Makes presentation on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

STRASBOURG, FRANCE – David Tilson, Member of Parliament for Dufferin-Caledon, today addressed the 2008 delegates of the Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the subject of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EBRD was founded in 1991 to promote the transition of formerly centrally-planned economies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to market-based economies. The overriding focus of the EBRD is on the private sector.

Canada is the eighth largest shareholder contributing 3.4 per cent of the Bank's capital. Canada is a strong supporter of the Bank's medium-term operational priorities, which are premised on: the central importance of creating and strengthening institutions that ensure markets work well; the key role that small business can play in creating dynamic, competitive and more equitable economies; and the importance of promoting democracy.

Tilson in his presentation noted, "The EBRD is increasingly recognizing that environmental and social issues are fundamentally interconnected with long-term economic and political sustainability, as well as the quality of life for a region's inhabitants." Mr. Tilson went on to state, “The political mandate of the EBRD continues to be of great importance to those in this organization and elsewhere who believe that economic transition to market economies must go hand in hand with the development of political democracy.”