16 February 2015
- Conference takes place 21 - 22 April 2015

- Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, Former EU President, to give official opening address

Dubai - The Dubai Diamond Exchange ('DDE'), a DMCC platform,today announced the two-day Dubai Diamond Conference 2015 will be officially opened by Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, Former EU President.

The conference will take place from 21-22 April at the iconic Almas Tower home to the DDE and one of the world's leading marketplaces for diamonds.

Herman Van Rompuy was elected as the first full-time EU President in November 2009, he took office on 1 December 2009. In 2012, he was re-elected for a second term starting on 1 June 2012 and running until 30 November 2014.

At the time of his first election, Herman Van Rompuy was Prime Minister of Belgium. Herman Van Rompuy holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, and a Master's degree in Applied Economics from the university K.U. Leuven.

Peter Meeus, Chairman, DDE, said:
"We are honoured to welcome Herman Van Rompuy, the former EU President and Prime Minister of Belgium as keynote speaker at the Dubai Diamond Conference 2015. There are currently strong commodities trading relations in place betweenEurope and the Middle East, but we can always do more to seek out new opportunities and we look forward hearing Mr Van Rompuy's view on what the future holds for the diamond trade in particular".

The Dubai Diamond Conference will provide an opportunity to build relationships between companies and governments in producing and consuming countriesfurther highlighting the pivotal role that Dubai plays in the global diamond trade for diamonds.

The conference programme will enable discussions and debate around the themes of financing, synthetics, corporate governance and ethics in the diamond tradewith a focus on stimulating innovation and growth in the African, Middle Eastern and Asian diamond industry.

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About Dubai Diamond Exchange
Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) is a DMCC platform and a leading diamond centre based in Almas Tower. From buyers to sellers to service providers - everything the industry require in terms of infrastructure and a marketplace is available under one roof in a secure environment at Almas Tower including: DDE, vaulting, boiling, polishing, certification, transport and logistics services and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

© Press Release 2015