What the Applicant Countries Have to Offer February 1, 2002 Munk Centre for International Studies University of Toronto Europe is profoundly changing. The introduction of the Euro is making today’s headlines, but soon the very complexion of the EU will change. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, which are about to join the Union, bring into the EU sixty-five million consumers and a competitively priced, highly educated, labour force. The Centre for Russian and East European Studies and the Joint Initiative in German and European Studies, with the assistance from the Chairs of Estonian and Polish Studies, launch a major day-long conference on the business opportunities in an expanding European Union. The conference’s two keynote speakers — Prof. Willem Buiter, Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Dr. Miklos Marschall, Executive Director of Transparency International — bring significant expertise to the table. The conference panels will deal with the reform processes in the region; banking and finance; the old and new economies; and the environment. Participants include scholars, experts, analysts, and businesspersons from the applicant countries and the West. Information: Robert Austin (robert ) or Waldemar Skrobacki )

Conference program: 8:00: Registration and breakfast 9:00: Welcoming remarks by Mr. Thomas J. Bata, Bata Shoe Organization 9:10: Keynote Speech: “Global Economic Developments and Their Implications for the Region” by Prof. Willem Buiter, Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (United Kingdom). 10:15: Panel 1: Change and Reforms: Preparing for European Union Membership 12:00: Lunch 1:00: Keynote Speech: “Can We Seriously Combat Corruption in East and Central Europe?” by Dr. Miklos Marschall, Executive Director, Transparency International (Germany) 2:30: Panel 2: Banking and Finance; Panel 3: From Coal to Microchips: The Old and New Economies; Panel 4: Destruction and Renewal: The Economy of the Environment 4:30: Reception — Sponsored by the Governments of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia

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