"Globalization is having an ever greater impact on Europe. The design of our strategy for competitiveness is put to the test. Its consistency with our collective social and environmental policy decisions is being discussed.
The EU is an essential player in producing market rules and promoting human rights. Yet, this is no longer sufficient to shape and structure globalization.
To become a fully-fledged global player is the new perspective of the European Union. The quest and the debate are open.
Citizens often express concern about the impact of globalization, and sometimes a wish for protection. The EU has opted for an open society and for the development of trade. The choice is right, but the benefits of globalization are neither spontaneous nor are they for all.
We need to consolidate the economic union and build an external economic policy. EU policies will need to be seriously overhauled.
It is imperative that each policy should clearly define the European interest to ensure it is based on a solid foundation. This is difficult for 2 reasons: 1/national interests differ and are quite often at loggerheads ; 2/interests differ inside society: between producers’ and consumers’ interests, between competitiveness and the fight against global warming...
Such a collective effort calls for a method based on broad participation. A real strategy is needed to enable European societies to individually and collectively appropriate anticipation of change, response to consultation, participation in the implementation of decisions. The experience of companies, social partners, trade unions and associations should be used, to confront their analyses and opinions. In the EU institutions, leaders and elected representatives will have to agregate interests, work out the common interest, improve co-operation.

Our colloquium will focus on EU policies faced with the lack of competitiveness of European industries. The following objectives and questions need to be discussed:
 A base camp for European companies in a globalized world : How can the economic union be consolidated to improve the competitiveness of European industries?
 A new trade policy mandate : How can the principle of reciprocity in market access be reconciled with differing collective preferences?
 An EU policy for international investment : How can our interests and strategic partnerships be defined and international investment be negotiated?
 Interactive governance and participation : How can changes be made more acceptable and co-operation within the EU Institutions be improved?"

A seminar was convened twice a month in Paris and in Brussels from October 2007 to July 2008.
Its contributions are collected in a book to be published before the colloquium under the title "Looking for the European interest, in French in English, in our collection “L’Europe après l’Europe”, Editions Le Manuscrit.

Minutes, Photos and slides shown by the speakers are available here.

PROGRAMME

 FIRST ROUND TABLE : A base camp for EU companies in a globalized world
How can the economic union be consolidated to improve the competitiveness of European industries?
A debate on the stakes for globalized industries and companies, with a particular focus on the defence and automotive sectors.
Assessing human ressources policies for innovation and anticipation of change. How can common policies be developped for human capabilities and skills, to enhance experience, to develop mobility and to manage restructuring?
Assessing internal market policies and the efficiency of the market model. The discussion could focus on price-competitiveness problems, infrastructure and standards, and the quality of institutional coordination.
Should the internal market be diluted in the world market? What are the real problems of reciprocity in market access; is the exchange rate of the Euro an advantage or disadvantage for competitiveness?

 SECOND ROUND TABLE : A new trade policy mandate
How can the principle of reciprocity in market access be reconciled with different collective preferences?
Lessons of the Doha negotiations. What will be the future strategic perspective of the EU to deal with fundamental problems in both multilateral and bilateral negotiations: heterogeneity of collective preferences and factual differentiation of countries and regions in world trade? Is the debate between liberalization and community preference closed?
Intense competition is developing over the control of raw materials, while the EU gives priority to climate change and sustainable development. We negotiate multilateral agreements in a global public good perspective. How can we make progress without hampering our competitiveness, do we need to reintroduce compensation mechanisms at our borders?
The common energy policy is unable to integrate the objective of supply security. Different interest within the EU and a lack of solidarity weaken its capacity to act outside. Our call for reciprocity is not heeded when we attempt to export our competition rules. We are going to analyse these issues in the priority perspective of strategic partnership with Russia.

 Dinner-Debate : Industrialists, partners and participants of the colloquium meet key figures from India and Russia. _Chaired by / Présidé par
 Jean-Dominique GIULIANI, President of Robert Schuman Fondation
With the participation of / avec la participation de :
 Barid Baran BHATTACHARYA, Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
 Gueorgui SKOROV, Professor, MGIMO University, Moscow ; Former Economic Advisor to President Gorbatchev

THURSDAY 30th OCTOBER

 THIRD ROUND TABLE : An EU policy for international investment
How can our strategic interests and partnerships be defined and international investment be negotiated?
Do EU member states have common strategic interests in investment? Do we have an efficient financial system for long-term investment? Should public and private European investment funds be created, for the long term and for shareholder stability?
All attempts at multilateral negotiations on investment have failed. Bilateral national agreements have been signed to protect investment. In the light of the problems encountered, should the EU be mandated to negotiate on market access and the implementation of intellectual property rights?
We need the investments of sovereign funds in Europe, and we would equally like to be able to invest more in emerging countries. Conflits may arise over strategic interests. How can needs and conflicts be anticipated and the latter be solved?

 FOURTH ROUND TABLE : Interactive governance and participation
How can changes be made more acceptable and co-operation within EU institutions be improved?
What are the perspectives of social governance and regulation of the changes in the EU, in the new global context?
In the institutional framework of the Lisbon Treaty, how can coordination of internal EU policies be improved and external policies be put into place that are consistent with internal policy decisions?

5.45-6.30 : Conclusions by Philippe Herzog, President of Confrontations Europe

Minutes, Photos and slides shown by the speakers are available here.

Contact:
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 Bruxelles : Tél. : +32(0)2 506 88 61
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