Seven Years after the Crisis: Intersecting Perspectives

Opening remarks

• Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel
• Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center
• Nicolò Russo Perez, Head, International Affairs Program, Compagnia di San Paolo

Panel I: Long-term Growth Strategies for Advanced and Emerging Economies

Several years after the crisis, economic recovery is still fragile, especially in Europe. The expectations of growth are decreasing and take-off is struggling from feeble demand from developed countries, pushing developing ones to seek alternative growth strategies. These challenges have constrained structural transformations which would enable new growth drivers. This session aims at shedding light on the different impediments to long-term growth after the crisis for both advanced and emerging economies, putting focus on the strengths and weaknesses of current strategies to transform the current unfavourable situation into an opportunity to design more efficient growth paths. Read the full paper.

Chair

• Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, Country Director for the Maghreb, World Bank

Author(s) Of Paper

• Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center
• Uri Dadush, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
• Karim El Mokri, Senior Economist, OCP Policy Center
• Rim Berahab, Research Assistant, OCP Policy Center

Speakers

• Marek Dabrowski, Professor, Higher School of Economics in Moscow and Non Resident Fellow, Bruegel
• Heliodoro Temprano Arroyo, Head of Unit “Neighbourhood Countries and Macro-Financial Assistance”, DG ECFI
• Uri Dadush, Carnegie’s International Economics Program & OCP Policy Center

Panel II: Industrial Policy

Taking Stock of Post-Crisis Industries in Advanced Economies and the Evolution of Industries in Emerging MENA Countries
Emerging economies are playing a growing role in the global economy thanks to their engagement in global value chains (GVCs) that have allowed countries to integrate rapidly in the global economy. While integration into GVCs by emerging economies has the potential to contribute to rapid growth in exports, employment and economic growth in these countries, it is only one, albeit important, stepping stone for economic development. This session will take stock of industrial policy in advanced economies as well as the evolution of industries, and their role in GVCs, in emerging countries.

Chair

• Dominique Bocquet, General Finance and Economic Controller, Ministry of Finance, France

Author(S) Of Paper

• Hinh Dinh, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
• Abdelaziz Ait Ali, Economist, OCP Policy Center
• Yassine Msadfa, Research Assistant, OCP Policy Center

Speakers

• Hakim Ben Hammouda, Former Minister of Finance, Tunisia
• Ted Moran, Professor, Georgetown University and Non Resident Fellow, PIIE
• Chiedu Osakwe, Director of the Accessions Division, WTO

Panel III: Rethinking the Euro-Mediterranean Energy Relations Bruegel

In addition to geopolitical instability, countries located along the Southern shore of the Mediterranean face a range of pressing macro and socio-economic challenges, including solving the problems of poverty and high levels of structural unemployment, in a context of fast demographic growth as well as the windfall of oil revenues. Access to energy is essential to enable socio-economic development. The current energy situation in Southern Mediterranean countries is characterized by a rapid increase of energy demand, low energy efficiency and low domestic energy prices due to universal energy subsidies. In short, the current energy situation does not appear sustainable and poses several risks to the prospects of socio-economic development of the region. This panel will investigate how the EU could formulate a new cooperation with Southern Mediterranean countries to enhance the sustainability of the regional energy systems, also in the framework of the Energy Union and of the evolving European Neighbourhood Policy.

Chair

• Manfred Hafner, Professor, John Hopkins University SAIS & Sciences Po

Author(S) Of Paper

• Simone Tagliapietra, Research Fellow, Bruegel
• Georg Zachmann, Senior Fellow, Bruegel

Speakers

• Laura El-Katiri, Energy Expert
• Mehmet Öğütçü, Chairman, Bosphorus Energy Club
• Marco Raganella, Head of Business Development Maghreb, Enel Green Power S.p.A

Panel IV: Youth unemployment in developed and emerging economies

The stubbornly high rate of unemployment and its persistence since the crisis is a problem for both developed and emerging countries. These rates are unfortunately more alarming when referring to the youth in emerging countries. Fuelling these high figures are certain factors making it hard for younger job seekers to secure one. To name a few, the job creation rate is low, the job market laws are rigid and the education system is not adequate to employers’ needs. With this in mind, this panel aims to discuss the aforementioned factors, both structural and short-term, fueling the increasing unemployment as well as suggesting solutions that can help reverse this trend both in developed and emerging economies.

Chair

• Malika Laasri Lahou, CEO for Morocco, Education for Employment

Author(S) Of Paper

• Nuria Boot, Research Assistant, Bruegel
• Karen Wilson, Senior Fellow, Bruegel
• Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel

Speakers

• Stefano Sacchi, Affiliate, University of Milan and ISFOL, Rome
• Daniela Zampini, Employment Specialist, International Labour Office

Policy panel

This high-level panel will be an opportunity for seasoned policy makers to discuss appropriate policy responses to sluggish growth, rapidly changing market structures, uncoordinated trade policies to name a few of the challenges policy makers have to face nowadays.

Chair

• Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel

Speakers

• Edward Scicluna, Minister for Finance, Malta
• Iñigo Fernandez de Mesa, State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Support for Business, Spain
• Ahmed Rahhou, President, Economic Affairs and Strategic Projects, CESE, Director, Business Climate and PPP, Confederation of Moroccan Enterprise