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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for ECR Group
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DTSTART:20180101T000000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190219
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190220
DTSTAMP:20260929T221911Z
CREATED:20190128T073700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T221911Z
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SUMMARY:The Europe - Muslim World Democracy Forum
DESCRIPTION:As a number of Muslim majority states make the democratic transition\, there is a need for increased political\, economic and civic engagement with other nations around the world\, including in Europe. Facing significant regional and global challenges\, it is necessary for nations to work together\, strengthening shared values\, and building lasting relationships as a catalyst for future action. Now more than ever\, it is necessary for democracies to come together and discuss their shared values and mutual interests in order to strengthen the democratic order and to promote democracy and stability in the face of the resurgence of authoritarianism and to overcome the tension and polarization between the Muslim World and Western nations. \nKey to this is the international community working together to establish and maintain effective market-based economies based on the rule of law\, which maintain the support of the voting population whilst appealing to the younger generation. It is therefore\, necessary for politicians\, academics\, and communities to work together to show how freedom and prosperity can be delivered through a cooperative global network of democracies. \nProgramme: \n08.00: Accreditation open for external participants \n08.30: Registration open for all participants \n  \n09.00 – 09:15: Opening remarks \n\nWelcome remarks by Syed Kamall MEP\n\n09.15 – 10.30: Democracies in the Muslim World: a) Interpretations of Islam and b) Institution-building and Reform \n  \nModerator: Syed Kamall MEP  \nMillions of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims live in democracies\, ample proof that there is no inherent discord between the two ideas. However\, Islam can be interpreted in different ways\, and some interpretations conflict with democratic ideals. Nevertheless\, the Koran contains a number of ideas that support democratic ideals such as the principle of consensus and the consultative decision making. Do these principles have political applications? This roundtable will look at how different interpretations of Islam can have an influence on the democratic process in different countries. In a society\, the degree of political separation between religion and the civil state is determined by the legal structures and prevalent legal views. Each country organizes the relationship between the civil state and religion differently. This roundtable will also look at how the relation between the civil state and Islam is organized and changes over time taking into account the transition to a parliamentary democracy. The discussion will handle questions such as what the benefits of the separation between the State and Islam are in democratic terms.  \n 10.30 – 11.45: Liberal democracy and minority rights: the role of education\, religion and cultural rapprochement\n \n Under the impact of political Islam\, suspicion of non-Muslims has re-emerged. We witness that people are attacked\, and even murdered\, for their belief and religion. At the other end of the spectrum\, Muslim intellectuals are seeking for ways to legitimize full legal and political equality of Muslims and non-Muslims in Islamic terms. Nevertheless\, in different countries with a majority of Muslims\, we see the population of (religious) minorities declining. This discussion will reflect upon the evolution that is made concerning minority rights and religious freedom\, the role of education\, religion and cultural rapprochement; and the effect hereof on the development of a liberal democracy. \n11.45 – 12.00: Key note speech\n  \n12.00 – 13.30 Lunch Break \n13.30-14.45: Emerging markets in the Muslim world: investment\, trade and international development   \nAccording to the World Economic Forum\, almost a quarter of the world is Muslim. The 1.6 billion people contribute 16% of the global GDP\, with a 6% annual growth rate. By 2020\, the Islamic finance industry is projected to reach $3 trillion in total assets\, with one billion users. Globalization\, technology and economic necessity have created favourable conditions for emerging markets in the Muslim world. This roundtable will discuss the ambitions of the emerging markets in the Muslim world to expand and cooperate with their European counterparts. On the other hand\, the discussion will handle the influence of the emerging markets\, new technologies\, digital connectivity and innovation on the democratic process. \n 14:45 – 15:00 Key note speech \n15.00 – 16.00: Stability\, security cooperation\, peace building and conflict resolution \nWhile the Arab Spring in Tunisia led to improvements\, not all of the nations that witnessed such social and political upheaval changed for the better. Most notably\, Libya\, Egypt\, Yemen and Syria are still suffering from the consequences of the uprising. In several countries\, extremist groups took advantage and filled the political vacuum. Therefore\, there is a strong need for the international community to work together towards conflict resolution and peace building\, towards security and stability. This roundtable will look at the role of different approaches\, most notably the approach of democracy building as a sustainable manner to resolve insecurity situations.  \n16.00-17:00: Improving social integration by investing in human capital and education\, and in the enormous potential of youth and women entrepreneurship \nMuslims are younger than the global average\, with a median age of 23 rather than 28 – a result of the Muslim World’s own ‘baby boom’. Young Muslims are now the most educated in their countries’ histories\, holding new attitudes and using new technologies. Traditionally the minority in education\, women are coming out ahead of men today. This roundtable will discuss related challenges such as creating supportive policies and an inclusive entrepreneurship-friendly environment. \n17.00 – 17:45 The future relationship between Europe and Muslim democracies \nModerator: Syed Kamall (MEP)  \nThe discussion at this panel will reflect upon the lessons from the conference and consider ways to strengthen and deepen cooperation. Key to this conference has been to consider ways in which the international community can work together to strengthen the democratic and economic order to promote stability in the face of a resurgence of authoritarianism. This panel will therefore discuss how politicians\, academics\, and communities can work together to pursue an on-going and constructive dialogue for the future of the Muslim world and its relationship with Europe. It will demonstrate that real freedom and prosperity is delivered through a cooperative global network of democracies. \n 17:45-18:00 Closing remarks by Syed Kamall MEP.
