| European Policy Summit - 5 Nov 2008 |
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Is water the missing element in the EU’s environmental and economic strategy? How good is Brussels in shifting the mindset of local stakeholders? The third annual water summit co-organised by Friends of Europe and the European Water Partnership will contribute to the European Regional Process in preparation of the 2009 World Water Forum. Speakers include Stavros Dimas, EU Commissioner for Environment, Antoine Frérot, CEO of Veolia Water and Richard Seeber MEP.
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| European Policy Summit - 30 Oct 2008 |
| Defining Europe's energy strategy: The long-term view |
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This October 30th, Friends of Europe will hold its 5th annual energy summit: Defining Europe’s energy strategy: The long term view. The event will debate the road towards a post-Kyoto agreement, what measures are politically end economically feasible and how sustainability is defined in relation to the policy options currently under discussion. Confirmed speakers include Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Energy and Paul Magnette, Belgian Minister for Climate and Energy. |
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McKinsey & Company is a management consulting firm that helps leading corporations and organizations make distinctive, lasting and substantial improvements in their performance. Over the past eight decades, the Firm’s primary objective has remained constant: to serve as an organization’s most trusted external advisor on critical issues facing senior management. |
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Friends of Europe is privileged to be headquartered in and enjoy the use of one of Brussels' most prestigious architectural landmarks, the 100+ year old Bibliothèque Solvay in the Parc Léopold next to the European Parliament.
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The building houses the Friends of Europe team and hosts almost all of the think tank's events in Brussels.
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| President's Dinner - 9 October 2008 |
| A VIP dinner with Friends of Europe's Etienne Davignon |
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In the light of the European elections, the overall theme of the 2008 President’s Dinner is “Does the European Parliament need to put its own house in order?”.
Three former presidents of the European Parliament will be challenged by top European journalists and a few sceptical voices during this informal and entertaining evening.
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Café Crossfire - 14 October 2008 |
| Changing Europe's energy majors? |
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What role will Europe’s energy majors play in the EU’s search for energy securit? What should EU’s policymakers be seeking from these companies that lead the corporate wealth charts yet control only a small and shrinking share of the world’s natural energy resources? This debate will feature Christophe de Margerie, CEO of Total and Eneko Landaburu, European Commission Director General for External Relations. |
| DPF debate - 16 November 2008 |
| Development: Does the media help or hinder? |
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A special Development Policy Forum (DPF) debate will be held in Strasbourg as a part of the European Development Days. Entitled 'Development: Does the media help or hinder?', it will focus on the role media plays in development. A panel of high-level public figures and media representatives will debate the issue.
The debate will take place on Sunday, November 16 at the Strasbourg Convention Centre.
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| Café Crossfire - 19 September 2008 |
| Developing Europe's energy security |
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The Arctic “will not provide the magical solution we are looking for”, but guaranteeing Europe’s energy security justifies the exploration of even the most hostile environments in the search for more oil and gas stocks, said Energy Commissioner Piebalgs. Yet for StatoilHydro’s CEO Helge Lund the size of the Arctic’s hydrocarbon resources are unknown and could take over a decade to be brought to the market.
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THE STATE OF EUROPE
PRESIDENT'S DINNER
On the occasion of its annual Board of Trustees meeting, Friends of Europe hosted on October 9 two high-level events: The 'The State of Europe', a VIP Policy Summit looking at the challenges and opportunities facing Europe, and the 'President’s Dinner' for senior guests from across Europe. Over 200 senior EU and national decision-makers, business and NGOs leaders and editors-in-chief gathered in the Brussel's Palais d'Egmont to discuss Europe's challenges.
Conclusions of the Board of Trustee meeting: A CALL TO THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE FINANCIAL CRISIS. Please read the press release wtih this REUTERS article.
