wiiw Spring Seminar 2019
04 April 2019 9:00 am CEST
Ten Years after the Crisis: What Is the 'New Normal' for CESEE?
Venue
Oesterreichische Nationalbank, Otto Wagner Platz 3, 1090 Vienna, Kassensaal.
Description
Keynote speakers:
Trade Conflicts, Technological Change and the Future of World Trade
Robert B. Koopman, Chief Economist and Director of the Economic Research and Statistics Division, WTO
‘Political Change and Disintegration in the EU: Prospects on Europe’s Futures’
Rosa Balfour, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Experts of wiiw:
Richard Grieveson: Economic Prospects for CESEE
Isilda Mara: East-West Migration Trends in Europe: Running Out of Steam
Sandra Leitner: Labour Supply Constraints in the EU: Reaching the Tipping Point
The seminar will conclude with a panel discussion: What Is the ‘New Normal’ for CESEE?
Moderator: Mario Holzner, Executive Director, wiiw
Piotr Lewandowski, President of the Board, IBS, Warsaw
Boris Majcen, Director, Institute for Economic Research, Ljubljana
Miklós Szanyi, Director, Institute of World Economics, HAS Budapest
Maruška Vizek, Director, Institute of Economics, Zagreb
Jovan Zubović, Director, Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade
This year’s wiiw Spring Seminar will delve into the short- and long-term challenges faced by the global economy, and their implications for Central, East and Southeast European (CESEE) countries. First, the world order is changing with the rise of China and its global outreach in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Related to this, the post-war global trading architecture is under threat, challenged by important strategic shifts in the trade policies of major players, particularly the United States. Second, the EU is being challenged by economic and political developments, including the impact of Brexit and questions about its future political governance. A key development will be the upcoming elections of the European Parliament, which are likely to deepen existing (centrifugal) tensions across EU Member States. Third, there are deeper and longer-term challenges for the global economy, including demographic change, migration, automation and digitalisation. These topics are particularly important for CESEE countries and their long-term convergence prospects.