Brussels conference: Is there a need for a ‘new pact' for Europe ?
On 17 June 2015, the New Pact for Europe consortium organized a high-level conference on “Is there a need for a ‘new pact' for Europe ?”.
At a decisive moment in time, policymakers, experts and stakeholders from all over Europe examined the ‘state of the Union’ and discussed the perspectives for European integration in the years to come. Participants addressed a number of key issues related to the promotion of growth, jobs, investments and structural reforms, a strengthening of the Union’s ‘caring dimension’, ways to enhance the EU’s legitimacy and accountability, and the perspectives for Energy Union becoming the EU’s new ‘grand project’.
Download the programme as a pdf file
Download the keynote speech of Herman Van Rompuy, President em. European Council
Draft Programme
10.00 – 10.10
Welcome
Luc Tayart de Borms, Managing Director, King Baudouin Foundation
10.10 – 10.25
Presentation of the New Pact of Europe
Janis A. Emmanouilidis, Director of Studies, European Policy Centre
10.25 – 11.00
Opening keynote speech
Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council
11.00 – 12:30
Panel debate: ‘State of the Union’ – is there a need for a ‘new pact’ and are we ready for it?
Elmar Brok, Member of the European Parliament
Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Parliament
Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of Belgium
Loukas Tsoukalis, President of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and Professor at the University of Athens
Moderator: Jacki Davis, Meade Davis Communication
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 14.45: Parallel workshops
Workshop #1:
Enabling Union – how to promote growth, jobs, investments, and structural reforms?
George Pagoulatos, Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business; Member of the Governing Board of ELIAMEP (introduction)
Guillaume Klossa, Founder of EuropaNova
Katarzyna Zajdel-Kurowska, Member of Board of the National Bank of Poland
Moderator: Paweł Świeboda, Institutional Team Leader, European Political Strategy Centre
Workshop #2:
Supportive Union – how to strengthen the Union’s ‘caring dimension’?
Henning Meyer, Editor, Social Europe Journal; Senior Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics (introduction)
Elsa Fornero, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Turin; former Minister of Labour, Social Policies and Gender Equality of Italy
György Schöpflin, Member of the European Parliament
Moderator: Isabell Hoffmann, Project Manager, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Workshop #3:
Participatory Union – how to enhance the EU’s legitimacy and accountability?
Giovanni Grevi, Director of FRIDE(introduction)
Andrew Duff, former Member of the European Parliament
Christian Iaione, Visiting professor of governance of the commons at LUISS Guido Carli
Moderator: Isabelle Schwarz, Head of Advocacy, Research and Development, European Cultural Foundation
Workshop #4:
Energy Union – the EU’s new grand project?
David Buchan, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
Peter Van Kemseke, Expert, Cabinet of Vice-President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič
Moderator and introduction: Janis A. Emmanouilidis
14.45 – 15.15
Coffee break
15.15 – 16.45
Panel debate: What are the potential key elements of a New Pact between Member States and between the EU and its citizens?
Gordon Bajnai, former Prime Minister of Hungary; Group Chief Operating Officer, Meridiam
Roger Liddle, Member of the House of Lords and Chair of Policy Network
Maria João Rodrigues, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair in charge of Economic and Social Policies
Paul Taylor, European Affairs Editor, Thomson Reuters
Moderator: Jacki Davis
16.45 – 17.30
Closing debate with Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission
Moderator: Jacki Davis
17.30
Cocktail reception
