Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the European Commerce Registers' Forum (ECRF), it is a great pleasure for me to invite you to participate in the 14th Annual ECRF Conference, which will be held from the
20th to the 22nd of June 2011, in Bonn.

The theme of this year's conference is
"International Business Register Network - Ready for a global market!"

We are living in an increasingly inter-linked world which requires more attention to be paid to events outside our respective national borders. In order to further facilitate international trade we believe there is a requirement for world-wide interaction between Business Registries.

As Business Registries we should take the necessary steps now to reduce financial risks associated with operating in a global business environment. As evidenced by the current financial crisis, rapid access to reliable information across national boundaries is becoming increasingly important. Transparency is one of the most important factors to prevent accruing crises.

This new reality has placed additional demands on Business Registries as they respond to changes in the manner in which business is conducted. We as Business Registries, have to continually expand the geographic, political and legislative horizons that we monitor, in order to keep pace with the dynamics of international business.

The ECRF is already playing an active role in the environment of Registries' collaboration. It has established a number of working groups. Together with all of the other Business Registry representatives, I trust that we will elaborate on the concrete steps that must be taken to make significant progress in this evolving situation. But it is clear that the presence of a facility that provides an effective, global interconnection between Business Registries is more important than ever. Common standards for the exchange of data and the interoperability between the Business Registries are fundamental pillars for the interconnection of Business Registers.

This year´s ECRF conference is hosted by North Rhine-Westphalia on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia holds the current presidency of the ECRF and is very pleased to host and organize the congress and to welcome you in Germany.

We are looking forward meeting you in Bonn!

Thomas Kutschaty
Minister of Justice
of North Rhine-Westphalia