 | |
| Abbreviation | BusinessEurope |
|---|---|
| Formation | 28 February 1958 |
| Location | |
Region served | European Union |
President | Fredrik Persson |
Director General | Markus J. Beyrer |
| Website | businesseurope.eu |
The Confederation of European Business, shortened as BusinessEurope, is a lobby group representing enterprises of all sizes in the European Union (EU) and seven non-EU European countries. It is made up of 40 national industry and employers' organizations. The current president of the confederation is Fredrik Persson, while the Director General is Markus J. Beyrer.
Based in Brussels and registered in Belgium as an Association internationale sans but lucratif,[1] the confederation is officially recognised as a social partner at European level and involved in a range of economic and social decisions and cooperates with a number of stakeholders and business partners. It promotes the interests of corporate citizens to ensure that public policy supports the European economy. It is generally considered the strongest interest organisation in Brussels,[2] and represents 20 million companies through its member trade associations in 36 European countries.
History
 | This section is missing information about BusinessEurope's achievements. (November 2025) |
The association was established in 1958. In 2014, Unilever terminated its membership of BusinessEurope's Advisory and Support Group because it opposed the organisation's stance on carbon dioxide emissions.[3][4]
Leadership
The association is led by a president, which has been held by the following persons:[5][6]
- 1958–1961 Léon Bekaert
- 1961–1962 Georges Villiers
- 1962–1967 H. J. de Koster
- 1967–1971 Fritz Berg
- 1971–1975 Paul Huvelin (businessman)
- 1975–1980 Pol Provost
- 1981–1983 Guido Carli
- 1984–1986 Raymond Pennock
- 1986–1990 Karl Gustaf Ratjen
- 1990–1994 Carlos Ferrer Salat
- 1994–1998 François Perigot
- 1998–2003 Georges Jacobs
- 2003–2005 Jürgen Strube
- 2005–2009 Ernest-Antoine Seillière
- 2009–2013 Jürgen Thumann
- 2013–2018 Emma Marcegaglia
- 2018–2022 Pierre Gattaz
- Since July 2022: Fredrik Persson.
BusinessEurope is administered by a director general. Markus J. Beyrer has held that position since 2013.[7]
Activities
The Confederation of European Business organises the biannual BusinessEurope Day in Brussels.
Member organisations
See also
References
- ↑ BusinessEurope, Re: Classification of Foreign Exchange Differences ... under IFRS 18, correspondence published on 24 November 2025
- ↑ "Brussels' most powerful lobbyist? Step forward BusinessEurope". Corporate Europe Observatory.
- ↑ "Unilever confirms it has quit BusinessEurope lobby group". 22 August 2014.
- ↑ "WBCSD - World Business Council for Sustainable Development". Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ "History of the organisation". Business Europe. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ "Jürgen Thumann wird EU-Lobbyist". Handelsblatt (in German). 29 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ↑ "Ex-HP-Vorstand Rudolf Kemler wird ÖIAG-Chef". Die Presse (in German). 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
Sources
- European Social Partners as recognised by the Treaty of Lisbon
- European Transparency Register
- RFI 20 May 2011
- Europolitique 21 January 2011
External links
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