Partnership for European Progress - Which growth for Europe?

14 December 2010 _ Berlin
Das Progressive Zentrum in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the Commerzbank AG will hold an international conference.

The financial crisis has changed the world, and it has changed Europe.

A progressive, sustainable program for the renewal of European societies and the European Union as a whole is urgently needed.

In order to do so, the EU has launched the “EU2020 strategy for an intelligent, sustainable and integrative growth”. It is meant to fuel social cohesion and economic drive. Yet the goals aspired by “EU2020” can only be met if all EU countries, old and new member states agree to renew their economic and social models. The conference is meant to bring together represenatives from various member states to discuss chances and constrains of the European growth strategy. Thereby, the question on the development of a European knowledge economy will be of special importance: How can Europe’s societies transform in order to more effectively spotlight innovation, education and digitalisation?

An emphasis of the conference will lie on the different perspectives of new and old EU members states on the following questions: which impact do the old EU member states have on the renewal of Europe’s economic and social model? And which role can and will be played by the new member states?

Das Progressive Zentrum invites experts, policy makers and representatives of the civil society to controversially discuss the above mentioned questions and further issues. We hope to create an open discussion which will be fruitful to all participants.

The conference completes the series of events on the “Future of the European Economic and Social Model” which das Progressive Zentrum started in 2009. Within four workshops a network of young representatives from the old and new member states discussed various reform projects. The results of all workshops can be found on our website. You will find the agenda here.