URL:https://ecrgroup.eu/event/ecremdemocracy/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ecrgroup.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/mf55.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190207
DTSTAMP:20260929T221914Z
CREATED:20190121T080300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T221914Z
UID:8337-1549411200-1549497599@ecrgroup.eu
SUMMARY:European Defence Cooperation Conference
DESCRIPTION:This conference will address the current intentions of the European Commission with respect to defence (materiel) cooperation. Are these plans effective to reach the goal of improved cooperation\, a more effective defence industry and better involvement of SMEs throughout the Union? What could be negative effects of these policies and how could these be mitigated. Result of the roundtable will be a set of recommendations to the European Commission and the European Parliament to support or amend the Policies. \n \nThe conference is hosted by Marek Jurek MEP. \nWith the participation of: \n\nVice-Admiral RNLN Dr. Ir. Arie-Jan de Waard – Director Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO)\, The Netherlands\nProf. Dr. Julian Lindley-French – a leading advisor\, strategist\, and author on foreign- and military affairs\, United Kingdom \nAntoni Pieńkos Ph.D. – director of the analysis division at the Warsaw Institute of Strategic Initiatives\, Poland\n\nRegistration until 28.01.2019 via marek.jurek-office@europarl.europa.eu \nposter
URL:https://ecrgroup.eu/event/european_defence_cooperation/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190109
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190110
DTSTAMP:20260929T221916Z
CREATED:20181206T071300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260929T221916Z
UID:8302-1546992000-1547078399@ecrgroup.eu
SUMMARY:Africa Summit 2019
DESCRIPTION:Africa is a continent experiencing a renaissance in terms of economic growth\, inward investment\, the emergence of widespread entrepreneurialism\, demographic changes\, inward and foreign investment\, and the development of tech companies. This Summit is intended to expand upon already existing areas of cooperation\, and delve deeper into key challenges and opportunities in order to strengthen the EU’s collaborative and effective regional partnership with African nations. \nThis Summit will be an opportunity to exchange best practice between the EU and African nations in key areas\, such as democracy\, security\, economy\, health related issues\, emergent technologies\, the use of development aid\, and developing a future relationship on trade cooperation. This Summit brings together key politicians\, commentators\, organisations\, and experts to discuss these important issues. \n08.00: Accreditation open for external participants \n08.30: Registration open for all participants (JAN 6Q2)  \n09.00 – 09.30 \n\nWelcome remarks by Syed Kamall\, ECR Group Co-Chairman \nWelcome remarks by Antonio Tajani\, President of the European Parliament \n\n09.30 – 10.30: Panel I – Africa and emerging technology \nThe growth of mobile phone networks\, greater access to the internet\, and the growth of tech start-up companies in Africa has paved the way for a tech-focused economy of the future. Many global companies such as Facebook and Google are investing in African nations and projects. In May 2017\, the European Commission presented its ‘Digital4Development’ strategy\, which aims to contribute to the realisation of the objectives in the UN Millennium Development Goals by mainstreaming digital solutions and technologies in EU development policy. This panel will look at how African nations\, the EU\, and its Member States can use technology in the coming decades\, and what the consequences of this are for jobs\, the economy and society as a whole. \n\nIsabel Dos Santos\, Chairwoman of Unitel\, Angola\nJamil Ahmad\, Director of the United Nations Environment Program\nDr Wojtek Wilk\, CEO\, Polish Centre for International Aid\nSyed Kamall. Co-Chairman of the ECR Group\n\n10.30 – 11.30: Panel II – European support for African Peace and Security Initiatives \nPeace and security threats can vary in terms of ideology\, the intended and/or real consequences of their actions\, or whether their impact occurs on a local\, national\, regional\, international level or on a combination of different levels. A proper examination and interpretation of the threat and the subsequent response is therefore crucial in fighting threats from insurgents\, as well as from state actors. Some of the challenges are not exclusive to the affected nations but also key to the EU’s internal and external strategy. In this respect\, the EU\, different Member States\, together with other actors\, are panel will look at how the EU and its Member States and the AU and its Member States can better cooperate to find solutions for these mutual security challenges. \n\nIbrahim Sani Abani\, Secretary-General of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States\nPatrice Kouame Kouassi\, Deputy in the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire\, Committee on Security and Defence\nJoshua Meservey\, senior policy analyst\, Africa & Middle East\, the Heritage