Applying Liberal principles to potential Covid-19 influences on re-shaping globalisation: a game changer for the political drive to greater European integration?
Free trade and open competition are the hallmarks of the liberal approach to trade but the Great Financial Crash of 2007/9 halted the relative rise in world trade. Now, the `Covid Crash’ threatens to reverse global trade due to restrictions on global supply chains – for national security reasons as well as reliability of supply. Can the EU stand against that trend – most importantly in its home market?
Are there different factors at work in goods markets and services as the Services Directive stopped short of a comprehensive opening of markets? Will banking union and capital markets union fill in two of the biggest gaps? Will the Covid Crash provide the political will to move forward by building on the institutional reforms of the Next Generation plan?
In the light of the growing climate crisis, how will free trade contribute to the net-zero targets given current norms of production / consumption / capital? Will there have to be a shift to cross-border sustainability via tactical implementation of a climate agenda that clearly de-risks the economy yet captures value through open geopolitical collaboration by public and private sector operations? Can it accelerate practical, integrated action that over-achieves against current targets in terms of both investment and innovation at the nexus of hard and soft systems in a manner that is both just and trustworthy?
With the next European Parliament elections due in 2024, the time has come to think about Internal Market and Trade and to develop and discuss liberal ideas for its further development looking ahead to the year 2030. This Expert Forum brings together experts from all over Europe for an open debate about the EU’s Internal Market and Trade policy.
The event will be held under Chatham House rules and the event recording will only be made available to the author of the Liberal White Book.

Time: 09:30-14:30 (CEST)

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

Introduction to this Expert Forum
Robert Woodthorpe Browne, Chair, Paddy Ashdown Forum

Patron
Dita Charanzová, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group

Keynote Speech: Rethinking the Single Market post-COVID-19
Mario Monti, Senator of the Italian Republic – What was the Single Market designed to achieve – and why?

Discussion: Current State of Play
Karl-Heinz Paqué, Vice-President Liberal International, President of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Hans van Baalen, President, ALDE Party
Moderator: Chris Gleadle, CEO, Paddy Ashdown Forum

Discussion: Free movement of Workers
Matthew Saltmarsh, Senior External Relations Officer, UNHCR
Sandra Parthie, Head of Brussels Office / Head of European Affairs, German Economic Institute (IW Köln)
Moderator: Chris Gleadle, CEO, Paddy Ashdown Forum

Discussion: Trade in Goods
Svenja Hahn, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group
Jacques Pelkmans, Associate Senior Fellow, CEPS and Professor, College of Europe and Goethe University Frankfurt
Iana Dreyer, Founder and CEO, Borderlex
Sir Martin Donnelly, Former Permanent Secretary of DBIS and Cabinet of Leon Brittan during finalisation of the Single Market programme
Moderator: Graham Bishop, Chairman, National Council, European Movement (UK) and Council Member, Federal Trust

Discussion: Trade in Services
Michael Mainelli, Professor, Alderman & Sheriff, City of London and Executive Chairman, Z/Yen Group
Nicolas Véron, Senior Fellow, Bruegel & Peterson Institute, Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Graham Bishop, Chairman, National Council, European Movement (UK) and Council Member, Federal Trust

Conclusions
Frank Hoffmeister, Head of Unit, Trade Defence Investigations II – Anti-circumvention, DG Trade, European Commission
Author of the Internal Market and Trade chapter, Liberal White Book Europe 2030