Renaissance Hotel Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Brussels 16 October 2019 08:30-09:00 REGISTRATION 09:00-10:30 PANEL DEBATES Round 1 Setting the Course Transforming our Boosting Participatory of a Post-Brexit EU Economy: Democracy: Finding the Collins Institute When SMEs Go Green Optimal Tools (Ireland) Anton Tunega Foundation Kós Károly Academy (Slovakia) Foundation (Romania) 11:00-12:30 PANEL DEBATES Round 2 A New Zeitgeist for Youth and Economy: Time for a New European People’s Parties? Where is the Promised Pact on Migration? Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Land? Luigi Sturzo Institute (Germany) Toivo Think Tank (Italy) Political Academy of the Austrian People’s Party (Finland) (Austria) 13:30-15:00 PANEL DEBATES Round 3 Climate Change: Middle Class at the NATO, the EU and the Centre-Right Sustainable Crossroads: European Defence Solutions Managing Change Community: Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung TOPAZ Where Are we at? (Germany) (Czech Republic) De Gasperi Foundation (Italy) 15:30-17:00 PANEL DEBATES Round 4 Re-modelling our Investing in our Future: Demographic Decline and European House of Climate Policies for the Migration: Finding the Democracy Middle-class European Golden Mean Jože Pucnik Institute CDA Research Institute Konstantinos Karamanlis (Slovenia) (The Netherlands) Institute for Democracy (Greece) 10:30-11:00 12:30-13:30 17:00-18:00 15:00-15:30 Organized by: In cooperation with: This event receives financial support from the European Parliament. Sole liability rests with the organiser, the European Parliament is not responsible for the activity. 09:00-10:30 PANEL DEBATES Round 1 Moderator and kick-off speaker: Setting the Course of a Post-Brexit EU Eoin Drea Collins Institute (Ireland) Senior Research Officer, Martens Centre Brexit will impose a set of serious challenges for the future of the European Union. Panel Speakers: As key advocates in the development of the single market, EU enlargement and Sieglinde Gstöhl global trade, the absence of Britain as a member of the EU will confront Professor, College of Europe, Bruges Brussels with strategic choices. Will Brexit negatively impact the subsequent evolution of the Single Market? Is Europe a weaker player in global trade Paddy Harte negotiations without Britain? Will a non-British EU influence how Brussels Chair, International Fund for Ireland projects its power in its surrounding neighbourhood? For member states within the EU, are new strategic alliances necessary to ensure there remains an Johan Bjerkem impetus for further development? Based on the specific experience of Ireland, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre what lessons can smaller EU states, in particular, also obtain from the Brexit experience since 2016? Q&A session Moderator: Transforming our Economy: Dimitar Lilkov When SMEs Go Green Research Officer, Martens Centre Anton Tunega Foundation (Slovakia) Kick-off speaker: Ivan Štefanec MEP, EPP Group, Small and medium enterprises represent the core of the healthy economy of many President of SME Europe EU member states. They employ a wide share of the labour force and offer Panel Speakers: flexibility when facing future market challenges. This raises a number of questions Eva Palackova when it comes to the role of SMEs in addressing new challenges, such as climate Senior Political Adviser, EPP change. Are SMEs prepared and able to reinvent themselves? Can small, innovative, green companies represent a new model of entrepreneurship? How can EU Peter Badík Co-Founder, Managing legislation motivate companies to become more green in the most effective way? Partner, Greenway Infrastructure How do we mitigate the risks and costs that a green transformation could entail for the business sector? Ondrej Sočuvka Senior Manager, EU Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google Q&A session Moderator: Boosting Participatory Democracy: Elisa Lironi Senior Manager European Democracy, Finding the Optimal Tools European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) Kós Károly Academy Foundation (Romania) Kick-off speaker: Vincze Loránt The possibility to submit a petition to the European Parliament is of fundamental MEP, EPP Group, President of the Federal importance in defending and promoting the rights of EU citizens and residents. Union of European Nationalities Each year, more than one thousand petitions are submitted. However, only a small number of citizens are aware of their right to petition, as some are intimated Panel Speakers: by excessive bureaucracy while others are not aware of what matters fall under Carsten Berg Campaign General Coordinator, EU fields of activity. For these reasons, further efforts should be made in order to European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) raise awareness about this instrument. The European