Foundation\nProfessor Zdzisław Krasnodębski\, Vice-President of the European Parliament\n\n11.30 – 12.30: Panel III – Democracy building and good governance in the 21st century \nAfrica is a continent experiencing an overall positive trend in regard to democratic changes. In numerous countries\, a peaceful change of power has taken place. Different African countries\, which experienced war in the past\, were able to change the political scene in the process towards a democratic society. Nevertheless\, democracy in Africa is facing several challenges. One of the key issues facing democracies around the world is how we can ensure that national sovereign government representation is diverse; and that elections are free and fair taking into account the rule of law\, transparency\, accountability\, human rights\, rights of minorities and the demographic dividend. This panel will be a unique opportunity to hear from publishers\, journalists and campaigners speak about. \n\nAdebola Williams\, Co-Founder and CEO of RED Media Africa and StateCraft Inc.\nAleksandra Gadzala\, senior fellow\, Africa Center\, Atlantic Council\nProfessor Nicholas Cheeseman\, Democracy and International Development\, University of Birmingham\nMark Demesmaeker\, Member of the European Parliament\n\n13.00 – 14.30: Lunch Break \n14.30 – 15.30: Panel IV – Health trends in Africa  \nInvestment in Africa’s health systems is key to inclusive and sustainable growth. Strong economic growth in recent years has helped reduce poverty to 43 percent of the population\, but now growth is slowing. Many countries still contend with high levels of child and maternal mortality\, malnutrition is far too common\, and most health systems are not able to deal effectively with epidemics and the growing burden of chronic diseases\, such as diabetes. These challenges call for renewed commitments and accelerated progress towards addressing health trends and challenges. This panel will look at how access to essential basic medicines can be increased in some African nations\, and what role government should play in addressing these health trends and challenges. \n\nMinister Beata Kempa\, Minister for Humanitarian Aid\, Poland\nNuria Molina\, senior program officer\, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation\nSelorm Branttie\, Global Strategist\, mPedigree\nCommissioner Christos Stylianides\, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management (video message)\nEleni Theocharous\, Member of the European Parliament\n\n15.30 – 16.30: Panel V – Building businesses and infrastructure \nThe African continent is facing the fastest growth of population in the world. This provides an enormous challenge with regard to transport\, housing\, jobs\, services and sanitation. In order for African nations to be able to meet these challenges\, there is a need to provide the right regulatory framework for businesses and infrastructure to grow. Some of the key initiatives of the last 5 years in the EU has been the EU Trust Fund and the EU External Investment Plan. The EU External Investment Plan mobilised 44 billion Euros of investment\, to make the important link between private enterprise and public money for building long-term sustainable economic growth. This panel will look at how the EU\, its Member States and African nations can work together to put the right framework in place. \n\nHonourable Minister Samuel D. Tweah\, Minister of Finance and Development and Planning\, Liberia\nFormer Minister Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan\, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications\, Pakistan\nDoctor Anna Masłon-Oracz\, Economist\, Warsaw School of Economics\nArne Gericke\, Member of the European Parliament\n\n16.30 – 17.30: Panel VI – Economic growth in African Nations  \nMany African nations are experiencing economic growth on an unprecedented scale. Ethiopia\, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana were amongst the fastest growing economies in the world in 2017. Issues such as investing\, lending\, and increasing growth and banking capital are high on the political agenda in African nations. This panel will look at how EU investment political engagement can help create capital growth\, and increase the living wage\, competitiveness and international trade across Africa. The panel will look at the success stories of some African nations and see how they can be replicated across the entire continent. The panel will also look at what the EU can learn from Africa in its own pursuit for economic growth\, prosperity and increased employment for citizens. \n\nMinister Mthuli Ncube\, Minister of Finance and Economic Development\, Zimbabwe\nJean-Louis Billon\, businessman and former Minister of Trade\, Côte d’Ivoire\nKoffi Tutu Agyare\, CEO\, Nubuke Investment LLP\nRt. Honourable Mark Simmonds\, Former Minister for Africa\, and UK overseas territories\, UK\nEmma McClarkin\, Member of the European Parliament\n\n17.30 – 17.45: Closing remarks \n\nClosing remarks by Jan Zahradil\, ECR Member of the European Parliament\n\n17.45 – 18.30: Closing Cocktail Reception
URL:https://ecrgroup.eu/event/africasummit2019/
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