EU Presidency Conferences

EU Presidency Conferences

ECGI provides a repository of reports from the EU Presidency Corporate Governance Conferences . To add reports to this repository please send an email to admin@ecgi.org

 

    The conference series “European Company Law and Corporate Governance Conferences” was launched at a full-day public conference in The Hague on 18 October 2004 during the Dutch EU Presidency. In subsequent years, conferences have been held in several countries during their respective EU Presidency. Information about these conferences, if still available, can be found on various websites.  The ECGI has collated documents into a single repository for the first time for the convenience of scholars, practitioners and policy-makers alike.

    European Corporate Governance Institute

    EU Presidency conferences on
    European Company Law and Corporate Governance
    2020 The 25th European Corporate Governance Conference

    The 25th European Corporate Governance Conference took place virtually on the 18th of June 2020, under the auspices of Croatia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

    The main theme of the conference was "Sustainability, Boards and Investment: What’s next for Corporate Governance?". In light of the pandemic, the discussion also reflected the impact of COVID-19 on corporate governance. The virtual conference was attended by high-level representatives of the Croatian Government and the European Commission, leading European institutions and organizations in the field of corporate governance, authoritative European experts from the academic community and the media. See:

    Conference programme
    Presidency website
    Conference website
    Recording of the event

    2019 The 23rd European Corporate Governance Conference

    The 23rd European Corporate Governance Conference took place in Bucharest, Romania on the 2nd of April 2019, under the auspices of Romania's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The main theme of the conference was "Corporate Governance as the enabler of sustainable growth". The forum was attended by high-level representatives of the Romanian Government and the European Commission, leading European institutions and organizations in the field of corporate governance, authoritative European experts from the academic community and the media. See:

    Conference programme
    Presidency website
    Conference website

    2018 The 22nd European Corporate Governance Conference
    The 22nd European Corporate Governance Conference took place in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 19, 2018, endorsed by the Ministry of Finance and under the auspices of the Bulgaria Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The main theme of the conference was "Corporate governance towards a new culture for disclosure, transparency and anti-corruption". The forum was attended by high-level representatives of the Bulgarian state and the European Commission, leading European institutions and organizations in the field of corporate governance, authoritative European experts from the academic community and the media. See:
    Conference programme
    Presidency website
    Conference website
    Key findings of the conference

    2017 The 20th European Corporate Governance Conference
    The 20th European Corporate Governance Conference endorsed by the Ministry for Finance was organised by the Institute of Directors - Malta (IoD) with The European Voice of Directors (ecoDa) and Paragon Europe as partners and was organised under the auspices of the Malta Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The overall theme of the conference was “Innovation and Digitalisation in Company Law" and their impact on the wider corporate governance debate. The conference took place on Thursday, May 4 2017 in St Julian’s, Malta. See:
    Draft Programme
    Presidency website
    Conference website

    2016 Conference in Bratislava during the Slovak Presidency
    The 19th European Corporate Governance Conference was held on 27 October 2016 and had the title "Digitization and Transparency – transforming the future of corporate governance?" See:
    Draft Programme
    Presidency website
    Conference website

    2016 Conference at the Duin & Kruidberg Estate during the Dutch Presidency
    The 18th European Corporate Governance Conference was held on 25th May 2016 and had the title "Corporate Social Responsibility in the Boardroom: Disruptive Thoughts, Entrepreneurial Action!" See:
    Programme
    Press Release
    The conference website

    2015 Conference in Luxembourg during the Luxembourg Presidency
    The 17th European Corporate Governance Conference was a joint effort of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Commission de surveillance du secteur financier (CSSF), the University of Luxembourg, the Institut luxembourgeois des administrateurs (ILA) and the Academy of European Law (ERA). The Conference was supported by EY and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. See:
    Programme
    Key findings of the Conference
    The Luxembourg Presidency conference pages

    2015 Conference in Riga during the Latvian Presidency
    The 16th European Conference on Corporate Governance entitled “Corporate Governance – a tool to increase competitiveness in the digital era" was held in Riga at the University of Latvia on 13 May 2015. The Conference was supported by EY, Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance, Business Europe, ecoDa, European Issuers and Amcham Latvia. David Devlin, ECGI's Chairman, moderated the panel discussion on 'The Shareholder Dimension'. See:
    Programme
    Key findings of the Conference
    The Latvian Presidency

    2014 Conference in Milan during the Italian Presidency
    The 15th European Conference on Corporate Governance entitled "Corporate Governance, Value Creation and Growth" was held in Milan, at Palazzo Mezzanotte, on 27-28 October 2014. The Conference was supported by Borsa Italiana, Assonime, Assogestioni, MEF and Consob. See:
    Programme
    The Italian Presidency

    2014 Conference in Athens during the Greek Presidency
    The 14th European Corporate Governance Conference and Experts Roundtable was held under the auspices of the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 27-28 March 2014 in Athens. The Conference theme was "Can Corporate Governance contribute to Long-term investment". See:
    The Conference website
    The Roundtable programme
    The Conference Programme

    2013 Conference in Vilnius during the Lithuanian Presidency
    The 13th European Corporate Governance Conference was be held under the auspices of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 8-9 October 2013 in Vilnius. The Conference focused on shareholders‘ engagement including topics on corporate governance in unlisted companies and state-owned enterprises. The ECGI is organised a session at this event. See:
    The Conference website
    Programme for the event

