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Activities
A MORE "LIBERAL" SOCIAL DEMOCRACY? With a high level roundtable discussion on the theme of A More Liberal Social Democracy? Seeking Fairness and Progress in the Global Age, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, in partnership with Policy Network, assessed the necessity of a new revisionist project for the European centre-left. In light of the impact of the global economic revolution and following a series of disappointing election results for centre-left parties across Europe, participants at the London event discussed whether the concept of a “more liberal” social democracy might point the way towards a new centre-left approach to confronting the common challenges and opportunities of the global age. The two day seminar brought together some of the leading progressive thinkers from the UK and over a dozen other European countries. The event continued the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s ongoing work on the future of social democracy. For more information, please see the agenda and participant list for the seminar. A detailed report can be viewed here. GREEN-COLLAR JOBS: A PROGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND LABOUR MARKET APPROACH FOR THE UK? On July 18th, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the Institute_for_Public_Policy_Research_(IPPR) jointly hosted a discussion about green-collar jobs and their potential to become a progressive environmental and labour market approach for the UK. The German and British participants from government, academia, trade unions and industry expanded on the topic in four talks; the German side, represented by Martin Kremer of the German Embassy in London – substituting for the Minister of State at the German Environment Ministry, Matthias Machnig – and Professor Hilmar Schneider of the German Institute for the Study of Labour, could draw from a wealth of experience with green jobs and their industrial and labour market effects due to Germany’s traditionally strong position in environmental matters. Subsequently, the two British speakers, Peter Skyte from Unite and Neil Bentley of the Confederation of British Industry, discussed Britain’s potential for a green job strategy as well as the question whether and to what extent the German experience could serve as a guideline for future development on the isles. Finally, the concluding open discussion once again clearly demonstrated the growing awareness of green issues and the economic potential attributed to them in the United Kingdom. It also made clear that there was a need for greater clarity of terms, for policy strategies and further research in this field and emphasised the importance of continued exchange within Europe. LOCUSTS? PRIVATE EQUITY AND HEDGE FUNDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE MARKET ECONOMY AND THE LABOUR MARKET
The role of private equity and hedge funds as well as their impact on the economy and the labour market was the topic of the 7th British-German Trade Union Forum held in Manchester on July 16th and 17th. The event was organised by the Trade_Union_Congress_(TUC), Deutscher_Gewerkschaftsbund_(DGB), Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, Hans-Böckler-Foundation and the Anglo-German Foundation.
In addition to recent virulent discussions comparing private equity and hedge funds to “locusts” descending upon their innocent victims like a biblical plague, the continuing rise of these new actors in the economic and financial realm provided the background for the dialogue forum. Speakers from trade unions, relevant research institutes and affected companies met for an exchange of experience, drawing on the British and German perspectives. They focused on the following issues: First, the implications of this development for the state economies, specifically the German model of social market economy and the British model of corporate governance. Second, if and how policy makers should react towards this challenge on a national, European, and international level. Third, policy levers to enforce regulation of private equity and hedge funds.
