Brussels Forum 2023 Partners

Mercedes-Benz Group AG is one of the world's most successful automotive companies. With Mercedes-Benz AG, the Group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium and luxury cars and vans. Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG offers financing, leasing, car subscription and car rental, fleet management, digital services for charging and payment, insurance brokerage, as well as innovative mobility services. The company founders, Gottlieb Daimler and  

Carl Benz, made history by inventing the automobile in 1886. As a pioneer of automotive engineering, Mercedes-Benz sees shaping the future of mobility in a safe and sustainable way as both a motivation and obligation. The company's focus therefore remains on innovative and green technologies as well as on safe and superior vehicles that both captivate and inspire. Mercedes-Benz continues to invest systematically in the development of efficient powertrains and sets the course for an all-electric future: The brand with the three-pointed star pursues the goal to go all-electric, where market conditions allow. Shifting from electric-first to electric-only, the world’s pre-eminent luxury car company is accelerating toward an emissions-free and software-driven future. The company's efforts are also focused on the intelligent connectivity of its vehicles, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts as Mercedes-Benz regards it as its aspiration and obligation to live up to its responsibility to society and the environment. Mercedes-Benz sells its vehicles and services in nearly every country of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and Latin America, Asia and Africa. In addition to Mercedes-Benz, the world's most valuable luxury automotive brand (source: Interbrand study, 20 Oct. 2021), Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-EQ and Mercedes me as well as the brands of Mercedes-Benz Mobility: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Athlon. The company is listed on the Frankfurt and Stuttgart stock exchanges (ticker symbol MBG). In 2021, the Group had a workforce of around 172,000 and sold 2.3 million vehicles. Group revenues amounted to €168.0 billion and Group EBIT to €29.1 billion.

Belgium is located at the crossroads of three major European cultures, Germanic, Latin and Anglo-Saxon. Visitors will easily find a host who speaks their language fluently. French, Dutch and German are official languages in Belgium. English is fluently spoken by most Belgians for whom multilingualism is a given. 

More international organizations are based in Brussels than in Washington D.C. The city is home to more than 120 international government organizations, 181 embassies, over 5,000 diplomats and more than 1,000 lobby groups. 

Brussels hosts the most important European institutions, professional federations, corporate headquarters and civil society organizations in a cosmopolitan European Quarter. It is often dubbed as the standard setting capital of Europe, establishing standards and safeguards for the single, biggest market in the world.

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews on Twitter.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. Our professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society, and a sustainable world. Building on its 175-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte’s approximately 415,000 people worldwide make an impact that matters at www.deloitte.com. 

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the “Deloitte organization”). DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more.

Thought Leadership

• Ukraine Reconstruction Plan | Deloitte Insights 
• The Future of Infrastructure (deloitte.com) 
• 2023 Government Trends | Deloitte Insights 
• Infrastructure & Capital Projects | Deloitte | Infrastructure, Industry 
• Infrastructure for Good (economist.com) 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental organisation, a politically-military alliance of 31 countries from North America and Europe, committed to fulfil the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949. In accordance with the Treaty, collective defence is at the heart of the Alliance and the fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries. NATO is playing an important role in crisis management and peacekeeping and is built on common values of individual liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

The charity organization Boumbouras Foundation was founded in 2016 in Odesa by Greek entrepreneur, philanthropist Pantelis Boumpouras. Charitable activities of the Foundation are spread in the fields of education, health care, ecology, culture and art, science and sports, social protection of the poor. Support of regional programs and projects, assistance to talented youth in obtaining education, treatment and rehabilitation of the disabled, care for the elderly, special attention to solving problems related to children are priorities among other tasks of the Foundation. 

Since 2014, the head of the Fund, Pantelis Boumpuras, has been providing assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to Ukrainian regions and people who suffered during military operations by the Russian Federation. 

MISSION OF THE FOUNDATION 

Development of Greek-Ukrainian relations, preservation and popularization of the Greek language in Ukraine, increasing the number of schools and universities where the Greek language is taught, supporting the activities of public organizations and associations of Greeks living in Ukraine. 

Dissemination, popularization, study of Greek history and culture, protection and preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of Greece in. Ukraine, construction of historical and cultural monuments. implementation of socially significant construction projects in order to continue the charitable activities of Greek patriots.