    2013 Conference in Dublin during the Irish Presidency
    The 12th Conference took place at the Convention Centre Dublin, on 16 and 17 May 2013, during the Irish Presidency of the EU. The particular focus of the event was the publication of the Commission's Action Plan on Company Law and Corporate Governance' which outlines the initiatives which the Commission intends to take in this area in the coming years in order to modernise and enhance the current framework. The ECGI organised two sessions on the first day on the theme of Short-termism, the impact of financial markets and the UK Kay Review.
    The Conference programme
    The Conference website
    The Irish Presidency website
    Results of survey carried out in advance of the event
    Video recordings of speaker presentations
    Slides used on Day 1 of the Conference
    Listed Companies’ Engagement with Diversity: A Multi-Jurisdictional Study of Annual Report Disclosures by Professor Deirdre Ahern and Professor Blanaid Clarke, School of Law, Trinity College Dublin

    2011 Conference in Warsaw during the Polish Presidency
    The 11th Conference took place in Warsaw on 14-15 November 2011. The main themes of the ECGC included: diversification in Supervisory Boards, with particular focus on the importance of women’s participation in boards, cross-border issues and initiatives fostering corporate governance. See:
    Introduction
    Introductory video
    Programme

    2010 Conference in Brussels during the Belgian Presidency
    The 10th Conference took place in Brussels on 6-7 December 2010. The Conference was organised by Guberna, European Commission, ECGI, EABiS, Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School and ecoDa under the auspices of the Belgian Presidency of the EU. The ECGI organised a session on the theme of Shareholder Activism : A Source of Value Creation?
    Conference programme
    List of participants

    2010 Conference in Madrid during the Spanish Presidency
    The theme of the 9th Conference which took place on 28-29 June 2010 in Madrid was "The new corporate governance in Europe". The Opening speech was given by Ms. Soledad Nuñez Ramos, Director General of Treasury and Financial Policy, Spanish Ministry of the Economy.  The Conference was organised by the Spanish Ministry of the Economy and the Instituto de Consejeros-Administradores (IC-A).
    Conference Programme

    2009 Conference in Stockholm during the Swedish Presidency of the EU
    The theme of the 8th Conference which took place on 2-3 December 2009 in Stockholm was “Beyond the Crisis – New Challenges for Corporate Governance”. Keynote speakers were Mats Odell, Swedish Minister for Local Government and Financial Markets and Jörgen Holmquist, Director General, DG Internal Market and Services, European Commission. The Conference was organised by the Swedish Corporate Governance Board and the ECGI.
    Conference Programme
    Conference report with presentations and speeches

    2008 Conference in Paris during the French Presidency of the EU
    The theme of the 7th Conference which took place on 16-17 October 2008 in Paris was “Modern Governance for Competitive European Companies”.  The keynote speakers were  Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, Rachida Dati, Keeper of the Seals, French Minister of Justice and Christine Lagarde, (then)French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment. The Conference was organised by Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF).
    Conference Debrief
    Opening remarks by Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services

    2007 Conference in Lisbon during the Portuguese Presidency of the EU
    The theme of the 6th Conference which took place on 17 October 2007 in Lisbon was “Challenges for the Control of Corporate Europe”.  Keynote speaker were Jörgen Holmquist, Director General, European Commission and Eddy Wymeersch, Chairman CBFA and CESR. The Conference was organised by Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (CMVM) and the ECGI.
    Conference Programme and presentations
    Background
    List of attendees

    2007 Conference in Berlin during the German Presidency of the EU
    The 5th Conference took place on 27-28 June 2007 in Berlin. The keynote speaker was Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. The Conference was organised by the Federation of German Industries  (BDI).
    Conference Programme, speeches and presentations
    Photographs taken during the conference

    2006 Conference in Helsinki during the Finnish Presidency of the EU
    The theme of the 4th Conference which took place on 5 October 2006 in Helsinki was 'Better Regulation in EU Company Law, Process and Substance'. The keynote speaker was Professor Ronald Gilson, Charles J. Meyers Professor of Law and Business, Stanford Law School. The Conference was organised by the Finnish Ministry of Justice.
    Background
    Conference Programme and presentations
    Chairmen, speakers and panelists
    Conference report

    2005 Conference in London during the UK Presidency of the EU
    The 3rd Conference took place on 14 November 2005 in London. The Conference was organised by the (then) UK Department of Trade and Industry.
    Short report
    Programme, speeches, questions from the floor, reports on Breakout Sessions, and Summing Up

    2005 Conference in Luxembourg during the Luxembourgois Presidency of the EU
    The 2nd Conference took place on 28 June 2005 in Luxembourg. The keynote speaker was Charlie McCreevy, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services. The Conference was organised by the Edmond Israel Foundation.
    Conference Programme and presentations
    Transcript of the proceedings

    2004 Conference in The Hague during the Dutch Presidency of the EU
    The Inaugural Conference took place on 18 October 2004 in The Hague. Keynote speakers were Frits Bolkestein, Member of the European Commission, in charge of the
    Internal Market, Taxation and Customs, The Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, UK Minister of State for Industry and Regions, and Gerrit Zalm, Finance Minister of the Netherlands.

    Report on the Conference by Klaus Hopt, José Garrido García, Jonathan Rickford, Guido Rossi, Jan Schans Christensen, Joëlle Simon and Jaap Winter, setting out:

    • An overview of Corporate Governance developments in Company Law and Corporate Governance Codes in Member States
    • Conclusions of the The Hague Conference
    • The Conference programme
    • Keynote Address by Frits Bolkestein, Member of the European Commission, in charge of the Internal Market, Taxation and Customs
    • Keynote Address by The Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, UK Minister of State for Industry and Regions
    • Keynote Address by Gerrit Zalm, Finance Minister of the Netherlands
    • Members of the European Corporate Governance Forum