WELFARE, WEALTH AND WORK: A NEW STRATEGY FOR EUROPE February 25th, 2016 Hotel Silken Berlaymont Boulevard Charlemagne 11 Brussels SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION GOVER- REGIONS INNO VATION NANCE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINA BILITY gy WELFARE te STATE ra st ad ro - h This project has received funding from the European g Union’s Seventh Framework i Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 290647. H WELFARE, WEALTH AND WORK: A STRATEGIC EUROPEAN APPROACH The European Union has demonstrated a tremendous success story of unification and implementation of a joint currency for 330 million people. Who should attend? Nevertheless, in the last years, the European project has shown the need for ● European institutions and a consistent, longer-term strategy, a vision that again sparks enthusiasm agencies and support for this project. ● Social partner For the last four years WWWforEurope has worked on such a strategic organisations approach in close communication with policy makers, the research ● Trade unions community and stakeholders – the results of this research work and the policy conclusions are to be presented and discussed at this symposium: ● Employers’ confederations ● Economic development WWWforEurope’s overall vision is that by 2050 Europe will have become a agencies role model for a dynamic, open, and pluralistic economic area characterised ● by limited income differences, absolute decline of emissions and resource Non-governmental institutions use and positive spillovers to neighbours and the world at large. ● Economic, political and In the short and medium run this will mean fostering dynamics and social science think tanks employment via consolidation and reprogramming, while in the long run ● Media Europe should become front-runner in a socio-ecological transition with high priority of sustainability and Beyond GDP goals. ● Environmental groups ● Academics and universities For both these stages a pro-active strategy towards a “high road of competitiveness” is needed, based on strengthening capabilities in ● Women’s interest groups education, innovation, institutions, activating social policy, and ecological and associations ambition. ● Youth organisations ● In the foreseeable future the European economy is not prepared for slow Local authorities growth. To tackle the problems of unemployment, poverty and public ● International and regional debt industrialised countries have to restart growth. But this cannot be organisations achieved by a business as usual approach – instead, investment in change is ● Employment agencies needed, meaning reprogramming towards new, environmentally sustainable infrastructure, social innovation, and changing institutions. ● Social security institutions ● Social workers In the long run a double decoupling is called for: a decoupling of emissions organisations from output and a decoupling of employment and social welfare from ● output growth. This can be achieved by strengthening the capabilities Students in large realms: ecologically by striving for a low-carbon (and probably ● Teachers low-growth) economy, industrially by focussing on ecological and social ● and everybody interested innovation, socially by activation and equal opportunities, regionally by more in a new „European model“ involvement and integration of local stakeholders and, last but not least, governmentally by increasing transparency and consistency of institutions. WELFARE, WEALTH AND WORK: A STRATEGIC EUROPEAN APPROACH FEBRUARY 25th, 2016 PROGRAMME 10:00 Registration 10:30 Welcoming Addresses/Keynotes Karl Aiginger, Austrian Institute of Economic Research, Coordinator of WWWforEurope; Kenneth Arrow, Stanford University, Member of the Scientific Board for the WWWforEurope project (video message); Peter Dröll, Director, DG Research and Innovation, EC; Domenico Rossetti di Valdalbero, Principal Administrator, DG Research and Innovation, EC 11:20 Session 1: Summary of Main Results of the Project Karl Aiginger, Austrian Institute of Economic Research 11:45 Coffee Break 12:00 Session 2: How to Combine Environmental Concerns with Dynamics and Innovation Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven 12:25 Session 3: Social Investment Thomas Leoni, Austrian Institute of Economic Research 12:50 Session 4: Reform Resistance and Reform Strategies Friedrich Heinemann, ZEW Mannheim 13:15 Lunch Break 14:00 Session 5: The Regional Dimension of Socio-Ecological Transition Thomas Sauer, University of Applied Sciences Jena 14:25 Session 6: Socio-Ecological Transition in a Historical Perspective Marina Fischer-Kowalski, Alpen Adria University, Klagenfurt 14:50 Coffee Break 15:10 Session 7: Wrap-Up Pervenche Berès, Member of the European Parliament; Franz Fischler, President of the European Forum Alpbach, former EU Commissioner; Monica Frassoni, Co-Chair of the European Green Party 15:40 Policy Panel Discussion Karl Aiginger, Austrian Institute of Economic Research; Kurt Bayer, Economist, former Executive Director at the Worldbank; Anton Hemerijck, VU University Amsterdam; Adam Posen, Peterson Institute for International Economics 16:40 Results of Opinion Survey Hans Pitlik, Austrian Institute of Economic Research 16:55 Closing Remarks Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Contact Information Updated February 08th, 2016 Project Coordinator: Please note that the programme is subject to changes. WIFO - Austrian Institute of Economic Research Arsenal, Objekt 20, 1030 Vienna, Austria Mandatory registration till February 14th, 2016: Telephone: +43 1 798 26 01-332 [email protected] www.foreurope.eu.