The discussion was enriched by practical case studies of one British and one German company, both now in the possession of finance investors – highlighting especially the negative effects on the company and the employees alike. It became clear that the challenges posed by private equity firms and hedge funds to individual companies as well as to the state economy as a whole had become a major field of action for unions in both countries. This once again marked the importance of bilateral consultations between union members and leaders of both countries, as such meetings facilitate not only the exchange of experience and the discovery of similarities as well as areas of interest and work, but also the sharing of best practice. A detailed report on this event will soon be available for download here. II. BRITISH-GERMAN DIALOGUE ON DEFENCE AND SECURITY POLICIES On 7th March 2008 the FES London and the Royal_United_Services_Institute (RUSI) jointly hosted the second British-German Dialogue on Defence and Security Policies in Berlin. The dialogue focussed on four issues: the implications of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty for ESDP; the evolution from a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) to more rapid military and civilian crisis management tools; Kosovo and security in the Balkans; and finally member states’ positions and engagement in Afghanistan. The British delegation included five members of parliament, Wayne David, Mark Hendrick, Ian Lucas, Denis MacShane and Edward O’Hara. On the German side Rainer Arnold, Hans-Peter Bartels, Walter Kolbow, Rolf Kramer, Ursula Mogg, Steffen Reiche, Angelica Schwall-Düren, Jörn Thieβen, and Andreas Weigel participated. Moreover, experts from several German Ministries and think tanks were also present. The discussion underlined the importance of being aware of each other’s domestic political context. There was agreement, however, that Europe would not be able to shy away from its responsibility for peace and stability within and beyond Europe’s borders. A detailed report can be viewed here SUSTAINABLE SECURITY IN THE AGE OF GLOBALISATION A comprehensive understanding of security policy was the focus of discussion at a joint seminar of the FES London, the European_Movement and the German_Embassy_London on the 26th February. The seminar covered issues of peace keeping, reconstruction and defence on the one hand and the security implications of climate change and energy policy on the other hand. Speaking to an audience of renowned participants relating to politics, political consulting, research, and the media, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, the former British Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain, Helga Schmid Schmid from the team of Javier Solana, approached the topic of a comprehensive security understanding and sustainable security in the age of globalization. Then, Ursula Mogg, MdB, Colin Challen, MP, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, und Angelica Schwall-Düren, MdB, spoke about both traditional security challenges and climate change as a new one and how to deal with them by means of a common and coordinated European approach. Please find a detailed report here THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY
(Foto: M. Ackermann) On invitation of the FES London and the in London based think tank Policy_Network high-ranking speakers and participants from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, France, Rumania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Turkey, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, and Sweden got together in London on 7th and 8th February 2008 for the conference “The Future of European Social Democracy”. The speakers were, amongst others, Matthias Machnig, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Kajo Wasserhövel, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, James Purnell, British Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Ed Miliband, British minister in the cabinet.
The focus of the first day of the conference were current challenges for “Modern Social Democracy”, while the future of "Progressive Governance" was the central topic of discussion on the second day. After engaged and varied the finale of the conference was an informal questions and answers session with Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented by David Marquand (University of Oxford). Gordon Brown elaborated chiefly on the topics “Unlocking talent” and “Global Europe”. Please find a Video clip here A detailed report is available here in German and English
ENVIRONMENTAL UNION On the 25th September, a discussion was jointly organised by the FES London and the Fabian_Society on the topic of the „Environmental Union“. Speakers were State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Matthias Machnig, Paul McAleavey from the European Environment Agency in Kopenhagen,the British Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture Hillary Benn and Graham Wynne from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Despite the generally positive assessment of European environmental policies the slowness and insufficiency of the EU institutions were identified as critical. However, the speakers represented the general opinion that the EU is the right platform to debate and promote transnational topics such as environmental policy and, in particular, the complex climate change and energy policy nexus. Among the strongest arguments of the event was Minister Machnig’s view that an economic answer had to be given in response to the environmental question. He explained that moral arguments in favour of environmental policies would be less convincing in countries like China and India than economic ones; the EU would be able to convince these countries to participate in global environmental policies by demonstrating that climate protection and energy efficiency are sustainable and economical. In this context he mentioned amongst other things exportable (German) environmentally friendly technologies (eg. for renewable energy), market introduction programmes for these