News From the European Union

Family Businesses, Backbone of European Economies

Brussels, March 26, 2008. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the SME-Union staged a thought-provoking conference on the sustainability and challenges facing family businesses in the EU, followed by a business luncheon at the European Parliament, attended by several MEP’s. Certified accountants are among the most trusted advisers of family owned businesses which on an average last into the third generation. This trend provides for sustained performance and long term investment. Family businesses are regarded as learning grounds and one of the best schooling for future entrepreneurs. Family values impregnate the company’s culture. The founder’s effect results in better management; family firm portfolios on an average reportedly perform better than publicly owned firms. Associated spouses play an important role in contributing to the company’s values and to sustaining business performance. The EU is presently looking into the significant contribution of family businesses. The establishment of an observatory on entrepreneurship and family businesses is being envisaged. A speaker, Ludo Van Der Heyden, Professor of Family Enterprises at INSEAD, enunciated striking statistics and facts about this important business category. Whereas SME’s on an average employ 6.8 percent in Europe, family businesses do not necessarily fit into that category. Some very large firms are privately owned and managed. That these privately owned and managed businesses display social responsibility, accountability and values-driven leadership are among the findings of experts who addressed the conference. Both the conference and the luncheon provided an excellent opportunity to network with speakers and participants, and to introduce EBBF to them.

Human and Spiritual Values Stressed by EBBF at AIESEC International Leadership Development Conference

Dworp, nr Brussels, March 22, 2008. EBBF was invited to contribute to the « Inspiration » session of the Leadership Development Conference organized for some 70 students in economics, business management and social sciences from all over the world, over a rainy, if not unforeseen snowy Easter week-end in the modern Destelheide Training Centre in Dworp near Brussels. In offering this basic training, AIESEC students set themselves bold objectives : understanding the role of leadership in a changing world; acquire a vision of “who we are as individuals” and “the role we can play”, and learning about the resources and tools needed to implement this vision in order “to make a difference”. In a special session called “Inspiration”, AIESEC students engaged in a dialogue with peers in order to learn from others about the power of positive leadership. Over two round table discussions attended each by some 14 to 18 students, I enumerated EBBF values and its understanding of the role of leaders and of business in eradicating poverty, contributing to prosperity and sustainability. I stressed the long term effect of values such as trustworthiness, integrity, stewardship and accountability, of the gender issue and the enrichment derived from cultural diversity, in a globalized society where the private sector has become the dominant agent of social change. Whereas in the last 20 years, human resource managers were primarily chasing after skills and talents, I offered that today they will look for individuals who, in addition, are “true to themselves” and “living their human and spiritual values”. Inquirers were referred to EBBF’s website and its Knowledge Centres.

EBBF is now in its fifth year of a learning partnership with the Belgian branch of AIESEC, the world's largest student-run organization. In the last 55 years, AIESEC has succeeded in creating a unique international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential so as to have a positive impact on society.

EBBF at JADE, Jr Enterprise European eXcellence Awards Meeting

Brussels, 28 February - 2 March 2008. EBBF was invited to address the JADE/European Junior Enterprise Spring Meeting gathering 130 Junior Entrepreneurs from all over Europe. At the Opening Ceremony taking place in the beautiful auditorium of ING, Hans Martens, the CEO of the European Policy Centre (a think tank of which EBBF is a an active member) spoke on “new frontiers”, globalization and challenges facing the younger generation. At an ensuing Gala Dinner, which provided a good opportunity to network with many motivated student entrepreneurs from Europe and overseas, awards were presented to The Most Engaged Junior Entrepreneur : Themis Papadimopoulos, JADE Hellas; The Most Entrepreneurial Junior Enterprise : Conquest Consulting, Poland; The Most International Junior Enterprise : Marketing Mediterranée, France; The Most Innovative Project : JuniFEUP, Portugal & Know & How, Austria. I was honoured to function as chairman of the external jury. An Oracle Human Resource specialist, a Belgian director of KPMG, representatives of the Munich TMU College and many young student entrepreneurs spontaneously told me that they share the EBBF values and “words of wisdom” I briefly enunciated in the closing speech of the award ceremony.

EBBF invited to an event on Trust where MEP opens doors to EBBF Social Entrepreneurship event in the Parliament

Brussels, January 23. Trust in Business Higher Than in Government, says Edelman Trust Barometer. At a breakfast meeting hosted at the European Parliament by MEP Richard Howitt, Jere Sullivan, this, the world’s largest private PR firm Executive President for Europe, presented the 9th annual edition of Edelman’s Trust Barometer – a survey of opinion elites in 18 countries screening perceptions of government, business, the media, religious groups, and NGO’s. Twenty-five-to-34-year-old opinion elites, studied for the first time this year—and historically cynical about business—tend to trust business even more than their older counterparts in many regions of the globe. Trust in media as an institution is at a high point in the study’s history, with marked increases over past years in several key countries. Mainstream media—newspapers, television news, and business magazines—are the most widely used sources of information about companies. The survey also deals with the impact of corruption on trust levels in government and business. NGO’s fare a high score, whereas religious leaders are the less trusted, even though a rise of religion is observed in some markets. These findings were commented by MEP Howitt who mentioned an increased corporate awareness in Europe in matters of CSR and sustainability; by David Rennie, EU Correspondent for The Economist; and Dick Oosting, Director EU Office of Amnesty International, who appeared to concur.

During the event Daniel Schaubacher started a conversation with MEP Hewitt who embraced and gave the green light to an event where Social Entrepreneurship would be presented by a number of key actors in the European field co-organized by EBBF.