Bruegel Event Recordings

The global economy is changing. How can Europe respond to the challenges and opportunities created by these shifts? At this event a panel of speakers will give different perspectives on the following questions: -Does the EU have in place the necessary instruments to compete in this new era? -What types of skills and jobs will be needed in the 21st century economy? -Is the EU allocating resources adequately to foster innovation? -Is the EU keeping up the pace with digital transformations?

Value-added tax (V.A.T.) on goods and services varies widely across the EU in terms of the level of the tax, the threshold of firms’ turnover above which it applies, and bureaucratic burdens that apply. Such differences have hampered cross-border trade within the (digital) single market. Removing those barriers would help small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), often cited as drivers of the economy, to grow. In this event, we will address major challenges for cross-border commerce that arise from V.A.T. differences across Member States: -What is the impact of A.T. differences among Member States on cross-border commerce and growth of European economy? -Which are the challenges in implementing the recently adopted country of destination principle? -How do the envisioned changes to the VAT framework will affect SMEs? -How can we simplify and harmonise tax rules to induce further investments and growth of SMEs? -Where different V.A.T. rates are applied to physical versus digital goods in different Member Sta

This event was co-organised by Bruegel and the Kobe University Graduate School of Economics. Innovation is thought to be a key factor in bringing about economic recovery after the global economic crisis. On a global scale, Europe and Japan find themselves in a more worrying situation than the US. One reason for this is the weaker link between innovation and macro economy in Europe and Japan compared to the U.S. Europe shows a slow overall growth and lacks much needed pro-growth reforms. The Japanese economy, which began to deteriorate after the collapse of the bubble in the early 1990s, had stagnated throughout two decades. Innovation is one pillar of the drastic economic policies, known as ‘Abenomics,’ which have been in force since autumn 2012 to address this stagnation. Although, innovation represents the introduction of both novel and more efficient technologies, it cannot become an important factor of economic recovery without labour relocation, education and training, and the right socio-economic rec

This event was co-organised by Bruegel and the Kobe University Graduate School of Economics. Innovation is thought to be a key factor in bringing about economic recovery after the global economic crisis. On a global scale, Europe and Japan find themselves in a more worrying situation than the US. One reason for this is the weaker link between innovation and macro economy in Europe and Japan compared to the U.S. Europe shows a slow overall growth and lacks much needed pro-growth reforms. The Japanese economy, which began to deteriorate after the collapse of the bubble in the early 1990s, had stagnated throughout two decades. Innovation is one pillar of the drastic economic policies, known as ‘Abenomics,’ which have been in force since autumn 2012 to address this stagnation. Although, innovation represents the introduction of both novel and more efficient technologies, it cannot become an important factor of economic recovery without labour relocation, education and training, and the right socio-economic rec

This event was co-organised by Bruegel and the Kobe University Graduate School of Economics. Innovation is thought to be a key factor in bringing about economic recovery after the global economic crisis. On a global scale, Europe and Japan find themselves in a more worrying situation than the US. One reason for this is the weaker link between innovation and macro economy in Europe and Japan compared to the U.S. Europe shows a slow overall growth and lacks much needed pro-growth reforms. The Japanese economy, which began to deteriorate after the collapse of the bubble in the early 1990s, had stagnated throughout two decades. Innovation is one pillar of the drastic economic policies, known as ‘Abenomics,’ which have been in force since autumn 2012 to address this stagnation. Although, innovation represents the introduction of both novel and more efficient technologies, it cannot become an important factor of economic recovery without labour relocation, education and training, and the right socio-economic rec

Forward-thinking investors have long known of the risks associated not just with climate change but with related systemic risks to long-term prosperity such as water scarcity and inequality of opportunity. In response, France has introduced an Energy Transition Law that includes regulations requiring investors to align their portfolios with a 2°C world. Different global financial centres are now also bidding to become centres of green finance. Growing questions are now being asked about when Europe will get on the front foot and capitalise on this momentum. Actions seem ever more urgent, given that the European Systemic Risk Board and the Dutch Central Bank have both expressed concerns about the threat of climate change to financial stability in Europe. Furthermore, the G20 and Financial Stability Board are due to report this year both on Green Finance and on climate-related financial disclosures. This seminar looked at how the European Union could respond to this growing pressure and deliver a Green Capit

Why is Europe’s great monetary endeavor, the Euro, in trouble? A string of economic difficulties in Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and other Eurozone nations has left observers wondering whether the currency union can survive. At this event Markus Brunnermeier and Harold James presented their new book The Euro and the Battle for Ideas (co-authored by Jean-Pierre Landau) in which they argue that the core problem with the Euro lies in the philosophical differences between the founding countries of the Eurozone, particularly Germany and France. For more information, see http://bruegel.org/events/the-euro-and-the-battle-of-ideas/.

