The Confederation of European Business, shortened as BusinessEurope, is a lobby group representing enterprises of all sizes in the European Union (EU) and seven non-EU European countries. It is made up of 40 national industry and employers' organizations. The current president of the confederation is Fredrik Persson, while the Director General is Markus J. Beyrer. Based in Brussels, the confederation is officially recognised as a social partner at European level, is involved in a range of economic and social decisions and cooperates with a number of stakeholders and business partners. It promotes the interests of corporate citizens to ensure that public policy supports the European economy. It is generally considered the strongest interest organisation in Brussels and represents 20 million companies through its member trade associations in 35 European countries. History In 2014, Unilever terminated its membership in BusinessEurope's Advisory and Support Group because it opposed the organisation's stance on carbon dioxide emissions. Leadership The association is led by a president, which has been held by the following persons: 1958–1961 Léon Bekaert 1961–1962 Georges Villiers 1962–1967 H. J. de Koster 1967–1971 Fritz Berg 1971–1975 1975–1980 1981–1983 Guido Carli 1984–1986 Raymond Pennock 1986–1990 1990–1994 1994–1998 François Perigot 1998–2003 Georges Jacobs 2003–2005 Jürgen Strube 2005–2009 Ernest-Antoine Seillière 2009–2013 2013-2018 Emma Marcegaglia 2018-2022 Pierre Gattaz Since July 2022 Fredrik Persson BusinessEurope is administrated by a director general. Markus J. Beyrer has been holding that position since 2013. Activities The Confederation of European Business organises the biannual BusinessEurope Day in Brussels. Member organisations See also European Business Summit European Trade Union Confederation EuropeanIssuers References Sources European Social Partners as recognised by the Treaty of Lisbon European Transparency Register RFI 20 May 2011 Europolitique 21 January 2011 External links Official website Business organizations based in Europe Employers' organizations Industry in the European Union Lobbying organizations in Europe Lobbying in the European Union Pan-European trade and professional organizations