Policy Dialogue with :
Christian Danielsson
Director General for Enlargement, European Commission
Milica Delević
Deputy Secretary General
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Milica Uvalić
Professor of Economics, University of Perugia
Sanjin Arifagić
Head of Unit and Coordinator of SEE2020 Strategy
Regional Cooperation Council
Tuesday, 4 November 2014, 16.00-18.00 (registration from 15.40)
Scotland House, Rond-Point Schuman 6, 1040 Brussels
This year’s enlargement package, published last month by the European Commission, identified economic governance as one of the three structural pillars of the EU’s enlargement policy, alongside the rule of law and public administration. Will the Commission’s strategy in the economic field prove to be a game-changer or a mere straw in the wind for Balkan enlargement ? To help improve economic governance and competitiveness in the EU-hopeful countries of the Balkans – none of which is yet a functioning market economy – the Brussels’ executive pledged more guidance for domestic reform agendas and better targeted IPA funding in this region hit hard by the global economic and euro crises. But how does the Commission plan more concretely to assist the Balkan countries in dealing with major challenges such as high unemployment and low foreign investment ? Will the package garner the political will in the countries to undertake painful reforms, given the currently distant prospect of EU accession ? And what role should member states and other European organisations and bodies assume in the process of getting the Balkans onto a healthy economic footing ?
These and other issues will be discussed by our panel of experts. The debate and question and answer session will be chaired by Corina Stratulat, EPC Senior Policy Analyst.
European Policy Centre
Tel : 02 231 03 40
www.epc.eu
