EPN Office @ Auguste Reyerslaan 207, 1030 Schaarbeek, België
EPN CONFERENCE
“In the current context, is it possible to develop a green and social Europe?”
Bart Staes (MEP of Groen! & candidate for the European Elections)
Saskia Bricmont (Head of the Political Department of Ecolo & candidate for the European Elections)
EPN has the pleasure to invite you to its first conference organised in the context of the European Parliament Elections of 2014, where the keynote speakers, Bart Staes, member of the European Parliament and Saskia Bricmont, Ecolo candidate for the European Elections, will discuss the future of Europe. This event will be held on the 4th of March between 19.30 and 21.30.
With the European Parliament elections coming up, we are all wondering which political movement is going to take the lead, especially now that European citizens are divided into two main groups: the Eurosceptics and the pro-Europeans. These elections mark a turning point for the future of Europe, which is why we must all be well aware of what is being proposed and what we should expect from our soon-to-be parliament representatives. What are their visions of Europe? How do they intend to fight the crisis and promote their values and ideas at the same time? Is it possible? What is their reaction and how are they planning to respond to the alarming rise of the extreme right in the European Parliament?
The debate will be moderated by Serdar Yesilyurt, director of the EU Representation Office of the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON).
The topic of the event will be: ‘In the current context, is it possible to develop a green and social Europe?’ It will be divided in two subtopics:
Subtopic 1: Is the prioritization of a green Europe feasible in a period of economic crisis? This subtopic will be presented by Mr. Bart Staes.
Subtopic 2: Is a more social Europe the solution to fight extreme right? This subtopic will be presented by Ms. Saskia Bricmont.
Programme
19.00: Beginning of the registrations
19.30: Introduction of the first topic by the moderator
19.40: Is the prioritization of a green Europe feasible in a period of economic crisis?
Presentation by Mr. Staes
19.55: Questions and answers
20.05: Introduction of the second topic by the moderator
20.15: Is a more social Europe the solution to fight extreme right? Presentation by Ms. Bricmont
20.30: Questions and answers
20.40: Conclusion
20.45 Final Q&A
Cocktail
Speakers
Bart Staes
Mr Bart Staes is a Belgian politician and as from 1999 a Member of the European Parliament for the Flemish Greens (Belgium). He is a member of Groen which is one of the 32 members of the European Green Party and his roots are based in environmental and peace movements. He is very active on food and agriculture related issues in the Committee of Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Bart Staes is currently also Vice-Chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control.
Bart Staes graduated as a teacher of Dutch, English and economics and is the author of several books on the illegal use of growth promoters in livestock, on the GMO issue and on social and financial topics.
Saskia Bricmont
Saskia Bricmont studied political science at the University of ULB before leaving for Montreal and then Madrid. When she returned, she decided to take her first political steps at Ecolo Saint –Gilles. She then took part in the 2007 federal elections and worked as a political advisor on European and international matters and development cooperation for Ecolo Groen – the federal Parliament. She then undertook an additional master in European Studies and worked at the Office of the Minister Evelyne Huytebroeck, which is in charge of the fight against poverty and the homelessness sector.
Since 2009, she is Head of the Political Department of Ecolo Namur where she coordinates the work of counselors and monitors federal and international policies. In addition, she stands by her commitment as a regional secretary of Ecolo Picardie and has recently been elected as municipal councilor.
Ps. All guests attending this seminar are kindly requested to register by email to register@epnetwork.eu or by calling +32 (0) 2 734 7900 until March 3rd.
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The Report of the Event
In the context of the 2014 European Parliament elections which will take place in May, EPN has decided to organise a series of events to bring citizens closer to Parliamentarians. The first conference “In the current context, is it possible to develop a green and social Europe” was presented by Ms Bricmont, candidate to the European Elections for Ecolo. Various subjects such as youth unemployment, the prioritization of a green Europe and extreme right were tackled. One important question came up several times: Is it possible to combine green economy and social objectives? Although some participants believed that a green and social Europe could not be achieved at the same time, Ms Bricmont insisted it was possible through, for example, the creation of green jobs. The conference was followed by an animated debate illustrating the preoccupations of today’s citizens.
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