The UK's decision to leave the EU was greeted with shock in Europe, and three months after the referendum there is still a lot of uncertainty about what happens next. On October 10, Bruegel and the Financial Times brought together a panel including FT editor Lionel Barber to discuss what Brexit means for business and politics, to offer insight into high-level discussions and to ask how the UK and the EU can move forward. Find out lore at http://bruegel.org/events/ft/

Despite the return to economic growth, not all segments of society enjoy the same opportunities. In most countries, social mobility is weak. Moreover, children growing up in disadvantaged families tend to underperform when compared to their richer classmates. This educational underachievement leads to low employability. People with low educational levels also tend to have worse health conditions and shorter life expectancy. As well as undermining personal well-being and social cohesion, economic growth coupled with increased inequality could also be unsustainable. Inequality and poverty may also boost anti-establishment sentiment and support protest votes in elections and referendum. This half-day workshop, coincided with the launch of a new Bruegel report on these issues. The following questions were addressed during the workshop: Why is inclusive growth important? How different are the EU’s social problems from social problems in other parts of the world? What is the role of globalisation and technolog

Despite the return to economic growth, not all segments of society enjoy the same opportunities. In most countries, social mobility is weak. Moreover, children growing up in disadvantaged families tend to underperform when compared to their richer classmates. This educational underachievement leads to low employability. People with low educational levels also tend to have worse health conditions and shorter life expectancy. As well as undermining personal well-being and social cohesion, economic growth coupled with increased inequality could also be unsustainable. Inequality and poverty may also boost anti-establishment sentiment and support protest votes in elections and referendum. This half-day workshop, coincided with the launch of a new Bruegel report on these issues. The following questions were addressed during the workshop: Why is inclusive growth important? How different are the EU’s social problems from social problems in other parts of the world? What is the role of globalisation and technolog

Despite the return to economic growth, not all segments of society enjoy the same opportunities. In most countries, social mobility is weak. Moreover, children growing up in disadvantaged families tend to underperform when compared to their richer classmates. This educational underachievement leads to low employability. People with low educational levels also tend to have worse health conditions and shorter life expectancy. As well as undermining personal well-being and social cohesion, economic growth coupled with increased inequality could also be unsustainable. Inequality and poverty may also boost anti-establishment sentiment and support protest votes in elections and referendum. This half-day workshop, coincided with the launch of a new Bruegel report on these issues. The following questions were addressed during the workshop: Why is inclusive growth important? How different are the EU’s social problems from social problems in other parts of the world? What is the role of globalisation and technolog

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, external imbalances were narrowing and remained fairly stable in recent years. Now, these imbalances are widening again, according to a multilaterally consistent IMF assessment of countries’ external positions, which includes current account balances, real exchange rates, external balance sheets, capital flows and international reserves. What are the drivers of these widening imbalances? How have individual countries contributed to the imbalances? What lessons can policy makers draw? These and other related questions were addressed in a presentation of a recent IMF report by Luis Cubeddu. The presentation was followed by comments from Bruegel Senior Fellow Zsolt Darvas and an open discussion chaired by Bruegel Research Fellow Maria Demertzis.

The debate on how to deal with the sovereign and banking risk loop is at the center of the policy and regulatory debate. There is a widespread awareness that excessive exposures of banks towards sovereigns and vice-versa may be a source of systemic risk, under-rated by the current regulation. At the same time it is not clear how far limiting these exposures may in fact enhance or rather jeopardise global stability, especially given the still very slow pace of the recovery. There is also a widespread debate on the best policy measures to tackle this issue.

At this event Jonathan Hill discussed the results of the European Commission consultation on the EU regulatory framework for financial services. His presentation was followed by a panel discussion with Gerhard Schick, Member of the German Parliament, and Kay Swinburne, Member of the European Parliament. To find out more about this event, visit http://bruegel.org/events/what-is-the...

Despite the recent drop in bilateral trade, China and Russia have been improving their economic relations for quite some time already. The commodity supercycle marked the beginning of the love affair after some difficult decades. Geopolitical reasons, including a common response to the US pivot towards Asia, may have also helped. At the current juncture, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, especially the Northern Route, should further enhance economic integration between Russia, world’s largest energy exporter, and China. Europe – at the other end of the Belt and Road – and with long-term economic relations with both China and Russia will surely be affected by these developments. For more information about this event, please visit http://bruegel.org/events/china-russi....

Bruegel was pleased to host a frank discussion about the referendum result and its consequences. We brought together experts from the UK and its EU partners to analyse the referendum and what it means for Europe. To find out more about this event, please visit bruegel.org/events/britain-and-…ter-the-referendum/

Pathological microbes are increasingly resistant to antimicrobial treatments. The resulting health crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing society. At this event, Jim O'Neill will presented the Independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance and a panel discussed how to tackle drug resistance. More information: http://bruegel.org/events/tackling-an...

After its first 18 months, how has the SSM affected the European banking system? While the report presented by Dirk Schoenmaker and Nicolas Véron contains very insightful analyses, covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the European banking landscape, their focus in the event was on the assessment of European banking supervision. You can find more information on the event and the topic here: http://bruegel.org/events/european-banking-supervision-the-first-eighteen-months/

Spain is among the countries still recovering from the financial crisis. While misjudged investments were part of the cause, these past mistakes could offer lessons for the European banking union. You can find more information on the event here: http://bruegel.org/events/the-spanish-financial-crisis-lessons-for-the-european-banking-union/

As the economy moves online, it becomes more difficult for national tax authorities to collect revenue. How great is the impact, and what should corporate taxation look like in the digital age? You can find more information on this event here: http://bruegel.org/events/internet-taxation-challenges-and-policy-recommendations/