You can join a select group of some 40 discussants for our Roundtable “The Nature of Economic Growth: In Search of a new Framework for Progress and Prosperity” taking place on Wednesday 8 December at the Hotel Sofitel in Brussels between 10:30 and 15:30.
Discussions will focus on re-thinking growth and development as the political pursuit of economic growth at any cost has been called into question by the global crisis and the new challenges of climate, energy and resource constraints. Questions to be addressed during the roundtable are:
- Does Europe need a new economic growth agenda and is the EU’s 2020 Strategy for “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth” the right framework for future prosperity?
- Should we really question the dominance of GDP growth as THE top priority for policymakers? Are there alternative macro-economic approaches which would be social and ecologically sustainable?
- Does Europe (and the rest of the developed economies) need to “de-grow” or to downsize to allow the developing and poor countries to grow?
Discussants include:
- Janez Potocnik*, EU Commissioner for Environment
- Olivier Deleuze, Member of the Belgian Parliament and former Secretary of State for Energy and Sustainable Development
- Pervenche Berès MEP*, Chairwoman of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, European Parliament
- Friedrich Hinterberger, President of the Sustainable Research Institute (SERI)
- Charles Seaford, Head of the Centre for Well-Being, The New Economics Foundation (NEF)
- Irmi Seidl, Swiss Federal Research Institute, Author of ‘Postwachstumsgesellschaft? Neue Konzepte für die Zukunft” (Post- growth society – new concepts for the future)
- Mathis Wackernagel, Executive Director, Global Footprint Network
- Andreas Breitenfellner, Senior Economist at the Austrian National Bank
- Anders Wijkman, Vice-Chairman, The Tällberg Foundation, Sweden and former Member of the European Parliament
*to be confirmed
The event presents a unique opportunity to have a discussion between senior representatives from the EU and other international institutions, European policymakers, social partners, senior officials from international organisations, business and industry representatives and leading academics. Around 100 observers will join.
The roundtable is organised in partnership with the Ecosocial Forum Europe and has the patronage of the European Commission Directorate General for the Environment.
It is supported by Microsoft and EUROPIA.
Please click here for the programme and the registration form.
Contact: Willy De Backer, Head of the Greening Europe Forum, Friends of Europe
Friends of Europe is an independent think tank for EU policy analysis and debate
Bibliothèque Solvay • Parc Léopold • 137 rue Belliard • 1040 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 737 9150 | Fax: +32 273 875 97