Summary
The ‘State of Europe’ high-level roundtable ‘Addressing Europe’s Crises – Policy Crossroads’ offered a unique opportunity for a large-scale brainstorm by EU Commissioners, MEPs and MPs, ministers, opinion-formers, civil society and business leaders.
The event took place in Brussels on Thursday 22 October and was held under the patronage of the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU. This event also marked the end of Friends of Europe’s 15th anniversary year.
This year’s edition looked at Europe’s many challenges, including the repercussions of the refugee crisis and the uncomfortable light it shed on the Europe of the 21st Century. In addition to dealing with the fall-out of war and poverty on Europe’s borders, the European Union must urgently implement a crash “emergency” programme of Europe-wide actions. This must address the critical need to move from austerity to sustainable growth-focused and job-creating policies, boost innovation to make Europe more competitive, and help meet citizens’ concerns on health as well as social and economic inequalities. Europe’s credibility is also at stake in its dealings with Ukraine, and in questions linked to global security and climate change.
Over 200 Ministers, senior policymakers, business leaders and top academics from all over Europe and beyond discussed these challenges outside their formal portfolios in order to help generate innovative solutions.
OPENING PLENARY SESSION – Sickly Europe: Diagnosis and cure
PARALLEL SESSION – Future Europe – Regaining public trust in the European Union
PARALLEL SESSION – Global / Greener Europe – Recovering Europe’s global influence
PARALLEL SESSION Smarter Europe – Catching up with the ‘Digital Era’
PARALLEL SESSION Quality Europe – Building a caring Europe
PARALLEL SESSION Security Europe – Making Europe’s neighbourhood safe again
PARALLEL SESSION Smarter / Greener Europe – Defining Europe’s infrastructural challenges
CLOSING PLENARY SESSION – Mood music for a brighter future
About
IMAGE CREDITS: CC / FLICKR – Thomas Guignard
Schedule
Is the European project unravelling, and if so how can it be knit back together again? The strains being placed on solidarity between European Union as well as eurozone members are a threat both to the single currency and to the hallowed principle of free movement of Europe’s peoples. Due to the combination of the Grexit and refugee crises, the gulf between advocates of ‘more Europe’ and ‘less Europe’ widened dramatically this year, raising stark questions about the viability of the EU in its present form. What is a realistic diagnosis of Europe’s ills, and what should be the prognosis?
Chair
Etienne Davignon
President of Friends of Europe, Belgian Minister of State and former European commission vice-president
Moderators
Shada Islam
Managing Director at New Horizons Project
Giles Merritt
Founder of Friends of Europe
Introductory remarks
Kensika Monshengwo
Intercultural Training Coordinator at the Immigrant Council of Ireland
A conversation with
Frans Timmermans
European Commission Executive Vice-President for the Green Deal
Should the EU’s chief domestic policy thrust be:
- Countering rising populism by creating a 21st Century ‘new narrative’ for the EU?
- Addressing the widening North-South rift in the EU now being exacerbated by the Eurozone crisis and go-it alone taxation policies?
- Tackling the widening social inequalities?
Chairs
Monica Frassoni
President of the European Alliance to Save Energy, former co-president of the European Green Party, former member of the European Parliament and Trustee of Friends of Europe
Antonia Meszaros
Managing Director United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and 2014 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Introductory discussants
Zoe Konstantopoulou
Former Syriza President of the Hellenic Parliament
Hélène Rey
Professor of Economics at London Business School and Recipient of the Yrjö Jahnsson Award in Economics
In this ‘Asian century’, should the EU’s international priority be:
- Setting an international agenda for global governance reform that answers the concerns of emerging powers and least-developed countries?
- Re-establishing Europe’s leadership on climate change and sustainable development?
- Up-dating trade and development links with key Asian, African and Latin American nations?
Chairs
Franziska Brantner
German Parliamentary State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Trustee of Friends of Europe and 2012 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Pascal Lamy
Former Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and European Commissioner, Trustee of Friends of Europe
Introductory discussants
Assia Bensalah Alaoui
Ambassador at Large of HM Mohamed VI the King of Morocco
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu
Chairman of the Board of Directors of ENGIE
Christian Leffler
Managing Director for Americas, European External Action Service (EEAS)
Is the best way to close the innovation gap with global competitors:
- By re-doubling existing EU-led stimuli like funding cross-border R&D?
