Upcoming events

• Annual Brussels Think Tank Dialogue - Solidarity and Austerity: The 2012 State of the European Union

  EU governments are implementing austerity packages; populist and nationalist movements are growing; social discontent rages. The European Union is facing a crisis of multiple dimensions – both economic and financial, but also social and democratic. How to cope with these current threats to the EU’s political and social cohesion by balancing crisis-induced austerity and the principle of solidarity amongst member states was the issue of this year’s Brussels Think Tank Dialogue on January 31^th. The debates amongst scientific and political experts from all over Europe, including distinguished speakers like Martin Schulz, recently elected President of the European Parliament, Danuta Hübner, Chair of the EP’s cohesion policy committee, and MEP Dimitrios Droutsas, former foreign minister of Greece, started with two perspectives on the austerity-solidarity equation currently predominating the public debate: On the one hand, indiscriminate budget consolidation efforts are accused to exarcerbate economic recession and social hardships particularly in those EU countries most affected by the sovereign debt crisis. On the other other hand, austerity policies may be considered as necessary precondition for structural reforms enhancing competitiveness, growth and employment in member states lagging behind. Most of the around 400 participants shared the second perspective that there is no automatic trade-off between austerity and solidarity – and that restoring sustainable public finances can and should be reconciled with a stronger focus on growth and jobs. Moreover, there was broad consensus that the issue of European solidarity should not be narrowed down to the current crisis-related debate. Keeping in mind that European integration is not just about economics but a political project, the principle of solidarity should also address issues like intergenerational justice in a resource-efficent EU, European migration policy or Europe’s role in the world. Participants in the five workshops of the 2012 Think-Tank Dialogue sketched the following ways forward for an EU striving for sound public finances, solid growth and solidarity: “If we want to produce a resource-efficient Europe so that the pursuit of resource efficiency becomes a European resource in itself, we need to tailor the regulation to make sure that it is adaptable, flexible and able to evolve in line with costs and technological development.” “As regards mitigating the social impact of the euro crisis, we must provide ways at EU level to give young entrepreneurs an incentive to try start-ups, to enhance young people’s mobility and to raise European funds and private funding for social enterprises with greater capital requirements, such as hospitals, social housing, or homes for the elderly and the disabled”. “The EU budget has an important role to play in Europe as a genuine investment tool for long-term growth and a source of finance for European public goods with high added value.” “The Arab Spring offered the EU a perfect opportunity to present to the world a confident new foreign policy. But it came too early for the nascent European External Action Service to exert much influence. Member states still harbour different interests and pursue different priorities in the region, making it difficult to forge a common EU approach”. “We must not over-react to the ‘immigration emergencies’ that the EU is experiencing, such as last April’s influx of Tunisians into Italy. No major changes to the Schengen Treaty are needed, but the Schengen Evaluation System must be improved.” The annual Brussels Think Tank Dialogue is one of Europe’s leading dialogue platforms promoting the exchange between policymakers, scientists and civil society on the EU’s political priorities. Since 2010 It is jointly organized by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, Bruegel, CEPS, Confrontations Europe, the Egmont Institute, EPC, Friends of Europe – Les amis de l’Europe, Ifri, Madariaga – College of Europe Foundation and the SWP at the beginning of every year. The Dialogue is kindly supported by Agence Europe and in 2012 Euractiv.com has joined in as media partner for the first time.

  Event materials

  Agenda of the event here Press release here

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• Public support for the energy and transport system transition

  This event marked the launch of a new Bruegel Blueprint entitled The great transformation: decarbonising Europe's energy and transport systems. The report highlights the need for low-carbon transport and energy technologies to address EU 2050 objectives, the market failures that may slow this transition, and the public support which may be needed to overcome these market failures.
  
  The aim of the event was to present the analysis and conclusions in our report, and to stimulate discussion on this topic. Georg Zachmann and Michael Holtermann opened the event with a joint presentation on the contents of the Blueprint. Comments were given by Pierre-Etienne Franc and Pierre Dechamps.

  Speakers

  Michael Holtermann, Project Leader, European School of Management and Technology‘s Market Model Electric Mobility Project Georg Zachmann, Research Fellow, Bruegel Discussants Pierre-Etienne Franc, Chairman of the Governing Board, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Pierre Dechamps, Adviser for Energy, Climate Change and the Environment, Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) Chair Guntram Wolff, Deputy Director of Bruegel

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• What explains the rise of CEO pay in Germany?

