Confederation of European Business
EU lobby group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Confederation of European Business, shortened as BusinessEurope, is a lobby group representing enterprises of all sizes in the European Union (EU) and seven non-EU European countries. It is made up of 40 national industry and employers' organizations. The current president of the confederation is Fredrik Persson, while the Director General is Markus J. Beyrer.
 | |
| Abbreviation | BusinessEurope |
|---|---|
| Formation | 28 February 1958 |
| Location | |
Region served | European Union |
President | Fredrik Persson |
Director General | Markus J. Beyrer |
| Website | businesseurope.eu |
Based in Brussels and registered in Belgium as an Association internationale sans but lucratif,[1] the confederation is officially recognised as a social partner at European level and involved in a range of economic and social decisions and cooperates with a number of stakeholders and business partners. It promotes the interests of corporate citizens to ensure that public policy supports the European economy. It is generally considered the strongest interest organisation in Brussels,[2] and represents 20 million companies through its member trade associations in 36 European countries.
History
The association was established in 1958. In 2014, Unilever terminated its membership of BusinessEurope's Advisory and Support Group because it opposed the organisation's stance on carbon dioxide emissions.[3][4]
Leadership
The association is led by a president, which has been held by the following persons:[5][6]
- 1958–1961 Léon Bekaert
- 1961–1962 Georges Villiers
- 1962–1967 H. J. de Koster
- 1967–1971 Fritz Berg
- 1971–1975 Paul Huvelin (businessman)
- 1975–1980 Pol Provost
- 1981–1983 Guido Carli
- 1984–1986 Raymond Pennock
- 1986–1990 Karl Gustaf Ratjen
- 1990–1994 Carlos Ferrer Salat
- 1994–1998 François Perigot
- 1998–2003 Georges Jacobs
- 2003–2005 Jürgen Strube
- 2005–2009 Ernest-Antoine Seillière
- 2009–2013 Jürgen Thumann
- 2013–2018 Emma Marcegaglia
- 2018–2022 Pierre Gattaz
- Since July 2022: Fredrik Persson.
BusinessEurope is administered by a director general. Markus J. Beyrer has held that position since 2013.[7]
Activities
The Confederation of European Business organises the biannual BusinessEurope Day in Brussels.