and the future importance of such markets. Furthermore, he also mentioned the nexus of the fields of agriculture (which historically has been very important for the EU) and energy (buzz word bio fuels) as a possible starting point for further thinking about an ‘Environmental Union’. EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS IN THE UK, EU AND US On 25th September 2007 the FES and the Smith_Institute organised discussion round on the issue of employment rights in the UK, EU and US. The speakers included Claude Moraes MEP (Spokesperson for Employment and Social Affairs), Brendan Barber (General Secretary, TUC), Thorben Albrecht (European Policy Coordinator, DGB), and Stephen Cavalier (Chief Executive Officer, Thompsons Solicitors). They were joined by the Rt Hon John Hutton MP (Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform). All speakers highlighted the positive developments in domestic employment rights in the UK over the last ten years: the introduction of the national minimum wage, the right to flexible working, union recognition legislation, strong labour protection laws and government collaboration with the TUC and CBI, etc. A European viewpoint was brought to the discussion by Thorben Albrecht who discussed employment practices in Germany. He described how German trade unions have agreed to much more flexibility in areas such as working time. As employment rights become increasingly multinational and labour becomes increasingly mobile, many speakers and members of the audience stressed the need for greater flexibility and security, though their conceptions of flexibility varied in tone. The enforcement of employment regulations was also identified as an important and ongoing issue. There is a reliance on the unions to police these regulations, but more resources should be available to monitor their implementation. Allied to this is a need to increase awareness of workers’ rights. WHAT DO IRANIAN DEMOCRATS WANT FROM US? On 26th September, the FES London and the Fabian_Society jointly arranged a seminar on the topic “What do Iranians want from us?” The question was formulated provocative and was identified as an inversion of the topic in the very beginning of the event: What do we want from Iran(ian Democrats)? Speakers included Nazenin Ansari (Chairperson of the Foreign Press Association), Ali Ansari (St Andrews University), Abbas Edalat (Imperial College and Science and Arts Foundation), Volker Perthes (German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Nazenin Afshin-Jam (Amnesty International) and Paul Hilder (Global Civil Society). There was wide agreement on the critical statement that the fact that Europe does not have a clearly formulated position concerning Iran (here democratisation in Iran) leads to the result the political initiative in this context is left to the hardliners. It was also argued, however, that Europe does indeed have a clear opinion towards Iran (here proliferation of nuclear technologies); it has contributed to the achievement of a global consensus (including the US and Russia) on non-proliferation. Since a case of proliferation in Iran presents itself, the position of Europe is clear. Despite understanding criticism of the regime, Europe demands a change of policy, not a regime change. During the discussion a variety of arguments and approaches were discussed: the possibility of a European position independent of that of the US was put into question; the importance of democratization and the establishment of dialogue platforms for the exchange of information between Iranians and Europeans, Iranians and Americans, and amongst Iranians, was emphasized; the possibility of nuclear technologies for peaceful aims was mentioned; and the role of women in Iranian society (including references to it before the Islamic revolution) was discussed. ENERGY POLICY BETWEEN SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY - BRITISH AND GERMAN PERSPECTIVES On 18th September, the FES London and the Institute for German Studies of the University_of_Birmingham jointly organised a discussion on the topic „Energy Policy between Security and Sustainability – British and German Perspectives“. Speakers were Dr. Lutz Mez (Research Institute for environment policy, Freie Universität Berlin), Joan MacNaughton (Alstom Power Systems), Dr. Amelia Hadfield (Universität Kent) und Martin Kremer (German Embassy, London). Among the participants were energy experts, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations and the media. The first session was dedicated to the topic of energy security. In particular, it covered the decreasing importance of nuclear energy and renewables with future potential such as solar and wind energy, biomass and hydropower. In the second session, Dr Mez presented an overview of the aims and priorities of German and European energy policies and explained how these could be achieved by means of a series of political measures. Key elements and desired outcomes of British energy policy, amongst others CO2 emissions reduction by 60% by 2050, were outlined by Joan MacNaughton, who placed a particular emphasis on the topic of sustainability in the field of energy supply. The final session of the seminar dealt with the issue of energy dependency of the EU on Russia. Amelia Hadfield, Director of the Energy Analysis Group of the University of Kent, argued convincingly that diversification of energy sources was needed in order to avoid increasing dependency on Russia. Hadfield perceives the European Policy on Energy (EPE), agreed in January 2007, as an important step in European cooperation in this field, which addresses policies of sustainability and competition, but neglects the security of energy supply. RUSI SEMINAR: BRITISH-GERMAN DIALOGUE ON DEFENCE AND SECURITY POLICIES Security und defence policy is an increasingly important field of European policy. Without efficient European cooperation in this area the role of the countries of the European Union on the world stage seems increasingly uncertain. Yet, the Iraq war and its political fall-out have impacted crucially on this area of European cooperation.
