The Roundtable on Financial and Economic Affairs will focus on financial reforms under consideration in both Europe and the United States in wake of the global financial crisis and the implications within Europe, as well as on a concerted and effective transatlantic approach. The program will also consider the divergent responses to the economic crisis and the ramifications within the European Union and for the United States, the future of the euro-zone, and the relationship between the dollar and the euro. Issues related to CFIUS and protecting the integrity of the electronic banking systems will also be included in this program.

Recent Meetings:

On November 30, 2012, The European Institute held a special discussion with The Honorable Danuta Hübner, Member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Chair of the Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development and former European Commissioner for Regional Policy. Mrs. Hübner discussed the myths of the European economic crisis and detailed what government institutions, particularly the European Parliament, are doing to resolve the crisis.

On November 8, 2012 The European Institute hosted a discussion with His Excellency Peter Ammon, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United States, on what kind of Europe Germany wants and what the attendant implications could be for European-American relations.

Click here to read Ambassador Ammon's remarks.

On June 19th, The European Institute, in partnership with Sanofi, convened a meeting of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Innovation and Research in Boston, Massachusetts. Held on the margins of the BIO 2012 Convention, the meeting focused on the challenges facing the sustainability of biomedical research at a time of potent scientific promise and increasingly limited financial resources. Christopher Viehbacher, Chief Executive Officer at Sanofi, opened and moderated the discussion with Dr. Elias Zerhouni, President of Global Research and Development at Sanofi; Dr. Arnd Hoeveler, Head of Unit for Advanced Therapies and Systems Medicine for DG Research and Innovation at the European Commission; Dr. Vicki Seyfert-Margolis, Senior Advisor for Science and Innovation in the Office of the Chief Scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Robert Wells, Head of the Biotechnology Unit in the Directorate for Science and Technology at the OECD.

On April 20, The European Institute welcomed The Honorable Vítor Constâncio, Vice President of the European Central Bank (ECB), to a discussion of the current challenges to European monetary policy.  Noting the ECB’s ability to adapt policies to shifting economic conditions as its significant strength, Vice President Constâncio forecast his institution’s continued success in reacting to the debt crisis and encouraged Eurozone member-states to become more proactive. The discussion was moderated by Stephen Gallagher, Managing Director and Head of Research for Société Générale in the Americas.

On April 20, The European Institute hosted Klaus Regling, Chief Executive of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) for a discussion on the European debt crisis. Created barely two years ago, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) has proven to be pivotal in the Eurozone’s efforts to safeguard financial stability and build a sustainable firewall to contain the effects of pressing sovereign debt among some member states. Mr. Regling assessed the progress made to date on Europe’s important reforms of economic and financial governance and the key challenges that still remain in achieving an effective resolution of the debt crisis. The discussion was moderated by Clay Lowery, Vice President of Rock Creek Global Advisors LLC.

Click here to read Mr. Regling's presentation