Irish-American Business Network, the Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council and other European Chambers of Commerce of Philadelphia to Host Seminar with John Bruton, European Union Ambassador to the United States

Philadelphia, PA - The Irish American Business Chamber & Network, the Mid-Atlantic Russia Business Council (MARBC), and other European chambers of commerce in the Greater Philadelphia region are pleased to announce that they will be are co-hosting a breakfast seminar on contemporary issues facing the European Union on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 from 7:45-9:45 am at the Union League of Philadelphia, located at 140 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. The seminar will feature John Bruton, the European Union’s ambassador to the United States.

Ambassador Bruton is a former Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach), who helped transform the Irish economy into the “Celtic Tiger”: one of the fastest growing economies in the world. During his time in office (1994-1997), the Irish economy grew at an annual average rate of 8.7%, peaking at 11.1 % in 1997. John Bruton was also deeply involved in the Northern Irish Peace Process leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. While Prime Minister, Ambassador Bruton presided over a successful Irish EU Presidency in 1996 and helped finalize the Stability and Growth Pact, which governs the management of the single European currency: the Euro. He represented the EU at Summit meetings with the President of the United States and with the Prime Ministers of Canada, Japan, China and Korea. Before being appointed Ambassador to the United States, John Bruton served as a leading member of the caucus that drafted the first-ever European Constitution that was signed in Rome on October 29, 2004 and is now before the 25 EU Member States for ratification. He was Vice President of the European People’s Party from 1999 to 2005.

The European Union (E.U.) is an unprecedented effort by twenty-five European countries to form a multinational union which addresses both political and economic issues. Member states have relinquished certain policy-making functions to the E.U., which creates uniform policies that apply across all member states. The E.U. is an impressive force in the global economy, producing 31 percent of world’s economic output, and it is one of the United States’ most important trade partners. Commerce between the United States and the European Union is estimated to have created 7 million jobs in the United States alone.

MARBC would like to invite community members who are interested in the European Union and international affairs to attend the seminar. The price of entry is $35 for MARBC members and $45 for nonmembers. Please RSVP by contacting Val Kogan of MARBC Mid-Atlantic-Russia Business Council by phone: (215) 708-2628 or by email: val@ma-rbc.org.

About Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council. Since 1994, MARBC has worked to foster business relations between Russia and the Newly Independent States (NIS), and the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region, while cultivating mutual appreciation of political, economic, cultural, and educational interests. Throughout the past eleven years, the goal of MARBC has been to enable companies based in the U.S.