Technology companies have a critical role to play in Europe’s ambitious Green Deal goals, and at Google we want to work together to achieve a carbon-free future in Europe & globally. Sustainability has been a core value for Google for more than 20 years. We have made the important journey from neutralising carbon emissions, to reducing them, and by 2030 we aim to not emit any in the first place. Today, every email you send through Gmail, every question you ask Google Search and every YouTube video you watch is carbon neutral. We were the first major company to become carbon neutral in 2007. We were the first to match our operations with 100% renewable energy in 2017, and we’ve been doing it ever since. Last year we eliminated our entire carbon legacy. Our next ambition is our biggest yet: operating on carbon free energy by the year 2030. This represents a significant step change from current approaches and is a moonshot on the same scale as quantum computing. It presents equally hard problems to solve, from sourcing carbon-free energy in every place we operate to ensuring it can run every hour of every day. Building on the first carbon-intelligent computing platform that we rolled out last year, we’ll soon be the first company to implement carbon-intelligent load shifting across both time and place within our data center network. By this time next year we’ll be shifting more than a third of non-production compute to times and places with greater availability of carbon-free energy. And we are working to apply our Cloud AI with novel drilling techniques and fiber optic sensing to deliver geothermal power in more places, starting in our Nevada data centers next year.

Microsoft is a technology company whose mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our strategy is to build best-in-class platforms and productivity services for a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Founded in 1975, we operate worldwide and have offices in more than 100 countries. We develop, license, and support a wide range of software products, services, and devices that deliver new opportunities, greater convenience, and enhanced value to people’s lives. We offer an array of services, including cloud-based services, to consumers and businesses. We design, manufacture, and sell devices that integrate with our cloud-based services. 

The fundamental liberal values of the West are thoroughly secured in Latvia’s constitution and resolutely implemented in its governance. This allowed Latvia, once it retook its independence, to quickly ascend such international organisations as OSCE (1991), WTO (1999), NATO (2004), EU (2004), OECD (2016) etc. We strongly believe in the chosen path of liberty and cooperation and it has consistently enabled one of the fastest economic growth rates in Europe and has secured peace and prosperity for our people. Today, Latvia is an essential part of Northern Europe, one of the most thriving and vibrant regions in the world.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia (MoD) is the leading state administrative institution for defence and security issues. It is the MoD’s responsibility, in cooperation with our National Armed Forces, to develop capabilities and strengthen relations with Allies in order to defend the sovereignty of Latvia. To ensure the steady growth of capabilities and to fulfil our commitments, since 2018 Latvia has been one of NATO countries spending more than 2% of GDP for defence. Transatlantic cooperation remains the corner-stone of security in Europe and maintenance of transatlantic unity is one of the MoD’s primary policy goals.

The transatlantic bond has safeguarded peace in the Baltic states and overall has been an integral corner-stone providing stability in the security environment we all share.

The Open Society Foundations work to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their people.  The Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. We approach this mission through the illuminating principles of justice, equity, and expression—defining characteristics of any truly open society. We give grants to a diverse array of groups and individuals in more than 100 countries who work in different ways to promote democratic principles, human rights, and justice. We support this work at both national and global levels through advocacy in our own name, as well as through impact investing and legal action.

The Audi Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium and luxury segment. The brands Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Ducati produce at 22 locations in 13 countries. Audi and its partners are present in more than 100 markets worldwide. In 2022, the Audi Group delivered 1.61 million Audi vehicles, 15,174 Bentley vehicles, 9,233 Lamborghini vehicles, and 61,562 Ducati motorcycles to customers.  

In the 2022 fiscal year, AUDI Group achieved a total revenue of €61.8 billion and an operating profit of €7.6 billion.  

Worldwide, more than 87,000 people worked for the Audi Group in 2022, over 54,000 of them at AUDI AG in Germany. With its attractive brands, new models, innovative mobility offerings and groundbreaking services, the group is systematically pursuing its path toward becoming a provider of sustainable, individual, premium mobility.

The U.S. Mission to the European Union (USEU) is the direct link between the U.S. Government and the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with the European Union and its forerunners since 1953. Over the years USEU has grown as U.S. relations with the EU have become deeper and more complex. Today the Mission is home to some 100 employees representing the Department of State, as well as the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture, Homeland Security, Justice and Treasury; the Agency for International Development and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, among others.

The America Europe Fund supports academic cooperation, exchanges, programs and research at KU Leuven that are aimed at strengthening comparative knowledge of American and European societies. In particular, the Fund supports cooperation and exchanges between the United States of America, the European Union, Belgium and Flanders in the fields of education, science, culture, business, diplomacy and policymaking.

The Georgia Institute of Technology, or Georgia Tech, is a top 10 public research university developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition.

The Institute offers business, computing, design, engineering, liberal arts, and sciences degrees. Its nearly 44,000 students, representing 50 states and 149 countries, study at the main campus in Atlanta, at campuses in France and China, and through distance and online learning.

As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech is an engine of economic development for Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation, conducting more than $1 billion in research annually for government, industry, and society.

The University of Nevada, Reno is a public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s land-grant university, the University serves nearly 22,000 students. The University is a comprehensive doctoral university, classified as an R1 institution with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. More than $800 million has been invested campus wide in advanced laboratories, residence halls and facilities since 2009. 

It is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Wolf Pack Athletics, as well as statewide outreach programs including University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Small Business Development Center and Nevada Seismological Laboratory. The University is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Through a commitment to student success, world-improving research and outreach benefiting Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University has impact across the state and around the world.