SPD SECRETARY GENERAL HUBERTUS HEIL IN LONDON
SPD-Secretary-General Hubertus Heil visited London on March 12th and 13th, participating in various workshops and encounters with British politicians and academic experts. At a workshop organised by the Fabian_Society on the future of progressive politics in the 21st century, Heil presented the German centre-left’s vision of the how to deal successfully with the challenges posed by globalisation and the ecological challenges of our times. The future of Europe was the central focus of an encounter with British think tanks and the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon. Aspects of British-German bilateral relations and German policies on climate change were discussed in meetings with Labour MPs and at the Treasury. The visit by Hubertus Heil - a regular participant in meetings between German and British parliamentarians - once again highlighted the great interest that the SPD holds for Labour politics and for the British point of view on the future of Europe.
RIGHT WING POPULISM IN EUROPE Right wing populist movements are on the march in Europe – from Eastern Europe over Central to Western Europe. Vlaams Belang in Belgium, FPÖ in Austria, Front National in France, MSI in Italy, the epigones of Pim Fortyn in the Netherlands – the list is long and growing. What lies behind that trend and how can it be stopped?
Politicians, experts, academics and journalists from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, France and Hungary gathered on 22nd and 23rd of February in London to discuss at a conference jointly organized by FES and Policy_Network the phenomenon and the possibilities to reverse the trend. Speakers included the UK Home Secretary John Reid (right), Immigration Minister Liam Byrne (left), the former home secretary Charles Clarke and parliamentarians like John Denham, the SPD spokesperson for domestic affairs Dieter Wiefelspütz (below), Meg Munn, Minister for Women and Equality (below) and Jeroen Dijesselbloem from the PvdA in the Netherlands.
GERMANY AND THE FUTURE OF EUROPE What role will Germany play in a future Europe – that of a strong leader towards a more unified continent or that a sceptical actor, who wishes to maintain stronger national elements than it tended to advocate for in the last 50 year of the construction of the European Union? At a conference in Edinburgh, organized jointly by FES and the Europa_Institute of the University of Edinburgh, experts for German and European policy from the UK, Germany and the United States discussed the perspectives of Germany’s role in the EU. The opinions where divided between those who foresee a more nationalistic, “de-Europeanising” Germany and those who see the country as a strong advocate of a more integrated, more unified, more institutionalized EU in the future. As part of the conference, the participants joined a session of the European Relations committee of the Scottish Parliament, at which the German ambassador to the UK, Wolfang Ischinger, gave a speech.
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE EUROPEAN ENERGY POLICY On 14th February, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the German Embassy in London have held a workshop on the future of energy supply in Europe. At this workshop, experts from the UK and Germany compared the UK and German visions of future energy supply and climate protection at the national and European level, trying to identify central elements of a future joint EU-strategy for energy supply and climate protection. The speakers included Prof. Peter Cameron (University of Dundee), Prof. Dieter Helm (University of Oxford), Rolf Hempelmann, MdB and Speaker for Energy questions in the SPD Parliamentarian Group, Berlin and Friedemann Müller, German Institute for International and Security Affairs. The details of the workshop can be found here. A summary of the study on future British energy policy presented by Prof. Peter Cameron can be found here. The workshop is part of a wider series of FES seminars on the future of European energy policy that includes workshops and studies done in Germany, France, Spain, Poland, the UK and Hungary. A final policy paper will be presented by summer 2007.
