Responses to the Economic Crisis: Perspectives ahead of the G20 Meeting in Pittsburgh

Dr. Pedro Paez Pérez, former Minister for Economic Policy Coordination in Ecuador and currently the President of the Ecuadorian Presidential Commission for the New Regional Financial Architecture-Banco del Sur and Member of the UN High-level task force on the financial crisis (Stiglitz Commission).

Dr. Adrian van den Hoven, is director of the BUSINESSEUROPE International Relations department with overall responsibility over WTO and bilateral trade negotiations. BUSINESSEUROPE - the Confederation of European Business - is a Brussels-based European association of industries and employers.

Moderator

Mr. Leigh Phillips - EUobserver, Brussels

Despite optimistic claims in the mainstream media that the global economic crisis is entering its final phases, more realistic analysts confirm that this worldwide financial downturn continues to worsen.

There have been contradictory visions on what the solutions should look like. On the one hand, the G20 countries (including the EU) as well as the main Business associations (including BUSINESSEUROPE) have strongly advocated an agenda for a rapid return of confidence in the world economy which would include measures such as restore companies' access to finance under affordable conditions, promote global trade and investment and reject protectionism, fund and reform the international financial institutions and strengthen financial supervision and regulation. On the other hand, such voices as the UN High-level task force on the financial crisis led by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, have advocated for finding radical alternatives to the current system, as was proposed during the UN Conference on the World Economic and Financial Crisis earlier this year. Among the advocated proposals is a new international monetary and financial order which requires re-thinking the free trade and liberalisation paradigm, in which regional financial architectures can play a key role.

The Debate panelists will bring to the table their views representing each one of these two distinct perspectives on the responses demanded by the crisis.

For registration and information contact:
pablosanchez@tni.org
00 32 (0) 486. 50 79 96

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