After years of economic turmoil, many analysts now believe the continent has finally weathered the worst of the financial storm. Others would argue, however, that the EU is no way near ‘normality’. Tensions between creditors and debtors remain high; so does unemployment, in particular among the young; the European social model is still being radically changed as a result of the crisis while eurocepticism continues to grow in many countries and is likely to have a significant impact on the forthcoming EP elections. Not least, the British debate about relationship with the EU is set to take further unexpected turns as the country is slowly heading towards the next general election. Against this background, Open Europe and Policy Network join forces to stage an end-of-year debate about the state of the EU and possible scenarios for 2014 and beyond. The event will feature a major new initiative “A new Pact for Europe”, led by the influential Brussels think tank European Policy Centre (EPC), whose interim report on the strategic choices for the EU will inform and guide the debate.
Questions for debate include:
- Is the crisis management of the Eurozone finally showing some success or do EU leaders continue to ‘kick the can down the road’?
- Do we need to stick to the incremental reform process championed by Angela Merkel or does the EU and EMU require some kind of ‘grand bargain’ to address its many challenges?
- Is Britain pursuing the right kind of strategy to reconcile the pressures deriving from domestic politics and wider European and international interests? What future scenario for Europe would best suit the UK?
Speakers:
- Janis Emmanouilidis, Director of Studies, European Policy Centre
- Megan Green , Chief Economist, Maverick Intelligence
- Mats Persson , Director, Open Europe
- Dominic Rabb, Conservative Member of Parliament, and member of the Fresh Start Project
- Gareth Thomas , Labour Co-op Member of Parliament and shadow Europe Minister
Chair: Olaf Cramme, Director, Policy Network
This event is held in partnership with Open Europe.