Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China

Program:  08:00-08:30 Breakfast
                    08:30-09:15 Presentation
                    09:15-09:30 Q&A
Price:        Member companies – One free of charge, and 
                    RMB 150/person from the 2nd participant.
                    SWEA & Young Professionals Member – RMB 150/person.  
                    Non-members – RMB 400/person.

Registration: Please sign up for the event at www.swedishchamber.com.cn to secure your seats.

Cancellation policy: In case you need to cancel your attendance to the event, please write an email to us within 24 hours prior to the event.
For Beijing events, please write to info@swedishchamber.com.cn . Failure to cancel your RSVP timely will require the payment of a “no show bill” of the full amount stated in this invitation. For events which are free of charge for the members, it costs RMB 150/person for failure of cancellation; while MB400/person for Non-members.
______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Members and Friends,

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China, Beijing Chapter, is very happy to invite you and your colleagues to our first breakfast meeting in the new year of 2012 on Jan. 11.

The European Union is experiencing its worst crisis since its foundation. The sovereign debt problems that have escalated during 2011 are threatening the entire system and the EU leaders are facing both economic and political challenges trying to solve the fast deteriorating situation. The meltdown of the sovereign bond market raises many questions, what would happen if a member country leaves the Union and re-introduces its former currency, how can ECB and IMF handle contagion risks, can there be a two level Union with stronger and weaker countries using the same currency but with different criteria.  There are many questions and uncertainties.

In order to better understand what is driving the development and to get an insight into the institutional structure of the EU, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce has invited Annika Melander, Counsellor and Head Economic and Financial Affairs Section at the EU Delegation in Beijing to give an "insiders" view into the EU.

Do not miss this opportunity to raise you knowledge about the European Union and the Euro crisis!

Welcome to join us! We look forward to seeing you on Jan. 11 !

Best regards,

Beijing Chapter
Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China
www.swedishchamber.com.cn

More about the speaker:
Annika Melander joined the European Commission in 1996. She is working as the economic counsellor at the EU Delegation to China since Sep. 2010, where she is heading the economic and financial affairs section.1 Before moving to the East, Annika was responsible for the Commission's macroeconomic forecasts for the euro-area and EU economies for the past 5 years as a Head of Unit for the 'economic situation and forecasts' within the DG for economic and financial Affairs at the EU Commission in Brussels. Besides having the executive responsibility for the biannual interim and fully-fledged forecasts2, Annika also assessed how accurate the Commission's forecasts remained3. Earlier assignments in the Commission include the overall co-ordination of the socalled Broad Economic Policy Guidelines and being the member responsible for economic matters in Commissioner Anita Gradin's personal cabinet. Initially, Annika worked as a deskofficer at the Swedish country-desk.

The career as a forecaster began at the Swedish Ministry of Finance where Annika worked with short- and medium term forecasts during the years 1990-1994, when the Swedish economy went from overheating to a recession. Thereafter, Annika was in charge of Swedbank Market's economic forecast on the Swedish economy. During 1994-1996, she also participated in the weekly radio program 'the economic club' (ekonomiska klubben) discussing various economic matters in the Swedish Radio.

Following studies in economics at the Wirtschaftsuniversität in Vienna and at Uppsala University, Annika participated in one-year long trainee programme with a focus on efficiency control of central government agencies at the National Audit Bureau (Riksrevisionsverket) in 1989-1990.

Annika is 47, married and has three children. The family lives in Beijing, China.