Dr. Tessen von HeydebreckVice President

Speech given at the EBC General Meeting

European Integration and the EBC

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

For my election to Vice-President of the EBC European Business Congress e.V. I would like to give heartfelt thanks to you for putting your trust in me. I consider this duty a personal challenge, and I am certain that in the fulfilling of this new task I can count on your support.

As Member of the Group Board of Deutsche Bank AG with regional responsibility for middle and eastern Europe I naturally strive to further promote the positive development of this market which we in our institution consider as one of our home markets.

We all bear witness to the gigantic upheavals that have occurred in the region since the beginning of the 1990s and from which its people deservedly expect a better quality of life. For this, certainly, an enormous amount of effort is necessary because completely new paths have to be taken and the chances of change have to be recognised and more importantly utilised.

The EBC European Business Congress e.V. is here able, I believe, to accomplish a lot by fulfilling the aims laid down in the Articles of Association and bringing into the foreground what connects all of us in eastern and western Europe. Increasingly people in Europe and everywhere else have the same aspirations: a clean and safe environment with access to reliable energy.

The present stable internal and external situation in the region gives cause to look to the future with optimism. I am sure that all the members of the EBC and the representatives in the committees will go to work with commitment. So success will not have to wait.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me give many thanks to our hosts Gaz de France and to those who carried responsibility for organising this meeting.

Thank you for your attention.