Madariaga Report - 15 May 2013As guerrilla operations revamp in minerals-rich North-East Congo, the EU faces mounting pressure to draft binding legislation on corporate disclosure in supply chains to align itself with the US, who has finalised new tight rules on this subject. Subject to a vote by the European Parliament in June 2013, the new EU Accounting Directive will require companies to disclose payments - of 100,000 EUR and above - made for each individual resource project they operate. Should the EU integrate these rules with a set of legislative proposals on responsible sourcing, in order to tackle the issue of conflict minerals and payments to armed groups? Would such legislation be likely to penalise EU businesses vis-à-vis emerging economies in the race for African raw materials? A Citizen’s Controversy with Judith Sargentini, Member of the European Parliament, and Andrew Bone, Director for International Relations, De Beers. The debate was moderated by Pierre Defraigne, Executive Director, Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation. The debate was held in English.  Report |
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Madariaga Report - 8 avril 2013Après avoir été négocié dans des conditions politiques extrêmement difficiles, l’opinion largement répandue est que l’accord sur le Cadre Financier Pluriannuel sorti du Conseil est tout sauf ambitieux. Malgré plusieurs innovations, tel le mécanisme de flexibilité qui permet de déplacer les dépenses d’un chapitre à un autre, beaucoup d’observateurs prévoient que l’absence de changement radical des méthodes et des acteurs de la gouvernance fait que le prochain budget risque de ne pas être favorable à la croissance. Le Parlement européen devrait-il rejeter la proposition budgétaire du Conseil afin d’envoyer un signal politique concret ? Comment sortir du piège de la contribution nette afin d’avoir un budget capable de répondre aux priorités politiques qui sont plus européennes que nationales ? Quelles ressources propres faudrait-il à l'UE et comment les financer ? Une Controverse Citoyenne avec Jean-Luc Dehaene, Membre du Parlement européen, et Philippe Etienne, Ambassadeur, Représentant Permanent de la France auprès de l'Union européenne. Le débat était modéré par Pierre Defraigne, Directeur Exécutif, Fondation Madariaga - Collège d' Europe.  Rapport
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Madariaga Report - 4 April 2013With the fall of aggregate demand resulting from the crisis and austerity policies, labour market flexibility is revealing its dark side. The margin of the labour force is feeling increasingly doomed to a precarious life, leading to problems of self-representation of the workers and occupational identity, not to mention the rise of social illness. Does the rage of this new class have the potential of transforming into a factor of change, or will such an outcome be prevented by the atomisation of labour stemming from neoliberal policy choices and the evolution towards a services-based society? Is there any chance of re-engaging the precariat within the traditional domains of political representation, or will the dominance of economics in the centrist political discourse consign the precariat to extra-parliamentary ways of representation? A Citizen’s Controversy with Guy Standing, Professor of Economic Security at the University of Bath, and Denis Pennel, Managing Director of Eurociett - European Confederation of Private Employment Agencies. The debate was moderated by Pierre Defraigne, Executive Director, Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation. Denis Pennel Presentation Report |
Madariaga Report - 21 March 2013Despite the Council's attempts to address the negative feedback loops between sovereign and banking crises, borrowing costs remain volatile so that schemes of common bond issuance persistently remain on the institutions' agendas. What kinds of measures and sequencing could be adopted to overcome the triple obstacle of moral hazard, legal constraints, and increasing borrowing costs for AAA countries? Should a common bond issuance scheme be targeted at the short term (Eurobills) or the long term (Eurobonds)? What can be done with or without a Treaty change? In case an integrated and liquid bond market emerges, is Europe politically ready to take on the international responsibilities stemming from the issuance of a global reserve currency? A Citizen’s Controversy with Sylvie Goulard, Member of the European Parliament (ALDE), and Ansgar Belke, Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The debate was be moderated by Pierre Defraigne, Executive Director, Madariaga - College of Europe Foundation. Report |
Madariaga Report - 7 March 2013The WTO proved to be essential to avoid a return to protectionist temptations. However, the multilateral free trade system is called into question by the current economic crisis - and its serious social consequences - and by the proliferation of preferential trade agreements resulting from the Doha Round paralysis. Is this the beginning of a new era of protectionism or the emergence of an alternative system consistent and compatible with the WTO rules? Has the EU abdicated its role of multilateral free trade promoter to follow the path of competitive liberalisation? A Citizen’s Controversy with Ditte Juul-Joergensen, Director for WTO, legal affairs and trade in goods, DG Trade, European Commission, and Roderick Abbott, Member of the Advisory Board of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE). The debate was moderated by Alexander Schaub, former European Commission Official. Report |
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