This year's IRT conference will focus on successful businesses seizing the opportunities in Russia and Europe, looking at pragmatic ways of strengthening EU-Russia business relations, especially through a more intensive and regular form of cooperation – stronger cooperation designed to consolidate the EU-Russia Common Economic Space. This should be helped by expected events such as the renewal of a long-term bilateral Agreement and Russia's WTO accession.

The EU-Russia Industrialists' Round Table (IRT) is a business-driven process founded and endorsed by the EU-Russia Summit in July 1997. Each year it brings together business leaders and key decision makers from Russia and Europe to discuss a broad range of issues related to core business and industrial areas.

IRT is co-chaired by Mr. Anatoly Chubais, CEO, RAO "United Energy Systems of Russia" and Mr. Nils S. Andersen, CEO, Carlsberg.

The principal objective of IRT is to provide a permanent forum for the open-minded discussion of critical issues in bilateral relations and formulation of joint recommendations of business community to the EU and Russia's political leadership on expanding trade, investment and industrial co-operation.

The proceedings of the IRT General meeting will take place in Congress Centre of Portugal in Lisbon and consist of a number of roundtable discussions on specific sectors and issues, as well as a high profile plenary session together with influential political leaders from the EU and Russia.