With his attendance at the European Consumer Summit 2024 last week, the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, concluded his intensive four-day visit to Brussels, where he also attended the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF 2024), the International conference of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE), as well as numerous other meetings.
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BRUSSELS – three high-profile international conferences with active participation of the VZMD
As Belgium is holding the EU Council presidency, Brussels is playing host to numerous ministerial meetings and high-profile events this week, with the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, attending as many as three of them: the European Consumer Summit 2024, the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF 2024), and the International conference of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE). He arrived in Brussels as early as Tuesday and met with some of the participants of these events, and has been actively involved in the high-intensity developments in Brussels both yesterday and today.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION – EU Commissioner, Mairead McGuinness, actively participated at the meeting of the Financial Services User Group (FSUG) and provided answers also to the questions regarding the efforts of the VZMD to ensure more favorable financial services for consumers and retail investors
A day-long meeting of the Expert Advisory Group of the Financial Services User Group at the European Commission (FSUG), a member of which is also the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, took place last Thursday, with active participation of the European Commissioner for Financial Services, Financial Stability and Capital Markets Union, Ms. Mairead McGuinness. She received several questions from the FSUG members covering the most pressing issues regarding the consumers and retail investors, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises in the context of financial services.
VIDEO - VZMD President’s keynote address at the International Jurist Conference organized by the UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE and HARVARD LAW SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
Last Thursday and Friday, the University of Florence, its Department of Legal Sciences, and Harvard Law School Association – sponsored by the Italian National Forensic Science Institute – organized the fourth International Law Conference ‘Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus & its socio-economic implications: what lies ahead?’. The Nexus approach is a concept that addresses the challenges of sustainable development in a comprehensive manner, taking into account several variables simultaneously, and emphasizes the interdependence of water, energy and food security, as well as the ecosystems that support this security. The high-profile conference featured many prestigious international institutions, including the Stanford Law School, the University of Cambridge, the Beijing University, the Universidade de Brasilia, the European Court of Justice, the European Central Bank, and the NYC Bar Association.
GHENT, BRUSSELS, SOFIA – economic delegation accompanying the Slovenian President visiting Bulgaria as the last stop of this year's 2nd tour of the VZMD's international business-investor programs
The official program of the Slovenian economic delegation accompanying the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Ms. Nataša Pirc Musar, on the occasion of her official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria, is taking place today in Sofia. The guests at the Bulgaria-Slovenia business forum were, alongside the President of the Republic of Slovenia, addressed by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rumen Radev, as well as the directors of government agencies of both countries for promoting investments, SPIRIT Slovenija and BSMEPA, Mr. Rok Capl and Mr. Boyko Takov respectively. This will be followed by the presentations of both business environments and B2B talks.
GHENT – high-octane EUROFI financial forum kicks off, again with active participation of the VZMD
Prior to today’s meeting of the European ministers of economy and finance (ECOFIN) - one of the most important European Think Tanks (EUROFI) - that always takes place in the presiding country of the Council of the EU began yesterday in Ghent, Belgium. The 900 invited participants were also joined by the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, who arrived in Belgium as early as Monday, and used this time for several bilateral talks, including with the honorary President and former Secretary General of the World Federation of Investors (WFI), Mr. Jean-Pierre Paelinck, as well as with the Managing Director of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE), Aleksandra Mączyńska.
GENT, BRUSSELS, SOFIA – financial forum EUROFI, expert group meeting at the EUROPEAN COMMISSION, and the economic delegation accompanying the official visit by the Slovenian President to Bulgaria
Following the recent end of the January tour of the VZMD's international business-investor programs: Invest to Slovenia - investo.si and International Investors` Network - investo.international, with the visits of Miami, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos, on Monday, the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, will visit Belgium, which is currently holding the Presidency of the EU Council. In this intensive week he will attend the financial forum EUROFI, the meeting of the Expert Advisory Group of the Financial Services User Group at the European Commission (FSUG), which he is a member of, and numerous other meetings. After that he will head to Sofia to join the economic delegation, which will accompany the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Ms. Nataša Pirc Musar, on the occasion of her official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria.
DALLAS, AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO, SAN MARCOS – final part of the week-long visit by the Slovene economic delegation with business conferences "Texas feels Slovenia" and receptions at chambers, law offices, and companies TESLA, DELL, NOVEON, GEARBOX…
The end of last week, Texas, USA, saw the end of the official program of the economic delegation "Texas feels Slovenia" visit to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos, where the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, also actively participated. The visit was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce – AmCham Slovenia and SPIRIT Slovenia. Near the capital city of Austin, the members of delegation visited the electric vehicle factory TESLA Giga Factory, the largest factory in the world by floor area, where the futuristic vehicle Cybertruck is made. Before that, they visited the headquarters of the global technology company DELL, where they were received by John L. Howard Jr., the Director of Government Affairs and former counselor to the US President George Bush Jr. At the umbrella Texas chamber of commerce (TAB) another business forum "Texas Feels Slovenia" took place. The Slovenian delegation was received by its President Glenn Hamer, the President of the European-American Chamber of Commerce, Erin McKelveym, and the CEO of Tech Ranch, Kevin Koym.
DALLAS, TEXAS – a visit by the Slovene economic delegation "TEXAS FEELS SLOVENIA", organized by the American Chamber of Commerce, attended by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in the USA and accompanied by VZMD's international business-investor programs
Yesterday, Dallas, Texas, saw the beginning of the official part of the week-long visit by the Slovene economic delegation, which was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Slovenia) and SPIRIT Slovenia under the title "Texas feels Slovenia". On Sunday, the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, who is also a member of the delegation, had already attended an informal meeting of the members of the delegation with His Excellency Iztok Mirošič, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States of America in Washington, Ajša Vodnik, the CEO of AmCham Slovenia and the President of AmCham Europe, Sandra Pratt Wilkens, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Slovenia in Houston, and many others. Delegation consists of 24 members: the representatives of various institutions as well as the representatives of eight innovative Slovene companies.
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BRUSSELS – meeting of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE)
The General Assembly and meeting of the Executive Board of the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users (BETTER FINANCE) took place this week in Brussels. Both meetings – which followed the recent meeting and the International Investor Conference in Vienna (VIDEO: https://youtu.be/RyyZho0QVlM) – were actively attended also by the VZMD President, Mr. Kristjan Verbič, as a member of the Executive Board.