Welcoming Message
Mr. Bruno Bobone, Chair of ICC Portugal
Dear Members of the ICC Banking Commission,
It is a great honor for us to welcome, once again, ICC’s biggest Policy Commission in our country.
As you know, back in 1951, the Banking Commission met in Lisbon, after World War II, the conflict occupying the attention of most countries and world banks that would have been involved in any rule-making process whatsoever.
On June 7th 1951 the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Banking, Philip Swart, came to the ICC meeting in Lisbon, to encourage the adoption of the revised UCP draft, which was accepted and became effective onOctober 4th 1951 –an important milestone on the history of one of the banking commission’s major products, the UCP.
We are pleased to invite you to come to Lisbon, from April 15th to 18th 2013, where international and national experts will gather to shape the most appropriate rules and regulations for this sector.
As all of you are certainly aware, since May 2011, the Portuguese economy has been implementing an economic and financial adjustment programme aimed at strengthening financial stability and improving growth conditions.
In spite of this challenging environment, Portuguese banks have shown strong resilience and adjustment capacity. Both the recapitalization and the de-leveraging of the banking system have progressed according to our goals, and confidence in Portuguese banks has remained intact.
Reforms to raise competitiveness, employment and potential growth have been progressing at a strong pace. And firms have been expanding the relevant market of the Portuguese economy to fast growing economies in Africa, Latin America and Asia, with a particular focus on countries with strong historical and cultural ties with Portugal. This capacity for adjustment can be testified by the impressive improvement in the trade balance and in the economy’s net external financing needs, from more than 11% of GDP to around 1% of GDP in the last four years.
In Portugal, you can count on recent and well-structured legal frameworks as well as on modern policies regarding entrepreneurship, innovation, and business, which have not ceased to be put in practice.
In April 2013 we will have on board an outstanding group of speakers which will include leading bankers, policy makers and government officials – consisting of unique networking opportunities for all of you.
ICC Portugal is working hard to ensure an enjoyable experience to all members of ICC Banking Commissions around the world. We are eager to make this meeting memorable and with a successful networking and business experience.
Looking forward to meeting you in Lisbon!
Bruno Bobone
Chair
ICC Portugal