Brussels, 17/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - The summer university of the European Ideas Network (EIN), the think tank of the European People's Party and European Democrat (EPP-ED) group of the European Parliament will be held in Fiuggi (Italy) from 18 to 20 September. Its central theme will be “The world in 2025: the place for values in an uncertain world”.
On 18 September the French President of the group Joseph Daul will welcome participants at an opening session entitled “An uncertain world” and will speak alongside such notables as the former Belgian Prime Minister and President of the EPP Wilfried Martens, the Portuguese President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, the German President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering and the French Prime Minister François Fillon, whose country holds the Presidency of the Council until the end of December. That evening a first group on “Europe, the global economy and its future” will be chaired by German MEP Karsten Hoppenstedt and will precede a dinner with guest of honour Rodrigo Rato, the former Director General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The following day work will resume with a series of round tables on employment, skills and human capital, the digital economy and finally competitiveness and innovation. Philip Bushill-Matthews will chair the latter of these session, which will be attended by Hairong Lai, the deputy Director of the China Centre for Comparative Politics and Economics and Joerg Wuttke, the President of the European Chamber of Commerce in China. Participants can then attend a debate on demographic change and immigration, chaired by Dutch MEP Corien Wortmann-Kool and with the participation of the Italian Vice-President of the European Parliament Mario Mauro. The French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux, who was expected to attend, has cancelled his visit to Fiuggi and delegated a member of his cabinet to replace him. Two other debates, on foreign policy and the working group sustainable farming and food security will close the morning session. After lunch there will be a debate on European values chaired by French MEP Françoise Grossetête, followed by a third round of round tables. At the first meeting participants will look at the issues of terrorism and security and will be able to hear Franco Frattini, the former Commissioner for Justice and Internal Affairs and current Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, speak. Gilles de Kerchove, the European Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, will also take part in this debate. The second round table of the afternoon will deal with energy and the environment and will be chaired by Spanish MEP Pilar del Castillo. Speakers will include Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani and Masakazu Toyada, Special Adviser to the Japanese Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry. The final round table of the series will deal with public service reform, followed by a dinner attended by the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. On Saturday 20 September, and following a discussion of the US elections, the EPP will close its summer university with speeches from Franck Débié, the Director General of the Fondation pour l'innovation politique, Ross Walker from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Staffan Jerneck, the Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and Michael Wohlgemuth from the Walter Eucken Institut. EUROPE will return to the three-day event in future editions. (L.B.S. /trad. fl)