European Institute

On June 4, 2013, The European Institute welcomed Philippe G. Nell, Head of the Americas Division at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, to discuss the challenges that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will pose for Switzerland and its strong economic ties with both the EU and the U.S.  Calling the TTIP “a huge development in global trade policy”, Mr. Nell outlined the main options for Switzerland: negotiating a free trade agreement with the U.S. after the conclusion of TTIP; negotiating TTIP membership after the fact; or lastly, seeking to eliminate specific TTIP disadvantages for Swiss access to the U.S. market through the Swiss-U.S. Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum or multilateral fora.

Click here to read Mr. Nell's presentation.

On May 28, 2013, The European Institute welcomed Dr. Zsolt Becsey, Coordinator for Foreign Economic Affairs at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to a special meeting of the Transatlantic Roundtable on Trade & Investment to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the upcoming negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Expressing strong support for this historic initiative, Dr. Bescey emphasized that TTIP would not only benefit both sides of the Atlantic, but it could well act as a catalyst for the success of future multilateral trade agreements.

On May 30, 2013, The European Institute held a breakfast discussion with The Honorable Lucinda Creighton, Ireland’s Minister for European Affairs, who outlined the progress of Ireland's European Union presidency and the future of the European Union. Ms. Creighton addressed the current economic situation in Europe, the status of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and how to make the European Union a more effective, legitimate, and prosperous alliance for the future.

Click here to read Minister Creighton's remarks.

On May 14, 2013, The European Institute hosted a seminar in Brussels on the opportunities and challenges for e-payments in the evolving global economy.  Speakers included: The Honorable Sampo Terho, Member, Committee on Economic & Monetary Affairs (ECON) & Rapporteur for the ECON Committee’s E-Payments Report, European Parliament; Erik Nooteboom, Head of Unit, Retail Financial Services & Consumer Policy, DG Internal Market, European Commission; Francisco Tur, Advisor, European Central Bank; Ceu Pereira, Senior Payment Systems Expert, Payment Systems Development Group, World Bank; Mikael Conny Svensson, Senior Business Leader, Government Affairs and Public Policy, MasterCard Europe; and Antonio Longo, President, Italian Citizens’ Rights Movement.