  This event consisted of a presentation and discussion of the paper What Explains the Rise of CEO Pay in Germany? written by Dalia Marin and Francesca Fabbri. The presentation by Dalia Marin was followed by an open discussion chaired by Jean Pisani-Ferry. The compensation of executive board members in Germany has become a highly controversial topic since Vodafone's hostile takeover of Mannesmann in 2000 and it is again in the spotlight since the outbreak of the financial crisis of 2009. Dalia Marin analyses executive pay in the financial crisis in 2009 and in the banking sector based on unique panel data evidence of the 500 largest firms in Germany in the period 1977-2009. Dalia Marin tests two prominent hypotheses on executive pay of the literature: the managerial power hypothesis and the efficient pay hypothesis, with surprising results.

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• Stepping-up the role of the ETS in EU energy sector decarbonisation

  This seminar will be jointly organised by IDDRI and Bruegel on policy instruments to incentivise long-term investments in decarbonising the energy sector. Presentations by Michel Colombier, Karsten Neuhoff, and Georg Zachmann on EU policy mixes for the long-term transition will be followed by a response from Philip Lowe and a panel discussion chaired by Laurence Tubiana.
  
  The 2008 Climate and Energy Package took important steps towards a low-carbon economy in Europe. Since then, the policy focus has broadened to the long-term 2050 perspective, in which it is clear that Europe must achieve a fundamental transformation of its energy system. Current policy instruments therefore need to place Europe on a feasible long-term pathway. The role of the policy mix in the long-term has entered the European debate with the Energy Roadmap of the European Commission.
  
  

  Speakers

  Georg Zachmann, Research Fellow, Bruegel Karsten Neuhoff, Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW) / Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)
  
  Michel Colombier, Scientific director, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) Discussant Philip Lowe, Director General, European Commission, DG Energy Chair Laurence Tubiana, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI)

  Agenda

  11:45 - 12:00 Sandwich lunch 12:00 - 12:10: Introduction and welcome - Professor Laurence Tubiana 12:10 – 12:25: Energy sector investment needs and decarbonisation perspectives in EU Member States - Dr. Georg Zachmann 12:25 – 12:45: Assessing and reinforcing the impact of the EU ETS - Dr. Karsten Neuhoff 12:45 – 13:05: Implementing the Energy Roadmap: a policy mix for the long-term - Dr. Michel Colombier 13:05 – 13:20: Response - Philip Lowe 13:20 – 13:50: Questions and panel discussion.

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• How economics shapes science

  With countries struggling to build their post-crisis knowledge based growth strategies, there is an increased interest in understanding science to as engine of growth. Society’s grand challenges like climate change, ageing, security require science to effectively tackle them. The US science system is typically invoked as the frontier. But one typically lacks detailed knowledge on how it actually operates. Paula Stephan’s book provides a wealth of facts, figures and stories on the recent trends in the US science system. The data are processed through an economic framework, analyzing the incentives of researchers, what university science costs, who pays for it and who benefits. Paula’s book can help corporate users of science and science policy makers see what levers they have (or do not have) to direct science. Paula Stephan will present the main insights from the book. Isi Saragossi will present the view from EU STI policy making. The event is jointly organised with

  Speakers

  Panelists

  • Paula Stephan is Professor of Economics at Georgia State University and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Isi Saragossi, Director International Cooperation, EC- DGRTD

  Chairs

  • Richard L. Hudson, CEO & Editor of Science|Business
  • Reinhilde Veugelers, Research Fellow at Bruegel

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• A sceptic's solution to the euro crisis?

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  Having been an early supporter of the euro, Hans-Olaf Henkel now considers his engagement to be the biggest professional mistake he ever made. In this lunch time talk, he will present his views on the euro.

  Other speakers TBC

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• Official launch of the 2011 EEAG Report on the European Economy

  This event, jointly organised by Bruegel and the European Economic Advisory Group (EEAG) at CESifo, marks the the launch of the eleventh yearly EEAG Report on the European Economy. Throughout the decade, the EEAG Report has provided a comprehensive forecast for the European economy for the coming year and reviewed the policy options available.
  Speakers will include Hans-Werner Sinn, President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research and Director of CESifo.

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