Specialist conference
Details
At the ‘Warsaw Workshop’ 30 highly recognised experts from seven countries – Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – will discuss economic cooperation and the significance of Central Eastern Europe.
The debate will focus on three key areas of collaboration that have received wide international attention: the Three Seas Initiative (‘3SI’), the Visegrád Group (‘V4’) and the role of global players - such as China, the United States, the European Union and Russia - in Central Eastern Europe.
The intention of the ‘Warsaw Workshop’ is to reassess the multilateral economic dialogue in the region, especially considering the impact of the Corona pandemic.
Questions to be discussed include:
- With special regard to the economic dimension of the Three Seas Initiative, what is the significance of the multinational Investment Fund (‘3SIIF’) and what conclusions can be drawn from the degree of participation of the 3SI member states in the Fund?
- Does the 3SI cooperation framework empower CEE to catch up with Western European countries in the area of infrastructure?
- What trends can be identified for economic cooperation in CEE?
- What is the current economic relevance of the Visegrád Group, especially facing the challenges posed by the Corona pandemic?
- To what extent do national economic policy decisions undermine cohesion within the V4?
- How significant is the influence of external players in CEE?
The one-day ‘Warsaw Workshop’ is part of a series of expert meetings in the run-up to the project ‘The Importance of Central Europe for the EU’ (“Die Bedeutung Mitteleuropas für die EU”), which will finally take place in Vienna, hosted by the local Multilateral Dialogue office of KAS.
The ‘Warsaw Workshop’ is organised by the Foreign Office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Poland. The seminar will be held in English.
Program
Economic Cooperation in Central Eastern Europe - The ‘Warsaw-Workshop’
25 October 2021 / Hotel „Crowne Plaza – The HUB”, Warsaw
Programme
08.30 - 09.00 / Registration of participants
09.00 - 09.15 / Opening
- Claudia Crawford, KAS Multilateral Dialogue Vienna
- David Gregosz, KAS Poland
09.15 - 10.45 / Panel I
‘3SI – The Investment Fund as a lighthouse project and contribution to the economic development of CEE‘
- Aleksander Siemaszko, Department for International Cooperation and Trade, Ministry of Economic Development / Poland
- Ivan Vrdoljak, Investor and Entrepreneur / Croatia
- Dr. Małgorzata Bonikowska, CSM Warsaw / Poland
Moderator: Zarife Gagica, KAS Europe and North America Berlin / Germany
10.45 - 11.15 / Coffeebreak
11.15 - 12.45 / Panel II
‘V4 – a strong group within Europe or more differences than common ground?’
- Alexander Beribes, KAS European Affairs Berlin / Germany
- Sona Muzikářová, GLOBSEC / Slovakia
- Prof. Piotr Bajda, UKSW Warsaw / Poland
Moderator: Dr. Bence Bauer, MCC Budapest / Hungary
13.00 - 14.00 / Lunch
14.15 - 15.45 / Panel III
‘CEE and geopolitics – The influence of external players across the region’
- Dr. Gunther Hauser, ISS Vienna / Austria
- Witold Naturski, Acting Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Poland
- Dr. Kai-Olaf Lang, SWP Berlin / Germany
Moderator: Michael Winzer, KAS Hungary
16.00 / Conclusion of the “Warsaw Workshop” / networking
(Final reception at "Elektrownia Powiśle")
