EIB hosts 50th anniversary conference in Bratislava, Slovak Republic
On 15 and 16 October 2008, the European Investment Bank Group in cooperation with the European Commission will hold in Bratislava a conference on the new instruments in European regional policy addressing public and private stakeholders from all EU Member States.
Background
Public authorities have been progressively confronted with growing investment needs while the resources available become more and more scarce. This clearly emphasises the need to use available funding in an effective way and at the same time, find complementary sources of investment.
As part of the continuing effort to make cohesion policy more effective, the European Commission has developed in close collaboration with the European Investment Group and three other partner institutions – EBRD, CEB, KfW – a series of instruments designed both to support project preparation and to increase the use of financial engineering instruments in the context of cohesion policy: JASPERS, JEREMIE and JESSICA. The so called “3Js” provide technical assistance (JASPERS), finance for SMEs (JEREMIE) and support for sustainable urban development (JESSICA). You will find more detailed information on the back of the conference programme.
Speakers
Confirmed speakers include European Commissioner Danuta Hübner, Minister Ján Počiatek, Philippe Maystadt, EIB President, CEOs of partner institutions as well as EIB managers and experts.
Themes
- Regional development
- Financial engineering and structural funds
- Technical Assistance
- Finance for SMEs
- Sustainable urban development
Workshop 1: JASPERS Transport Projects
- The Blue book for Poland – project preparation guidelines for the transport sector Artur Rudnicki, transport economist, JASPERS
- EU supported projects, co-operation with Jaspers Initiative Grzegorz Obara, Head of Study Section, National Roads Administration, Poland
- Urban transport: the Sofia and Krakow example Zbiniew Palenica, Vice-president of the Management board, MPK SA Krakow
- Sofia Metro Extension Project Stoyan Bratoev, Director, Sofia Metro
- Urban Transport - JASPERS Role Gerry Muscat, Sector Manager Municipal Infrastructure, JASPERS
Workshop 2: JEREMIE Status Quo
- General introduction of the JEREMIE initiative and its key-role in the context of the cohesion policy Dorota Zaliwska, Head of Unit, Financial Engineering, DG Regio
- General principles, evaluation and implementation preparation of the JEREMIE initiative Hubert Cottogni, Deputy Head of JEREMIE, EIF
- Case Study JEREMIE in Slovakia – Implementation, preparation and outlook Mario Vircik, Director of International Relations, Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic
Workshop 3: JESSICA in Concept
Towards More Sustainable Cities & Communities
- Introducing the JESSICA initative and its role for urban development policy George Kolivas, Financial Engineering, DG Regio
- JESSICA – The role of the EIB, the results of the studies and the way forward Brian Field, Urban Specialist – JESSICA Task Force, EIB
- JESSICA - the role of the CEB León Herrera, Deputy Director General, CEB
Workshop 4: JASPERS Environment & Energy Projects
- Energy Efficiency refurbishment for public buildings - an example from Poland Ralf Goldmann, Energy specialist, JASPERS
- Ecological refurbishment of the Warsaw University of Technology Prof. Taduesz Skoczkowski, Warsaw University of Technology and President of the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency
- Water sector portfolio approach in Slovenia and Hungary Gergely Horn, Head of Section, Water Sector Managing Authority, Environmental Programmes, Hungary
- JASPERS support for a portfolio of Hungarian and Slovenian water and sanitation projects Eckart Tronnier, sector manager water and waste water, JASPERS
Workshop 5: JEREMIE Implementation
- Case Study JEREMIE in Romania - JEREMIE implementation steps after signature of the funding agreement Stefan Ciobanu , Ministry of Economy and Finance, Romania
- JEREMIE products – Debt and Equity instruments possible in a Holding Fund Jacques Darcy, Head of Product Development, EIF
Workshop 6: JESSICA Implementation
Towards More Sustainable Cities & Communities
JESSICA is a flexible instrument that can and should be deployed according to a Managing Authority’s needs and requirements, i.e. a customised approach is called for:
- Case Study for Poland Rafal Rybacki, Product Development Specialist – JESSICA Task Force, EIB
- EIB as Holding Fund Frank Lee, Product Development Specialist – JESSICA Task Force, EIB
- Expert Working Group on JESSICA – A report on emerging problems and issues with JESSICA implementation Dr. Wolfgang Eckart, Chairman of Expert Working Group, Fed. Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs, Germany
Workshop 7: PPPs and Structural Funds
- The contribution of PPP to Economic and Social Infrastructure investment in the EU Tom Barrett, Director, European Investment Bank
Workshop 8: Sustainable Development
- Environmental assessment in project preparation: the JASPERS experience in the new Member countries Silvio Stoica, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Romania
Workshop 9: European Micro Credit Initiative
- General introduction Philippe Delvaux, Financial Engineering, DG Regio
- Players, commitments and status quo of the European Micro Credit Initiative Marc Schublin, EIF
- Targets and beneficiaries of the Micro Credit Initiative Maria Nowak, President, European Microfinance Network
3Js – The way ahead
- European Investment Fund & JEREMIE Richard Pelly, Chief Executive, European Investment Fund
Registration
Conference participation is on invitation only. Please use the attached form to apply for registration.
Practical Information for Participants
Confirmed participants are entitled to access the plenary session and the workshops as well as lunch and dinner. A full set of documentation will be provided during the event.