SEB is the new main sponsor of this year's Eastern European Business Forum. The Springfellow consulting firm, which has many years of experience from Eastern Europe, is arranging the Forum. The annual seminar focuses on the economies and politics of Eastern Europe as well as business prerequisites on these markets.

 

Speakers will include SEB chairman Jacob Wallenberg, Lennart Meri, the former president of Estonia, Telia Sonera's CEO Anders Igel and the former head of the Riksbank, Bengt Dennis. Many participants from various companies and organisations with interests in Eastern Europe are expected to attend this year's seminar.

 

"The Baltic States and Poland are important domestic markets for SEB," says Lars Thunell, SEB President and CEO. "That is why it is crucial for us to contribute to awareness about the region's development and business opportunities. The intention is for the seminar to inspire entrepreneurs who already operate or who plan to invest in Eastern Europe as well as to comprise a forum for network building."

 

"SEB's subsidiary banks are well established in the Baltic States and possess considerable expertise about these markets, so they can contribute a lot to the seminar,"   says Springfellow partner Johan Gorecki.

 

The Central European countries and Baltic States are currently the most important growth markets of the EU, with several of the countries showing 7 to 8 per cent annual growth and low inflation in the past few years. Developments in these countries also have a major impact on the business sectors of other countries in Europe.

 

The seminar will be held 25-26 November 2004 at Berns in Stockholm. For more information, see www.eebf.com.

 

Members of the press who wish to cover the conference should contact Johan Gorecki on +46 8-586 199 01. Apply on www.eebf.com or by e-mail to info@eebf.com.