WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE,

TO MR JAN FISCHER, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE EBRD

(STRASBOURG, WEDNESDAY 6 OCTOBER 2010, 3.30 P.M.)

Dear Mr Fischer,

You have just joined the EBRD as Vice-President and will oversee the Bank’s operational policies and public relations, including high level contacts with European institutions and the governments of countries where the EBRD works.

Before joining the EBRD, you were one of the most popular prime ministers in your country’s - the Czech Republic - modern history and you also presided the European Council during the Czech Chairmanship of the European Union. It was under your leadership that the EU’s Eastern Partnership was officially launched at the Prague Summit in May 2009.

Mr Fischer, you are an economist by profession, and you embraced highest-level politics amidst the most turbulent year for the European and global economy: 2009. As Eastern European countries proved particularly vulnerable to the sprawling crisis of confidence, the EBRD, together with its partners, took timely and pertinent action (notably via the Vienna Initiative) to reassure international and local investors. This was the best answer to those wondering whether the EBRD still had a mission to accomplish in the needier part of Europe.

We look forward to hearing from you how you expect to contribute to the EBRD’s strategic development, notably as the various stakeholders have entrusted the Bank with a huge increase in resources in order to boost its activity and risk-taking capacity. We appreciate that you intend to give a fresh impetus for implementing the Bank’s Gender Action Initiative and continued dialogue with the Council of Europe on a wide range of issues of common concern.