- Through a wider long-term strategy spanning education to entrepreneurism?
- By ‘backing winners’ with subsidies and tax breaks at national and EU levels?
Chairs
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, former president of the Republic of Estonia and Trustee of Friends of Europe
Wouter Verschelden
Author and Chief Executive Officer at NewsMonkey and 2017 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Introductory discussants
France Cordova
Director of the US National Science Foundation and former NASA Chief Scientist
Marietje Schaake
International Policy Director at the Stanford University Cyber Policy Centre, International Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence and author of "The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley"
Amit Sood
Director of Google Arts & Culture
To address its deepening social challenges, should Europe:
- Lay much greater emphasis on demographic changes and long-term labour shortages, even if that highlights immigration issues?
- Fashion an EU ‘Master Plan’, however controversial that might be, to address the skills gaps and wider educational shortcomings now handicapping the European economy?
- Invest political capital as well as resources in an ambitious new EU-wide strategy for narrowing societal and healthcare inequalities within and between EU countries?
Chairs
Nina Rawal
Partner and Co-Head at Trill Impact Ventures and 2014 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Introductory discussants
Jim Clarken
Chief Executive Officer of Oxfam Ireland
David Khougazian
President and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Nicolas Schmit
European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights
For the EU to stabilise the refugee crisis and get the ‘security genie’ back in its bottle, should it:
- Define more clearly the EU’s global and regional priorities in its new EU Global Strategy?
- Focus on getting the balance right between “soft power” and “hard power”?
- Tackle the security implications of weak integration policies which lead to marginalisation and – sometimes – of radicalisation of migrant communities?
Chairs
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Chair of Clingendael Institute, Dutch Minister of State, former NATO secretary general, former Dutch foreign minister, and Trustee of Friends of Europe
Mary Fitzgerald
Trustee of Friends of Europe
Introductory discussants
Saliha Ben Ali
Founder of Society Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) Belgium
Ian Buruma
Author of ‘Year Zero’ and ‘Taming the Gods: Religion and Democracy of Three Continents’
Stefano Manservisi
Special Advisor to the European Commissioner for Economic Affairs and AVSI Board Member
Faced with global climate change, its own deepening energy crisis and low growth, should the EU:
- Press ahead with the €315bn ‘Juncker Plan’, and perhaps expand it to make it a truly ambitious ‘New Deal’ comparable to FDR’s in the 1930s?
- Identify energy as the most important infrastructure gap of all and define priorities and timetables in an ‘Energy Union’ blueprint?
- Further develop ‘green growth’ as key to the EU’s economic future?
Chairs
André Loesekrug-Pietri
Chairman and Scientific Director of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative (JEDI) and 2013 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Giles Merritt
Founder of Friends of Europe
Introductory discussants
Ambroise Fayolle
Vice-President at the European Investment Bank (EIB)
Jan Mischke
Partner and Research Leader on Europe at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI)
The King, the Rock Star, the Viscount, the Comedian, the Prime Minister and the Young Leader
Chairs
Geert Cami
Co-Founder and Secretary General of Friends of Europe, and Co-Founder and Co-Secretary General of the Africa-Europe Foundation
Giovanna Pancheri
Brussels Correspondent at Sky TG 24 and 2015-2016 European Young Leader (EYL40)
With
Etienne Davignon
President of Friends of Europe, Belgian Minister of State and former European commission vice-president
Shazia Mirza
Award Winning British Stand Up Comedian and Writer
Mario Monti
Former Italian prime minister and Trustee of Friends of Europe
Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke
Founder & Managing Director of Women's Worldwide Web (W4), Senior Fellow for Women, Peace and Security at Friends of Europe and 2012 European Young Leader (EYL40)
Henry Padovani
Musician, first guitarist of rock group The Police
In presence of
Philippe of Belgium
King of the Belgians
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