Some 60 top representatives of European politics, business, academia, and the media came together at the 15th European Forum Berlin whose title was "Ways Out of the Global Crisis."

So far, the global crisis has been fought with national stimulus and rescue packages as well as through close international cooperation. Governments around the world continue to invest billions in systemically relevant banks and companies to secure jobs and cushion the growing recession - albeit by incurring massive debt loads. Are we on the right track and are the government and business efforts to address the crisis sufficient? How can we ensure a stable banking sector through an effective regulation of the financial market? Do we run the risk of growing protectionism as the recession deepens worldwide? Finally, what will be, and what should be, the development of the market economy after the crisis?

The Forum consisted of three panels addressing the following key questions:

Panel 1: Perspectives for a New Global Financial Order
What role will international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements, play in re-structuring the markets? What will be the role of the European Central Bank? How can we reconcile the Anglo/American and German/French positions on controlling the financial markets? Is the goal to have a global financial supervisory authority? Or does Europe need its own financial supervisory authority to regulate its markets? What influence will the Financial Stability Board, recently created by the G-20 states, be able to exert in the future?

Panel 2: The European Union Fighting the Recession
What results have the stimulus and stabilization programs been able to achieve? In which sectors of the economy do we still need to act? Do we need more European coordination? What can industry contribute and when does government aid make sense? Do we run the risk of a new, economic division of Europe? Can the EU of 27 still afford to expand?

Panel 3: The Consequences of the Global Crisis for World Trade: The Renaissance of Protectionism?
Is protectionism making a comeback? What is the development in Europe? In the United States? What measures do governments take to counter the trend towards closed markets? How can we re-energize the Doha Development Round in times of market foreclosure? Who will take the initiative? How can we reduce the economic inequality between industrial and developing countries in the future?

Documents

Speakers

Joachim Milberg (Eröffnung)

Axel Weber

Robert M. Kimmitt

Vorsitzender, Deloitte Center for Cross-Border Investment, Washington DC; Ehem. Stellvertretender Minister der Finanzen, Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika

Oswald J. Grübel

Group Chief Executive Officer, UBS AG, Zurich

Wolf Klinz (Dinner Speech)

Vorsitzender, Sonderausschuss zur Finanz-, Wirtschafts-, und Sozialkrise, Europäisches Parlament, Brüssel

Adam Posen

Mitglied im Ausschuss für Geldpolitik, Bank of England, London; Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington DC

Herbert Reul

Vorsitzender, Ausschuss für Industrie, Forschung und Energie, Europäisches Parlament, Brüssel

Werner Brandt

Mitglied des Vorstands und Finanzvorstand, SAP AG, Walldorf

Klaus Gretschmann

Generaldirektor Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, Innovation und Forschung, Rat der Europäischen Union, Brüssel

Image Gallery

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