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WTO Director-General to Speak at 2008-2009 Academic Year Inauguration

Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, is scheduled to speak at 18:00 Monday, Nov. 17, at the inauguration of the BSE 2008-2009 Academic Year. The Director-General's speech will be delivered in the Agbar Tower in Barcelona, site of the offices of the Agbar Group, a member of the BSE Board of Trustees.

The inauguration act is open to students, affiliated professors, and members of the BSE community. Also invited are many friends of the BSE, both from its four founding academic bodies, the UPF, UAB, IAE-CSIC, and CREI, as well as from its five supporting private institutions, Agbar Group, Banc Sabadell, Caixa Catalunya savings bank, "la Caixa" savings bank, and the FemCAT Foundation.

The event will officially mark the 2008-2009 year of academic activity of the BSE. For the 2007-2008 year, the inauguration act of the School featured Joaquín Almunia, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and Honorary President of the BSE, who spoke about “Achievements and Challenges of the Economic and Monetary Union”.

"We are honored by Mr. Lamy's visit and delighted to commence the 2nd year of academic activity of the School,” said BSE Chairman Andreu Mas-Colell. “A hallmark of the BSE is the open exchange of ideas between academics, students, and professionals. This event will usher in the new academic year and sets the tone with an excellent note."

About Pascal Lamy

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WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy

Pascal Lamy is the fifth Director-General of the World Trade Organization. He holds degrees from the Ecole des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC), from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (IEP) and from the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA).

Mr. Lamy began his career in the French civil service at the Inspection Générale des finances and at the Treasury, then becoming an advisor to the Finance Minister Jacques Delors, and subsequently to Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy. In Brussels from 1985 to 1994, Pascal Lamy was Chief of staff for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, and his representative as Aide in the G7.

In November 1994, he joined the team in charge of rescuing Credit Lyonnais, and later became CEO of the bank until its privatisation in 1999. Between 1999 and 2004, Pascal Lamy was Commissioner for Trade at the European Commission under Romano Prodi.

After his tenure in Brussels, Pascal Lamy spent a short sabbatical period as President of “Notre Europe”, a think tank working on European integration, as associate Professor at the l’Institut d’études politiques in Paris and as advisor to Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (President of the European Socialist Party).

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 The Agbar Tower in Barcelona

 

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