Until the global economy spun into crisis, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Serbia was relatively strong and was among the preferred investment destinations in South-Eastern Europe. Today investment opportunities remain attractive, reflecting Serbia’s own need for privatisation, modernisation and greater competitiveness in the agriculture and food sectors, and in energy. Last year saw a modest return of investor interest in Serbia, but to reinforce this, what must the country now do to r...

With mixed reactions to the recent climate change talks in Durban, what initiatives can individuals pursue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Since the food sector accounts for about 30% of energy consumption and over 20% of greenhouse gas emissions, how can we curb the spread of our ‘Western’ diet, one that’s high in meat, dairy and processed food? And with the average European citizen eating almost 3,500 calories daily – 1,000 calories more than recommended – how...

The catastrophe at the Fukushima plant on 11 March 2011 dashed hopes of a nuclear renaissance in Europe. But can Europe really make the transition to a low-carbon future without nuclear energy? Can the sector win back citizens’ trust? Can safety issues, including the challenge of dealing with nuclear waste, be overcome? These and other questions will be discussed during this Debating Europe ‘live debate’, featuring Hans Blix, Director General of the International Atomic Energy ...

China’s tremendous economic and social changes during the last few decades have triggered enormous migration flows from rural to urban areas. This upcoming debate aims to provide opportunity to explore China’s urban transition, identify main problems it brings and draw policy implications for sustainable urban planning and development. The China Advisory Council within the Understanding China programme will welcome some 40 senior experts on the topic of urbanisation.

Friends of Europe is organising its annual European Policy Summit on Wednesday, 23 May 2012 as part of the official programme of the European Commission’s 2012 Green Week, entitled “Water security: Policies for better access” and is in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB).   The summit will focus on how to tackle Africa’s water scarcities and how to improve Asia’s water governance. The debate will be over ways African governments should a...

This roundtable will be held on Tuesday, 29 May at the Bibliothèque Solvay and is part of the Greening Europe Forum’s activities and is co-organised by Friends of Europe and Novozymes. The debate will ask what the bio-based economy is and how it can help the EU deal with its overarching priority to spur growth and create jobs. Questions under discussion will include how the bio-based economy can address challenges such as resource scarcity, sustainable agriculture and climate chang...

One year after the Arab uprisings began, this Policy Summit will bring together leading Arab and European policy makers, academics and representatives of civil society to discuss key challenges that the region is facing. Whilst in some countries the uprisings are still being met with state violence and in others hard-headed realism has replaced the initial euphoria, how can the peaceful transition to democracy and security be ensured? How are the challenges of kick-starting t...