Although the last EU legislatures have made great progress in the architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) – unimaginable before the economic crisis of 2009 – the European financial system still needs to grow, become more resilient and resist shocks and aim at an “ever closer Economic and Monetary Union”.
The recent crisis has certainly put new emphasis on the debate and created new facts at the same time. To mitigate the effects of the economic slump, the Commission plans to spend more than 1.8 trillion Euros over the next seven years. Money that must be raised through taxation or new debts.
Thinking in terms of a decade, recent events show how it is impossible to predict with certainty whether we will face new economic crises in the years to come. Nevertheless, we can prepare and be more resilient. While many financial instruments are being examined to improve the European economic system, it is also worth exploring what role technology can play in increasing the chances of completing the EMU.
As liberals, a cornerstone is to achieve an increasingly free but also reliable market that allows fairness and at the same time favours a flourishing economy for the whole of Europe. This can guarantee further economic development based on integration and freedom.

09h30 – 14h00 (CET)

Welcome & Presentation of the Liberal White Book Europe 2030 project
Daniel Kaddik, Executive Director, European Liberal Forum

Welcome words
Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Member of the Bundestag, Germany

Introduction
Patrick Walz, Head of Office, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Wiesbaden

Keynote Speech
Luis Garicano, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group, and Patron of this Expert Forum and chapter

Discussion: Completing the Economic and Monetary Union
Florian Toncar, PhD, Member of the Bundestag, Germany
Casper de Vries, PhD, Witteveen Chair of Monetary Economics, Professor, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Giuseppe Russo, Managing Director, Centro Einaudi (Turin)
Balázs Égert, PhD, Senior Economist, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Moderator: Tobias Armbrüster, Editor of Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandradio

Discussion: MFF and NextGenerationEU: a mid-term perspective
Barbara Kolm, PhD, Vice-President, General Council, Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Eulalia Rubio, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Jacques Delors Institute
Ondřej Kovařík, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group
Moderator: Tobias Armbrüster, Editor of Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandradio

Discussion: Budget and EMU: “Europe 2030”
Diane Fromage, PhD, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, Law School, Sciences Po Paris
Yannick Timmer, PhD, Economist, Research Department, International Monetary Fund
Zsolt Darvas, PhD, Senior Fellow, Bruegel
Moderator: Tobias Armbrüster, Editor of Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandradio

Conclusions
Kristijan Kotarski, PhD, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb
Author of the Budget & EMU chapter, Liberal White Book Europe 2030