Seven Years after the Crisis: Intersecting Perspectives

20:00 – 22:30

09:15 – 09:30

Opening remarks

Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center

Nicolò Russo Perez, Head, International Affairs Program, Compagnia di San Paolo

Guntram B. Wolff, Former Director

09:30 – 10:45

Panel I : Long-term growth strategies for advanced and emerging economies

Chair: Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Country Director for the Maghreb, World Bank

Several years after the crisis, economic recovery is still fragile, especially in Europe. The expectations of growth are decreasing and take-off is struggling from feeble demand from developed countries, pushing developing ones to seek alternative growth strategies. These challenges have constrained structural transformations which would enable new growth drivers. This session aims at shedding light on the different impediments to long-term growth after the crisis for both advanced and emerging economies, putting focus on the strengths and weaknesses of current strategies to transform the current unfavourable situation into an opportunity to design more efficient growth paths.

Authors of paper

Rim Berahab, Research Assistant, OCP Policy Center

Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center

Karim El Mokri, Senior Economist, OCP Policy Center

Speakers

Marek Dabrowski, Non-Resident Fellow

Uri Dadush, Non-Resident Fellow

Heliodoro Temprano Arroyo, Head of Unit "Neighbourhood Countries and Macro-Financial Assistance", European Commission, DG ECFIN

10:45 – 11:15

11:15 – 12:30

Panel II: Industrial policy- taking stock of post-crisis industries in advanced economies and the evolution of industries in emerging MENA countries

Chair: Dominique Bocquet, General Finance and Economic Controller, Ministry of Finance, France

Emerging economies are playing a growing role in the global economy thanks to their engagement in global value chains (GVCs) that have allowed countries to integrate rapidly in the global economy. While integration into GVCs by emerging economies has the potential to contribute to rapid growth in exports, employment and economic growth in these countries, it is only one, albeit important, stepping stone for economic development. This session will take stock of industrial policy in advanced economies as well as the evolution of industries, and their role in GVCs, in emerging countries.

Author of paper

Abdelaziz Ait Ali, Economist, OCP Policy Center

Hinh Dinh, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center

Yassine Msadfa, Research Assistant, OCP Policy Center

Speakers

Hakim Ben Hammouda, Former Minister of Finance, Tunisia

Ted Moran, Georgetown University and Non Resident Fellow, PIIE

Chiedu Osakwe, Director of Accessions, WTO

Additional speaker to be confirmed

12:45 – 14:30

Keynote speech

Speaker from Ministry of Economy and Finance to be confirmed

14:30 – 15:45

Panel III: Rethinking the euro-mediterranean energy relations

Chair: Manfred Hafner, Coordinator of Energy Scenarios and Policy Programme, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei

In addition to geopolitical instability, countries located along the Southern shore of the Mediterranean face a range of pressing macro- and socio-economic challenges, including solving the problems of poverty and high levels of structural unemployment, in a context of fast demographic growth as well as the windfall of oil revenues. Access to energy is essential to enable socio-economic development. The current energy situation in Southern Mediterranean countries is characterized by a rapid increase of energy demand, low energy efficiency and low domestic energy prices due to universal energy subsidies. In short, the current energy situation does not appear sustainable and poses several risks to the prospects of socio-economic development of the region. This panel will investigate how the EU could formulate a new cooperation with Southern Mediterranean countries to enhance the sustainability of the regional energy systems, also in the framework of the Energy Union and of the evolving European Neighbourhood Policy.

Authors of paper

Simone Tagliapietra, Senior Fellow

Georg Zachmann, Senior Fellow

Speakers

Laura El-Katiri, Reseach Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Marco Raganella, Head of Business Development Maghreb, Enel Green Power S.p.A.

Mehmet Öğütçü, Chairman, Bosphorus Energy Club

15:45 – 16:00

16:00 – 17:15

Panel IV: Youth unemployment in developed and emerging economies

Chair: Malika Laasri Lahou, CEO for Morocco, Education for Employment

The stubbornly high rate of unemployment and its persistence since the crisis is a problem for both developed and emerging countries. These rates are unfortunately more alarming when referring to the youth in emerging countries. Fuelling these high figures are certain factors making it hard for younger job seekers to secure one. To name a few, the job creation rate is low, the job market laws are rigid and the education system is not adequate to employers’ needs. With this in mind, this panel aims to discuss the aforementioned factors, both structural and short-term, fuelling the increasing unemployment as well as suggesting solutions that can help reverse this trend both in developed and emerging economies.

Author of paper

Guntram B. Wolff, Former Director

Speakers

Samir Benmakhlouf, Director General, Microsoft Morocco

Stefano Sacchi, Professor, University of Milan and Special Commissioner, ISFOL, Rome

Daniela Zampini, Employment Specialist, International Labour Office

17:15 – 17:30

17:30 – 18:30

Policy panel

Chair: Guntram B. Wolff, Former Director

This high-level panel will be an opportunity for seasoned policy makers to discuss appropriate policy responses to sluggish growth, rapidly changing market structures, uncoordinated trade policies to name a few of the challenges policy makers have to face nowadays.

Speakers

Iñigo Fernandez de Mesa, State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Support for Business, Spain

Ahmed Rahhou, President, Economic Affairs and Strategic Projects, CESE, Director, Business Climate and PPP, Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises

Edward Scicluna, Minister for Finance, Malta

21:00 – 23:00