Citizens Initiative is a revolutionary tool of transnational participatory democracy through which Rainer Wieland citizens can call upon the European Commission to propose new or change MEP, EPP Group, existing European legislation. How can we make this and other instruments more Vice-President of the EP, Substitute Member of the Committee on petitions effective in bringing the EU closer to citizens? Szász Attila Deputy editor in chief, Radio Targu-Mures public radio station Q&A session Organized by: In cooperation with: 11:00-12:30 PANEL DEBATES Round 2 Moderator: A New Zeitgeist for People’s Parties? Ioana Lung Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS-Germany) Head of Communications Political Academy of the Austrian People’s Party (Austria) and Marketing, Martens Centre For decades, people’s parties were able to attract a large share of consensus. Kick-off speaker: Dennis Radke They were a common ground for voters with different backgrounds, age and MEP, EPP Group, views. People’s parties were providing stability in many parliamentary systems. Coordinator of the Committee on Recent developments in election results across Europe have shown however Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) that it is becoming more and more difficult for people’s parties to fulfil this role. Many party systems have become highly fragmented and political landscapes Panel Speakers: are quickly changing. Voting behaviour is transitioning towards more volatility. Karoline Edstadler What has changed and why is the approach of people’s parties facing growing MEP, EPP Group pressure? What can people’s parties do in order to counter the increasing Paul Unterhuber fragmentation of the political landscape and the growing success of populist Opinion Pollster parties? On which priorities should they build their political platforms? Q&A session Moderator: Youth and Economy: Juho Mäki-Lohiluoma Vice Chairman, Where is the Promised Land? International Young Democrat Union Toivo Think Tank (Finland) Kick-off speaker: Henna Virkkunen The generation currently entering working life is living in a prosperous Europe, MEP, EPP Group, but facing a long list of difficulties. The average wages for this generation are Former Education Minister of Finland falling behind; they advance slower in their careers, and have more of a negative Panel Speakers: image of their future than previous generations. Working life is changing, as Eoin Drea many entry-level positions are vanishing and the trust in the pension system is Senior Research Officer, Martens Centre shaking. At the same time, in many countries, the EPP is losing young voters to greens, populists, and liberals. How do we address these challenges and Juha-Pekka Nurvala Senior Political Adviser, EPP redeem our credibility as the voice of the future? What should be the centre-right approach to not only address youth unemployment, but the broader challenges Mikael Lehtonen facing this generation? What kind of concrete policies do we need to implement Coordinator, Youth of The National coalition Party, Board member of The at the European level and, even more importantly, what kind of policies do we Finnish Youth Council need to avoid? Q&A session Moderator: Time for a New European Pact on Migration? Loredana Teodorescu Luigi Sturzo Institute (Italy) Head of EU and International Affairs, Luigi Sturzo Institute Despite a general decrease in the number of irregular migrants entering Europe, migration still remains a pressing issue for the EU and has become Kick-off speaker: highly politicised and divisive. Tensions between member states have Andrea Biagini Coordinator Justice and Home Affairs, increased in the last months, after Italy's decision to partially close its ports. Italian Permanent Representation to the EU While crises over disembarkation of rescued passengers have been solved on a case-by-case basis and an overall reform of the Dublin system is stalled, Panel Speakers: the inability of the EU to provide an answer might lead to an incapacity to cope with future challenges and, in the end, cause a return to nationalistic Michael Shotter approaches, thereby further destabilising the unity within the EU. Ursula von Director for Migration, Protection and der Leyen already promised a ‘fresh start on migration’ and a group of willing Visa, European Commission member states are making attempts to find an agreement. Will the new Geertrui Landau European legislature be able to give a new course to a truly European Senior Regional Labour Mobility and migration policy? How do we overcome the divisions between member Human Development Specialist states? Is it possible to find a common response at the European level? Q&A session Organized by: In cooperation with: 13:30-15:00 PANEL DEBATES Round 3 Moderator: Climate Change: Dimitar Lilkov Centre-Right Sustainable Solutions Research Officer,