FAMILIENPOLITIK AUS DER GLEICHSTELLUNGSPERSPEKTIVE
Im Vorfeld der deutschen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft gab es auch in Großbritannien ein erhebliches Interesse an den Perspektiven dieser Präsidentschaft. Daher wurde von der FES, in Zusammenarbeit mit Chatham_House, am 27. November 2006 ein Seminar zur Präsentation einer Studie der Stiftung_Wissenschaft_und_Politik (SWP) zur deutschen EU-Präsidentschaft, der Diskussion ihrer Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerung in den thematischen Feldern institutionelle Entwicklung der EU, GASP und zukünftige Energiepolitik, durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der einzelnen Bereiche dieser Studie wurden von den SWP-Mitarbeitern Stefan Mair, Andreas Mauer, Annegret Bendiek und Enno Harks präsentiert. Kommentare kamen von den Chatham-House-Wissenschaftlern John Palmer und Amelia Hadfield. Neben den Referenten nahm ein Fachpublikum aus Politik, Medien, Wissenschaft und verschiedenen europäischen Botschaften in London an der Veranstaltung teil. Die komplette Studie finden Sie hier
SEMINAR ZUR DEUTSCHEN EU-RATSPRÄSIDENTSCHAFT: DIE REGIERUNGSPERSPEKTIVE
In Zusammenarbeit mit The_Work_Foundation führte das Londoner Büro der FES am 13. Dezember 2006 eine Konferenz zur Analyse der Ergebnisse von Arbeitsmarktreformen in GB und Deutschland und anderen europäischen Staaten durch. Experten aus Deutschland, Großbritannien, Schweden, den USA, Italien, Polen und Spanien widmeten sich der Frage, welche Arbeitsmarktreformen nicht nur die Arbeitslosigkeit generell reduzieren, sondern auch für eine bessere Integration von Jungen, Alten und Frauen in den Arbeitsmarkt sorgen können.
Die Mehrzahl der anwesenden Experten war der Meinung, dass die Arbeitslosigkeit in der EU keineswegs über Strukturreformen im Arbeitsmarkt alleine beseitigt werden kann, sondern nur durch die Kombination von Strukturreformen mit makro-ökonomisch orientierten Politiken. Staatssekretär im Arbeitsministerium Kajo Wasserhövel betonte in seinem Beitrag: die makro-ökonomische Dimension sei in ihrer Bedeutung bei der Bekämpfung von Massenarbeitslosigkeit im Euro-Raum bisher deutlich unterbewertet worden. Der Harvard-Arbeitsökonom Richard Freeman wies auf die wachsende Bedeutung der Frauenerwerbstätigkeit für die Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen im Dienstleistungssektor hin; der Gordon-Brown-Berater Paul Clegg von der Universität Bristol analysierte die Erfolge Großbritanniens bei der Überwindung sektoraler Arbeitslosigkeit. Die Herausforderung, so ein Fazit des Seminars, besteht darin, eine effiziente Mischung aus aktivierender Arbeitsmarktpolitik, Investitionen in die Qualifzierung von Arbeitskräften, der Erhöhung der Beteiligungschancen für Frauen am Arbeitsmarkt und einer stimulierenden Wirtschaftspolitik zu finden. Diese Perspektive, so Kajo Wasserhövel, werde auch für die Handlungen der Bundesregierung während der EU-Ratspräsidentschaft bestimmend sein.
SPD GENERALSEKRETÄR ZU GESPRÄCHEN IN LONDON
Der neue SPD-Generalsekretär Hubertus Heil besuchte am 4.4. auf Einladung der FES London. Bei dieser Gelegenheit diskutierte Hubertus Heil mit Vertretern der Labour-Party, der Labour-Unterhausfraktion und von Labour-nahen Think tanks wie ippr und Fabian Society über die Herausforderungen, die Europa und seine Gesellschaften sich gegenüberstehen. Im Mittelpunkt stand dabei die Zukunft der EU und des europäischen Wirtschafts- und Sozialmodells.
“FANS FOR FOOTBALL” HEARING IN LONDON
MATTHIAS PLATZECK IN LONDON
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