| Summary of Debate - Café Crossfire |
| Developing Europe's energy security |
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Amidst soaring energy prices and dwindling oil stocks, a Friends of Europe Café Crossfire debate, co-organised with StatoilHydro, with the participation of Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Energy, Helge Lund, CEO of StatoilHydro, and Stephan Singer, Director of WWF Global Energy Programme, sought to identify what role the Arctic could play in contributing to Europe’s future energy security.
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| European Policy Summit - 30 Oct 2008 |
| Defining Europe's Energy Strategy: The long-term view |
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The conflict between the EU’s ambitions for a comprehensive energy strategy and the reality were illustrated at Friends of Europe’s annual energy summit, held in Brussels on October 30th.
It was imperative to take early action to deal with climate change, said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, but it was also “a major opportunity to create jobs and transform the EU into a low-carbon economy”. On the other hand, he conceded, research and development in this area was “miserably low”.
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| Annual VIP roundtable - 9 Oct 2008 |
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The State of Europe
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On October 9, Friends of Europe gathered senior personalities from all over Europe for a VIP brainstorming roundtable ‘State of Europe’ on some of the key issues facing Europe.
The contradictions at the heart of the European Union had been laid bare by the financial crisis. There was an urgent need for a coordinated response to events such as the turmoil sweeping markets and for concrete proposals from the European Commission, said Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament. |
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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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| European Policy Summit - 5 Nov 2008 |
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Saving Europe's Water
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Water scarcity is an increasing problem that has received too little attention and needs to rise up the agenda, Friends of Europe’s annual water summit heard on November 5th. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said that water scarcity was caused by a number of factors, including economic growth and increasing urbanisation but it would be exacerbated by climate change in the years to come. “The first priority is to move towards water efficiency and a culture of water saving.”
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| European Policy Summit - 8 Dec 2008 |
| Long live Europe! Shaping our healthcare revolution |
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The EU’s spending on healthcare is projected to increase dramatically over the coming decades, how should EU governments restructure their healthcare policies? At this event, co-organised by Friends of Europe and Novartis, speakers like Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Health, Eric Cornut, Head of Region Europe at Novartis Pharma and Associate Professor Elizabeth Teisberg will discuss the future challenges of healthcare in Europe.
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Summary of Debate - Café Crossfire |
| Changing role of Europe's energy majors |
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European and Russian divisions over how to deal with the looming global energy crunch shone through at a Friends of Europe debate on 14 October co-organised with Total. “At the end of the day, the problem is one of energy short-fall. And we have to find ways and tools to fill this gap,” stressed Total CEO Christophe de Margerie, saying solutions also consist of making the most of current energy supplies – including Russian gas. |
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Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 160,000 employees in 67 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit |
| www.cargill.com/ | |
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The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with the world's best-known brand, Coca-Cola, the Company markets four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks. Through the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings a day. |
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www.coca-cola.com | |
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ExxonMobil is the largest private oil, gas and petrochemical company in the world. The company explores for oil and natural gas on six of the seven continents. Activities include the refining and supply of petroleum products as well as the marketing of fuels under the Exxon, Mobil and Esso brands. The company also markets lubricants, both conventional and synthetic in every major geographic region. Other petroleum products are lube base stocks and petroleum specialties such as waxes, process oils and asphalt. ExxonMobil Chemical is a leading manufacturer and global marketer of olefins, aromatics, fluids, synthetic rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene, oriented polypropylene packaging films, plasticizers, synthetic lubricant base stocks, additives for fuels and lubricants, zeolite catalysts and other petrochemical products. ExxonMobil has been active in Europe since 1888. Today, it is the largest oil and gas producer in Europe and supplies 15 per cent of Europe's natural gas and 10 per cent of Europe's oil. |
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www.exxonmobileurope.com | |
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The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is a German non-profit private educational institution committed to the concepts and basic values of social democracy. It was founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany's first democratically elected president Friedrich Ebert. Together with its partners in the trade unions, education and research, public administration, local government and various social groups and organizations, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung fosters dialogue among all democratic forces with the aim of bringing about a balance of interests, of solving conflicts and developing policy options. Another important activity is future-oriented research work, analyzing the economic, social and political problems in Germany and Europe. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has activities in more than 100 countries and offices in about 90 countries. |
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www.fes.de | |
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For more than 20 years, Microsoft has been operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), enabling people and businesses throughout the region to realise their potential. The Microsoft EMEA organisation encompasses more than 60 local offices and delivers products and services in 139 countries across the region. The company’s 12,000 regional employees engage in a wide range of functions including research, product development and distribution, sales and marketing, customer service and support, and partner support. An industry leader, Microsoft is also committed to corporate responsibility and community participation. The company works with all levels of government and academia, and supports numerous programmes for social and economic development. Neil Holloway, president of Microsoft EMEA, sets the direction of the company in this vast and varied region. |
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www.microsoft.com | |
