Warsaw, 6 June 2013

Just a week to Wrocław Global Forum 2013

In just a week, the leading European and American politicians, experts and business leaders will meet in Wrocław during the Wrocław Global Forum. The fourth WGF will be held on 13-14 June, and the main subjects of the event will be issues concerning international cooperation with regard to security, defence, economic exchange and energy during the times of the changing role of Central Europe.

350 guests will take part in this year’s Forum. The event is held under the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, as well as patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The representatives of the world of politics will include: Jacek Rostowski – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland, Daniel B. Poneman –US Deputy Secretary of Energy, Radosław Sikorski – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Emma Bonino – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic and Nikola Poposki – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia, as well as Jan Krzysztof Bielecki – President of the Economic Council to the Polish Prime Minister. The Forum will also be attended by such eminent figures as: Joschka Fischer – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, or Ana Palacio – former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. Polish business leaders will also be present, including: Maciej Witucki – CEO, Orange Polska, Jan Kulczyk – Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kulczyk Investments, Krzysztof Krystkowski CEO, Polish Defence Holding (formely Bumar) or Jacek Krawiec – CEO, PKN Orlen, and many other distinguished guests.

The invited participants will discuss transatlantic cooperation from a wide perspective. They will raise, among other things, the subject of the free trade zone between the European Union Member States and the United States. They will also debate on the new solutions in the energy sector, particularly in the context of shale gas. Representatives of states aspiring to the NATO will meet at the WGF in order to discuss the Treaty expansion strategy. The panellists will discuss the construction of an integrated missile defence system for Europe and the USA. A discussion will be held about the banking union, eurozone, and Poland’s position on these matters. As each year, the Eastern Partnership will constitute an important issue.

The culmination of the Wrocław Global Forum will be the presentation of the prestigious Atlantic Council Freedom Awards. This year, the awards will be given to: Tadeusz Mazowiecki , the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland after the collapse of communism, Malala Yousafzai, a world-known Pakistani blogger fighting for the rights of Muslim women, and the European Humanities University (EHU) of Belarus. Mark Palmer , the former US Ambassador in Hungary, will receive a posthumous award.

On Saturday morning, an open debate chaired by Norman Davies will be held. The invited panellists: John Martin from Yale University, Judy Dempsey from Carnegie Europe and Susannah Verney from Univesity of Athens will debate: “Have European Politicians Undermined Democracy?”

Internet users will be able to follow the progress of the Forum online. Reports will be published on Twitter and in Salon 24. The recordings from panels will also be available on YouTube .

The Wrocław Global Forum was held for the first time in October 2010. The only international meeting in Poland concerning transatlantic relations has become a permanent feature in the calendar of the most important meetings between politicians and businesspeople in our region. The speakers of the previous editions included the current President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski , US Senator John McCain , former Presidents of the Republic of Poland – Aleksander Kwaśniewski and of Germany - Horst Köhler , or the leader of the Ukrainian party UDAR Witalij Kliczko .

WGF2013 is organised by: the City of Wrocław, Polish Institute of International Affairs, and Atlantic Council, and it will be hosted for the fourth time by the Mayor of Wrocław, Rafał Dutkiewicz.

In the case of any queries, please contact:

Piotr Bazylko Bridge Tel. +48 502 626 975 [email protected]

in matters concerning accreditation:

Karolina Kleszczewska Bridge Tel. +48 22 565 48 80 [email protected]