Press Release

Issued by CEPA (Central Europe Private Aviation).

August 30, 2012

CEPA – the membership organisation for private aviation in Central Europe – is staging a high-level forum on the future role of aviation in civil transport, at the forthcoming "Davos of Central Europe" economic forum.

CEPA and its members are organising a panel entitled "Aviation as the future of civil transport" at the 22nd Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland, from September 4-6. Participants in the forum are well-known decision-makers and heads of state who help define the kind of structural reforms that should be made to improve the function of the economic infrastructure in every country in the Central Europe region.

CEPA has been active on the Central and Eastern European scene, as well as in the European Union Parliament since 2011.

"I am proud to see CEPA playing a major role in the region and developing continually to become increasingly influential," said Dagmar Grossman, founder of CEPA. "Sometimes CEPA members come with issues regarding aviation policies in Central Europe, for example, one of our members mentioned a persistent problem that he faces every time he decides to use FBOs. Taxation affects his competitiveness due to a rationale based on old legislation – with our participation in events like this, you can be sure I will take their concerns to the right people."

The economic forum in Krynica Zdroj, dubbed the Davos of Central Europe, has so far confirmed the following guests to take part in the discussions: Mirek Topolanek, former Prime Minister (Czech Republic), Pavel ?olc, Vice Minister of Trade and Industry (Czech Republic), Gordon Bajani, former Prime Minister (Hungary), László Tóth, Deputy State Secretary for the Economy and Information Technology, Ministry of Internal Affairs (Hungary), Vladimir Dlouhy, former Minister of Trade and Industry (Czech Republic), Grzegorz Schetyna, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Sejm (Poland), Vojtech Belling, Secretary of State for European Affairs (Czech Republic), Mikulá? Dzurinda, MP, National Council, former Minister of Foreign Affairs (Slovakia), Miroslav Lajcak, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Slovakia).

Meanwhile, there is a call for realism in business aviation forecasts ahead of CEPA Expo 2012, Central Europe's Private Aviation Conference.

"Business Aviation conferences can sometimes be unduly optimistic and it is very common to hear very generic statements made about the market picking up and the business aviation sector bouncing back," said Brendan Lodge, CEPA Chairman. "However, such statements can be very general and not appropriate for the audience, and frankly not helpful when some are struggling to survive. At the CEPA conference we would like individuals, organisations and companies taking part to get a realistic insight into where the market vulnerability is, and also where the real opportunities lie."

The third annual CEPA Expo at the Prague Congress Centre (November 29-30) will open with a condensed analysis of each area of the business aviation panorama. These will be delivered by CEPA's four advisory board counsellors who will include general insights on the areas of brokerage, legal issues, lobbying and finance, so all participants will be tuned into the current situation and so able to take an active part in dynamic conference sessions.

Participation will be facilitated this year using online smartphones and other online resources, creating the ideal atmosphere for participation without interrupting the people at front of the audience.