BSTDB Holds an International Business Opportunities Conference
Press Release | 21-Mar-2001
On March 21, 2001 at Mediterranean Palace hotel in Thessaloniki the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank held an international Business Opportunities Meeting gathering more than 100 participants from the Black Sea region, Western Europe, and overseas. The conference succeeded in achieving its aim to bridge borrowers, contractors and consultants, coming in particular from the Black Sea region, with high officials of the multilateral development banks, including World Bank and EBRD, in order to explore business opportunities. The success of the meeting was ensured by its highly relevant agenda focusing on the procurement procedures that major development banks apply, harmonization in the area, and other matters related to doing business with the international financial institutions.
In his opening statement Mr. Ersoy Volkan, President of BSTDB referred to the issues of environment protection and corruption in the context of development banks' operations, where harmonization of objectives and procedures will benefit the world at large, and at national and project level through synergy.
Heads of procurement of multilateral development banks, including Mr. J.-J. Raoul of the World Bank, Mr. I. Nightingale of EBRD, Mr. R. Hernandez of the Inter-American Development Bank, and Mr. C. Conway of BSTDB gave comprehensive presentations on the procurement policies, principles and procedures applied by their institutions with respect to public and private sector operations. They stressed the importance of the initiated harmonization programme and convergence in procedures and documentation among the development banks, which will facilitate the procurement process for borrowers and business community at large, and ensure better understanding of differences in procedures, and assist tenderers in reducing the costs associated with tendering.
Mrs. D. Bobeva, BSTDB Vice President-Banking together with the Bank's project and trade finance managers introduced to the business participants the strategies and opportunities for cooperation with BSTDB in the sectors of energy, telecommunications, transport and ports, as well as in trade finance. The Bank's policies with regard to environmental considerations for projects were also outlined.