Registration

Welcome 

Opening words by Mathieu Segers

Opening keynote

Joachim Bitterlich, former foreign and security policy advisor to Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl

Session 1: rethinking European economic policy in the 'E'MU 

Europe is facing a green, digital and geopolitical transition whilst recovering from the social and economic impacts of the pandemic. This session will focus on how the NextGenerationEU fund and Recovery and Resilience Facility address macroeconomic divergences within the EU. Speakers will discuss the fiscal framework needed to enable member states to take action and decrease future liabilities due to issues like climate change or pandemics. 

Confirmed speakers: Dr. Benedicta Marzinotto (University of Udine), Mr. Graham Bishop, Prof. Mathieu Segers (Maastricht University)

Moderator: Annette van Soest 

Lunchbreak

20 years euro: a Dutch perspective

In conversation with: Roel Janssen, economic journalist and author of “De euro”

Session 2: the challenges of European monetary and fiscal policy

The EMU was founded on a strong belief in monetary discipline and fiscal conservatism to ensure financial stability in the Eurozone. This session will focus on the recent tightening of monetary policies by central banks. Speakers will reflect on the current ramifications and the instrumentation of the ECB’s mandate within the broader framework of the Maastricht Treaty. The session will also address lessons learnt from the Eurozone crisis. 

Confirmed speakers: Dr. Rolf Strauch (European Stability Mechanism), Dr. Maria Demertzis (Bruegel), Dr. Erik Jones (Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies).  

Moderator: Annette van Soest 

Keynote speech by Klaas Knot

Session 3: the EMU and finance in Europe

The financial crisis showed that the financial sector, financial flows and the rise of private debt can become a destabilising force in a monetary union. This session will focus on the ‘Europe of banks’ and more specifically on the role of banks and the financial sector in the creation and evolution of the EMU. Speakers will share their thoughts on the responsibility of banks in overcoming crises as well as their influence in designing institutional frameworks for the EMU. 

Confirmed speakers: Klaas Knot (De Nederlandsche Bank), Linda Zeilina (International Sustainable Finance Centre), Dr. William de Vijlder (BNP Paribas).

Moderator: Annette van Soest

Closing

Closing words by Maarten van Gaans-Gijbels, regional minister at the Government of Limburg

Networking drinks