World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia
Istanbul, Turkey, 30 October - 01 November 2008

Confronting Challenges in Defining a Collaborative Future

The first World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia will be held on 30 October – 1 November in Istanbul, Turkey – a place which symbolizes the merging of continents and civilizations and is the epitome of economic buoyancy.

The meeting will bring together international and regional business leaders and government representatives, as well as media, cultural and religious leaders from across Europe, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East to explore the common challenges faced by the regions and to map the path towards a common collaborative future.

The three goals of the meeting, convened under an overarching theme Confronting Challenges in Defining a Collaborative Future are to:

• Examine business opportunities in the region and define strategies to compete with the influence of the Asian economies and in the wake of global economic slowdown
• Address cross-regional challenges, uncertainties and conflicting interests and set the regional geopolitical and security agenda
• Advance intercultural and interreligious dialogue as a precondition for prosperity, stability and security across the regions

The programme will be built on four synergic pillars:
1. Business Opportunities Across the Regions
2. Energy Security: Intertwining the Nations
3. Central Asia: Redefining the Framework of Collaboration and its Role in the World
4. Turkey and its Leadership Role in the Region: Bridging Europe, Asia and the Middle East

Co-Chairs
Herman Gref, Chief Executive Officer, Sberbank RF, Russian Federation; Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation (2000-2007)
Muhtar A. Kent, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company, USA
Neelie Kroes, Commissioner, Competition, European Commission, Brussels
Jean Lemierre, President, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), London (2000 - 2008)
Paolo Scaroni, Chief Executive Officer, Eni, Italy

Contact
For more information about the World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia, please contact
EuropeCentralAsia@weforum.org