions for Participation

• Timely submission of the application, $300 participation fee, participation agreement, and certifications.

• Certification that the company's products and/or services are manufactured or produced in the United States, or if manufactured/produced outside of the United States, the product/service must be marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have U.S. content representing at least 51% of the value of the finished good or service.

• Certification that the company meets Departmental guidelines for participation.
• Timely and adequate provision of company and product/service information and literature in order to enable communication of company’s objectives and scheduling of appointments.

Contact Information
U.S.: Martha Butwin
International Trade Specialist
U.S. Export Assistance Center
1625 Broadway, Suite 680
Denver, CO 80202
Tel.: (303) 844-6623
Fax: (303) 844-5651
E-mail: martha.butwin@mail.doc.gov

Sam Kozloff
Associate Director, Central/Eastern Europe
Office of International Operations, US&FCS
HCHB 3130
U.S. Department of Commerce
Washington, DC 20230
Tel.: (202) 482-1599
Fax: (202) 482-3159
E-mail: samuel.kozloff@mail.doc.gov

Vienna: Martha Tween
Commercial Service
American Embassy Vienna
Boltzmanngasse 16
A-1091 Vienna, Austria
Tel.: 011-43-1-313-392296
Fax: 011-43-1-310-6917
E-mail: vienna.office.box@mail.doc.gov