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Novartis AG is a world leader in offering medicines to protect health, treat disease and improve well-being. Our goal is to discover, develop and successfully market innovative products to treat patients, ease suffering and enhance the quality of life. Novartis is the only company with leadership positions in both patented and generic pharmaceuticals. We are strengthening our medicine-based portfolio, which is focused on strategic growth platforms in innovation-driven pharmaceuticals, high-quality and low-cost generics (Sandoz), human vaccines (Vaccines & Diagnostics) and leading self-medication OTC brands (Consumer Health). In 2005, the Group's businesses achieved net sales of USD 32.2 billion and net income of USD 6.1 billion. Approximately USD 4.8 billion was invested in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ approximately 99,000 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. |
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www.novartis.com | |
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Schuttelaar & Partners is a large communications consultancy firm deeply rooted in stakeholder dialogue on issues related to the life sciences. From our offices in Brussels and The Hague, we help our clients build public support for innovations that we firmly believe will lead towards greater health and sustainability. Such clients include multinational corporations and SMEs, governments, research institutions, and NGOs. Our 60 consultants cover a wide spectrum of backgrounds and operate in areas such as sustainable commodity supply chains, the role of nutrition in public health, global development, and application of bio- and nanotechnologies. |
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www.schuttelaar-partners.com | |
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The Swiss Life Group is one of Europe's leading providers of pension and life insurance products. The Swiss Life Group offers individuals and companies comprehensive advice and a broad range of products via agents, brokers and banks in its domestic market, Switzerland, where it is market leader, and selected European markets. Multinational companies are serviced with tailor-made solutions by a network of partners in over 60 countries. Swiss Life Holding, registered in Zurich, dates back to the Swiss Life Insurance and Pension Company founded in 1857. Shares of Swiss Life Holding are listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange (SLHN). The Swiss Life Group employs a staff of more than 9 000 people. |
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www.swisslife.com/slcom/en/home.html | |
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With operations in more than 100 countries, the Group's activities span all aspects of the energy industry from Upstream oil and gas exploration and production to Downstream transport, refining and marketing of refined products as well as international trading in both crude and refined products. Total is also a major player in the Chemicals market. |
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www.total.com | |
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Unilever is a multi-local multinational with consumers, employees, business partners and shareholders on every continent. It makes and sells brands. The Unilever Group consists of Unilever N.V. in the Netherlands and Unilever PLC in the UK and has two divisions – Foods (including frozen foods) and Home & Personal Care. |
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www.unilever.com | |
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Veolia Environnement is the only world-wide Group dedicated wholly to environment-related activities and capable of offering a complete range of services covering the fields of Water (Veolia Water), Cleaning (Onyx), Energy (Dalkia) and Transport (Connex). The group deploys an integrated services offer providing made-to-measure solutions to the challenges facing local authorities in France and abroad. Research & Development play a central role in Veolia’s sustainable-development policy, designed to enable the group to anticipate the needs of tomorrow and to implement effective technological solutions and services meeting the expectations of our customers. Veolia Environnement commits itself to caring for the environment wherever the group operates, in particular by stringent application of international and local environmental regulations and by the commitment of its employees to improving inhabitants’ everyday quality of life. |
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www.veoliaenvironnement.com | |
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The Only EU-wide Policy Journal
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At the Friends of Europe Development Policy Forum (DPF), held in Strasbourg in conjunction with the European Commission’s third edition of European Development Days, journalists, media representatives and development aid officials, along with numerous participants, debated whether the media helps or hinders development. The event was preceded by the release of a Friends of Europe DPF background report, 'How Reporters See the Aid World', which argued that aid agencies frequently misunderstand both the role of and constraints on media when covering development aid stories.
Speakers and participants generally agreed that the answer to the question depends upon the contexts in which it raised. Media can help development by raising awareness of development aid needs, but coverage of development issues is constrained by media budgets, perceived audience boredom and difficulties of access, particularly in many needy, strife-torn and autocratic areas of Africa. Media can hinder development when it indulges in stereotypes and fails to perceive or report that Africa is not one country, but a vast, multi-nation, multifaceted continent in which there are several development successes in addition to notable tragic failures.
“What we need is balanced coverage across the continent – the good, the bad and the ugly,” asserted Tumi Makgabo, independent producer and former host of CNN’s Inside Africa.
The Development Policy Forum also explored the different roles of developed countries' and African media in covering development aid issues and what the developed world might do to enhance the capacity of African journalists and media to cover development and governance issues professionally, but from the African prospective.
Omar Belhouchet, Editor in Chief of the Algerian El Watan, conceded that there is both a lack of resources and professionalism among many African journalists, but that “many African journalists are longing to improve.” Jonathan Clayton, Africa Correspondent of The Times, argued that training journalists, “will not help much if African journalists lack the resources to publish and broadcast.” | |
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Guy Verhofstadt:
The former Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, sets the international financial crisis in its historic context, depicts its far-reaching geopolitical corollaries and, above all, attends to the biggest challenge Europe ever faced: what should be the European Union’s answer to the financial crisis?
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13/11/2008
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Pascal Lamy:
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy reported on 12 November that his meeting with experts earlier in the day “confirmed that the market for trade finance has severely deteriorated”. He urged government action to close the liquidity gap in trade finance, adding that concluding the Doha Round “is even more desirable now”.
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12/11/2008
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| Securing your energy future: Commission presents energy security, solidarity and efficiency proposals |
| The European Commission has proposed a wide-ranging energy package. |
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13/11/2008
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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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