14th May 2012
Victor Ponta’s new government got off on the right foot last week by making clear that its economic policy will continue to be framed within the programme agreed between Romania and the EU, World Bank, and IMF. The IMF programme sets out what Romania needs to do, both in terms of fiscal consolidation and structural […]
14th May 2012
I very recently took part in the launch of a new book covering the most remarkable chapter in the history of relations between Britain and Romania. Professor Costel Coroban has researched and presented the extraordinary story of the Scottish women’s ambulance corps (known as the Grey Partridges because of the colour of their uniforms). This […]
10th May 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Following up on last year’s House of Commons report on Shale Gas we have been in action this week at a major seminar focused on shale gas in Poland. The UK has strong experience in onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration. Poland is the latest in a number of countries in Central Europe to […]
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19th April 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Having spent most of my career in healthcare it is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to lead an event in this area. This week’s joint British-Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) and British Embassy healthcare policy working group took the format of a panel discussion on Health Insurance with a number of leading specialists […]
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17th April 2012 Dublin, Ireland
Deregulation or making it easier to do business is key to a successful growth agenda. I recently joined a panel at SGH (Warsaw School of Economics) on the important theme of deregulation. Governments everywhere are regularly criticised for imposing too many regulatory burdens on business, especially small business, and thereby hampering growth. The SGH discussion […]
4th April 2012
Mihai Razvan Ungureanu’s new Business Advisory Council looks very similar to the Business Advisory Group that meets every quarter with David Cameron in Downing Street – a small group of the country’s leading business men and women advising the Prime Minister on the big issues facing the country today. It’s the right format, because the […]
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3rd April 2012 Washington DC, USA
When I saw my diary for last Wednesday, I realised that a snapshot of my activities that day would be the perfect way to answer that ubiquitous question posed by friends, family, old colleagues, and assorted others: “what do you actually do?” Business Minister Mark Prisk was visiting Washington and our plans for his visit […]
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29th March 2012
I am delighted to have Simon Fraser, Head of the UK Diplomatic Service, as my guest blogger today. During his recent visit to Mexico, Simon Fraser spoke about the important and growing bilateral relationship between the UK and Mexico in a range of areas, including politics, education, trade and investment. Watch the video blog:
28th March 2012
This week the Bucharest Stock Exchange established a partnership with the largest financial market in the world – the London Stock Exchange. When the UK’s Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green met the Foreign Investors Council in Bucharest earlier this month, one of the participants, Adrian Rosca of Chemco, made the far-sighted proposal that Romania […]
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28th March 2012 Warsaw, Poland
Poland tops the opportunity rankings in Central Europe. We are the largest export destination and the biggest population with the longest road to EU convergence – the latter really matters in appreciating the full potential of Poland’s growth cycle. Our UKTI Deputy CEO, Susan Haird, was in town last week for a two day market […]
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