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ACE and the CBI British Business Bureau (BBB) co-hosted ACE’s first business leaders’ visit to Brussels on 15 and 16 June 2011. The International Business Group met and engaged in a series of meetings with political figures in Brussels in June. Guest speakers included Matt Hinde, First Secretary for Energy of the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU, and Yiannis Argyropoulos of the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA).
The business leaders’ visit to Brussels was opened by Jacqueline Foster MEP. She spoke on transportation infrastructure priorities and the EU’s long term vision. She also challenged the engineering community to be more visible and connected to the political arena in order to effect appropriate policy at the EU level which will benefit UK business.
The BBB team advised ACE and members on lobbying, opportunities for UK firms and on how best to influence decisions made at the EU level that affect the industry. ACE members also had an open dialogue with Francesco Billeci, EuropeAid, on the issue of procurement.
The full day programme of discussions also included the EU’s energy infrastructure priorities with Jean-Arnold Vinois, Head of Unit for Security of Supply and Energy Markets within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy.
The visit enabled business leaders from companies of all sizes and sector interests to grow their connections and engage at the European level.
ACE will continue to engage with decision-makers in the UK and the EU to promote engineering agenda, increase the skills base for the sector, and promote the contribution engineers can make to Europe’s transition into a high-growth, low-carbon economy.
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