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European Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering and Friends of Europe's President Etienne Davignon at the opening session of the State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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European Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering at the opening session of the State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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European Commission President José Manuel Barroso at Friends of Europe's State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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Palais d'Egmont, Brussels |
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European Commission Director General for Communication Claus Sorensen at the opening session of the State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik and Friends of Europe's Trustee Joachim Bitterlich (left) at the second session of the State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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Alain Hubert, Chairman of the International Polar Foundation and Friends of Europe's Secretary General Giles Merritt at the second session of the State of Europe VIP roundtable 2008 at the Palais d'Egmont, Brussels. |
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Interview with European Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik. |
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PRESIDENT'S DINNER 2008 - Giles Merritt introducing the panelists of the President's Dinner (FLTR) Gary Titley (Socialist Group), Leader of the British Labour Group in the European Parliament, Pat Cox (ELDR), Former Chairman of the ELDR and former President of the European Parliament and Corien Wortmann-Kool (EPP), Vice-President of the EPP and Vice-Chair of the Committee on International Trade |
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PRESIDENT'S DINNER 2008 - The other panel of Euroskeptics: Jens-Peter Bonde, former President of the Independence/Democracy Group, Patricia McKenna, once Ireland’s first Green MEP and one of the leaders of The Irish Campaign Against the EU Constitution and Roger Helmer a non-attached MEP. |
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PRESIDENT'S DINNER 2008 - On the right: co-moderators Shirin Wheeler (BBC World) & David Rennie (The Economist). |
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OUR VIP MEMBERS: Adecco – American European Community Association (AECA) – APCO Europe – Areva – BASE – BP Europe – BT Group – Cargill – Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton – Confederation of Food & Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) – CropLife International – Deutsche Post World Net – Dow Chemicals Europe – Embassy of Qatar to Belgium – EUnited – European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association (EDMA) – European Information and Communications Technology Association (EICTA) – European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) – ExxonMobil Petroleum and Chemical – Gide Loyrette Nouel – Hewitt Associates – Hill & Knowlton International – IBM Belgium – Intel Corporation European Affairs Office – International Fragrance Association (IFRA) – Logos Knowledge Network – McKinsey & Company – Merifin Capital – Microsoft EMEA – Novartis – Pfizer – sanofi aventis – Schuttelaar & Partners – Shell International – Solvay – Sony Europe – Suez – Swiss Life – Telefónica – Total – The Coca-Cola Company – The McGraw-Hill Companies – Toyota Motor Europe – Tyco Safety Products – Unilever – Veve Group – Veolia Environnement – Vinyl 2010 – Volvo Group – WWF
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The Only EU-wide Policy Journal
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09/10/2008
Is Britain a European nation?
The British may be troublesome and reluctant Europeans, writes former UK ambassador to the EU Stephen Wall, but they are also conscientious, having championed the Single Market, economic reform, free trade and enlargement
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09/10/2008
How to unblock the EU’s unanimity stalemate
Fields where differentiation could be effectively applied include economic affairs, defence and social issues, as well as judicial and police cooperation
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Giles Merritt:
Friends of Europe's Secretary General Giles Merritt in the International Herald Tribune: "Will the financial meltdown spreading around the world lead to a re-run of the events that followed the Wall Street crash of October 1929?"
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02/10/2008
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Carl Bildt:
Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt: ‘It is perfectly understandable that the strong measures the U.S. authorities are planning to deal with the crisis would arouse many questions. My experience is that the chances are very good for a positive outcome if the political system is capable of acting when action is needed.’
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27/09/2008
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| Commissioner Piebalgs welcomes McKinsey CCS report as a valuable input in the Carbon Capture and Storage debate |
| " [...] This report is a valuable contribution to the discussions currently ongoing to find the best way to push this technology forward", said Commissioner Piebalgs. |
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21/09/2008
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www.securitydefenceagenda.org
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Our sister think-tank, the Security and Defence Agenda (SDA), is Brussels' leading think-tank on security and defence issues, and aims to raise awareness of how EU and NATO policies can complement each other.
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