European Forum for New Ideas

During October 1-3, 2014 in Sopot (Poland) was held European Forum for New Ideas. Liberte!, the project by Fundacja Industrial, had an honour to be a partner of the event. It was a perfect opportunity to present our first print issue of 4liberty.eu Review. A part of the contribution were the following debates:

The future of European welfare state

Discussion panel: Liberté!, European Liberal Forum, 4liberty.eu, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom

If the global financial and economic crisis brought a shift of paradigm in terms of sovereign debt and public expenditures, similar change of perspective is still awaiting the way of thinking of Europeans concerning the welfare state. Europe’s welfare system is often regarded as the jewel in the crown and any change to it is fiercely opposed by various interest groups. Yet, the ever growing pressure to trim vast public spending on social programmes and the changing demographic landscape in most European countries will inevitably lead to the need for comprehensive reforms.

Keynote speech: Leszek Balcerowicz, FOR, Poland

Andreas Bergström, ELF Board Member, Deputy Director of FORES, Sweden

Tanja Porčnik, Director of Svetilnik, Slovenia

Kalev Kallemets, Member of Parliament of Estonia

Juan Menéndez- Valdés, DG, Eurofund, Hiszpania

Moderator: Maciej Kowalczyk, Liberté!

You can download Professor Balcerowicz’s presentation here:  Balcerowicz_Economics_ethics_Welfare_State_EFNI

How to foster the civic society and European public opinion?

A première of recommendations by Liberté!

Recommendations: “How to foster the civic society and European public opinion?” are an attempt to formulate a wide range of suggestions which may help in creation of European society. The first part of the presentation is an overview of conventional endeavours and means usually mentioned in European discourse, which are already being – or will soon be – implemented in order to create the European society. The latter part is an attempt to pinpoint the possible, effective ways of speeding up the process of fostering the European identity and European society, at the same time emphasizing the possible side-effects and costs of the process.

Presentation: Błażej Lenkowski – Liberté!

Commentary: Prof. Tadeusz Kowalski – The National Broadcasting Council, Marcin Celiński – Liberté!, Tomasz Kamiński – Liberté!

We are also proud to mention that Leszek Jażdżewski, the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, delivered a speech entitled “My vision of Europe” during the EFNI Closing Gala on October 3, 2014.