Barbara Haering chairs Bern Conference on Fostering Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the OSCE area

COPENHAGEN, 6 May 2003 - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) will hold a Conference on Promoting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the OSCE Area from 14-16 May in the Swiss Parliament in Bern. The Conference will be chaired by Swiss MP Barbara Haering, Vice-President of the OSCE PA.

Organized at the invitation of the Swiss Parliament and the Swiss Delegation to the OSCE PA, the Conference will be addressed by prominent officials including Bruce George, President of the OSCE PA; Yves Christen, President of the Swiss National Council; Micheline Calmy-Rey, Forgeign Minister of Switzerland; Samuel Schmid, Defence Minister of Switzerland; and Gian-Reto Plattner, President of the Swiss Council of States. The Bern Conference will also be addressed by Marcin Swiecicki, OSCE-Coordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities.

More than 80 parliamentarians from 30 OSCE participating States will take part in the two-day Conference. The main objective is to raise awareness among members of parliaments regarding the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) for sustainable economic development, and to encourage them to reflect that awareness in their legislative work. The conference will consist of a series of case studies, presentations and panel discussions focussing on different aspects of the main theme. The conclusions of the Conference will be summarized in a Declaration of the Bern Conference on SME. The Conference will provide an opportunity for discussion and sharing of ideas between members of parliaments and prominent international experts. This is the third conference organized by the OSCE PA in the field of sub-regional economic co-operation following Monaco (1997) and Nantes (1999).

The Bern Conference is open to the press. For information on accreditation please contact Mr. Mark Stucki, Press Officer of the Swiss Federal Assembly, Tel: + 41 (0) 31 322 97 27, Fax: + 41 (0) 31 322 53 74, e-mail: mark.stucki@pd.admin.ch.