Business for New Europe (BNE

BNE (disambiguation)

BNE may refer to:* Bowne & Co., New York Stock Exchange symbol* Brisbane Airport, IATA airport code* Brand New Eyes, An album by rock band Paramore* B.N.E., the graffiti artist commonly known as BNE* Bayesian Nash equilibrium* Business for New Europe...

) is a coalition of pro-European

Europhile

A europhile is a person who is fond of, admires, or even loves European culture, society, history, food, etc. In politics, it may be used to imply Pro-Europeanism, or support for the European Union, often disapprovingly...

 business leaders, a think-tank and an advocacy group

Advocacy group

Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...

. It was set up in 2006 by Roland Rudd, a former journalist on the Financial Times

Financial Times

The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....

 and board member of Britain in Europe

Britain in Europe

Prior to August 2005, Britain in Europe was the main British pro-European pressure group. Despite connections to Labour and the Liberal Democrats, it was a cross-party organisation with supporters from many different political backgrounds...

 to promote the benefits of the UK’s membership of the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 (EU). BNE produces research, and holds events to this effect.

BNE is based in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 and is largely funded by private donations. It does not receive funding from either the government or the EU, and it is not affiliated with a political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

.

BNE’s advisory council and executive includes Lord Jay of Ewelme (former head of the UK Diplomatic Service), Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge (Chairman of Nomura International), Lord Kerr of Kinlochard (Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell

Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

) and Brian McBride

Brian McBride

Brian Robert McBride is a retired American soccer player who finished his career for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer , but spent the majority of his time in MLS playing for the Columbus Crew. For much of his career he played in Europe, notably for Fulham in the English Premier League...

 (Managing Director of Amazon UK).