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TRADE PROMOTION EUROPE’S FIRST 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Trade Promotion Europe held its First Annual Conference on 24th May 2023 in collaboration with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
The day was structured around three panels in which high-level speakers from the EU institutions, think tanks, TPOs and other stakeholders participated.

  1. The first panel, titled “Exporting SMEs and the Single Market: lessons and signposts for the future“, tackled the definition and categorisation of SMEs, and the administrative burdens and more general challenges that they face, as well as the initiatives that the Commission is putting in place to address these. The panel was moderated by Philippe Vanrie, and formed by Jakub Boratynski (Director, Networks & Governance, DG GROW), Milena Angelova (Member of the Employer Group, EESC), Anne Lanigan (Regional Director Europe, Enterprise Ireland), Elena Santiago Cid (Director General, CEN-CENELEC), and Vid Habjan (Head of Department, Spirit Slovenia, TPE).
  2. Panel two discussed “Reconciling the EU’s open trade agenda with strategic autonomy“. Moderated by Leo Cendrowicz, the panel welcomed Charlotte Sammelin (Deputy Director General & Head of Department for International Trade and EU Single Market, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish Presidency), Matthias Bauer (Director, European Centre for International Political Economy), Annette Wijering (Director of the International Trade Department, Netherlands Enterprise Agency), Denis Redonnet (Deputy Director-General, Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, DG Trade), Joan Romero (Executive Director, ACCIO Catalonia).
  3. The third panel “Building a Team Europe Approach promoting European exporting SMEs” was formed by Leopoldo Rubinacci (Deputy Director-General, DG TRADE) Tindaro Paganini (Director Brussels Office, Italian Trade Agency), Ben Butters (Chief Executive Officer, Eurochambres), Antti Karhunen (Director, Sustainable Finance, Investment and Jobs, Economy that works for the people, DG INTPA), Marta Valero (Director of Institutional and Business Cooperation, ICEX Spain).

Find the full programme of the day here.
Read the report here.