EABC Business Missions to Europe
2006-2008

Programmes

The EABC organises an annual Business Mission to Europe of Australian business leaders in late May/early June to meet with Commissioners and senior officials at the European Commission in Brussels, and other institutions of the European Union.

Typically lasting 7-10 days, the business mission programme also includes visits to selected European Union Member States, with detailed briefings and assistance provided by the Australian Ambassador and trade officials.

EABC’s inaugural mission in 2006 visited Paris, Brussels and London. The 2007 mission visited Warsaw, Brussels, Hamburg, Berlin and Venice.

The 2008 mission will visit Vienna, Paris, Brussels, Madrid and Budapest from 25th May - 3 June 2008.

In Brussels, EABC delegations have met with Vice-President and Commissioner for Industry & Enterprise, Günter Verheugen; the Commissioners for Economic & Monetary Affairs, Energy, Information Society & Media, Internal Market & Services, and Regional Development. Senior officials included Directors and Directors-General of External Trade, Financial Services, Competition, and the Environment.

The delegations have also met with peak business organisations including the European Roundtable of Industrialists, BusinessEurope, and with economic advisor to the European Commission President, Professor Andre Sapir; and with the Permanent Representatives of the UK and Germany.

Bilateral programmes in European capitals have included meetings with government ministers, officials, peak business and industry councils, corporations, media commentators and think-tanks. This has included meetings with the German Secretary of Finance; the UK Minister for Europe; the International Secretary-General of the Bank de France; the investments boards of France, Poland, Germany and the Veneto region of Italy; representatives of the French, German and Polish Employers’ Federations, and lunches hosted by the CEO of Louis Vuitton, and the Chateau de Saran at Möet Hennessy.

Mission Delegates

The Business Mission consists of a delegation of 8-10 delegates of EABC Corporate Members and members of the EABC Corporate Council, led by Chairman Alastair
Walton. The delegation is accompanied by the EABC Chief Executive and a Mission Secretary.

Members of the 2006 delegation were Alastair Walton (Vice-Chairman, Goldman Sachs JBWere); Charles Curran AC (International Advisor, Goldman Sachs JBWere); Hugh Morgan AC (Principal, First Charnock); Michael Ullmer (CFO, National Australia Bank); Lord Macdonald of Tradeston CBE (Senior Advisor, Macquarie Bank); Philip Aiken
(President UK, BHP Billiton); David Cox (Executive General Manager, Qantas); and Don Kenyon AM (former Australian Ambassador to Europe & the WTO).

Members of the 2007 delegation were Alastair Walton; Charles Curran AC; Michael Ullmer; Philip Aiken (Senior Advisor, Macquarie Bank); Paul Ramsay AO (Chairman, Ramsay Healthcare); Julia King (Director, Fairfax Media); Robin Crawford (Director, Macquarie Capital Alliance Group); Stephen Loosley (Senior Advisor, Babcock & Brown); Carla Zampatti AM (Executive Chairman, Carla Zampatti Group).