THE FORUM POST

In this issue:

Free edition Issue nr 1, September 2011

We tackle problems in EuropeMathew Davies, UK

FEATURED The special guest of 2011 was Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia. He was one of many eminent leaders who offered their advice and analyses.

Between the 6th and 10th September, young leaders met in Nowy Sacz to discuss and debate challenges for Europe. These issues ranged from the Euro crisis to mi-gration and beyond. There were experienced politicians, eminent economists and a diverse group of panellists from fields such as corporate business, communications and academia. This is important because there are a multitude of problems which Europe and the EU faces. This is why the Forum aims to include leaders from the Eastern Partnership. Trans-national challenges require an holistic and co-operative dialogue which exploits the skills and potential innovative qualities of Europeans. Furthermore, as the world speeds up, it is more prescient for the leaders of tomor-row to meet the leaders of today. As President Saakashvili proclaimed, ‘politics is becoming more younger, and more energetic...don’t wait’.

Page 2

Message from the editorI am pleased to launch the first magazine of the Economic Forum of Young Leaders. The aim of the maga-zine is to distribute the happenings and outcomes of the con-ference. This will be essential reading for the participants, speaker, academics, politicians, busi-ness leaders, whatever their expertise.

The Forum has developed in a variety of areas including the panel discussions and media coverage. The magazine will be no exception. I have co-operated with the Forum and its participants over the past 4 years, and as a journalist for a variety of European newspapers, it is a pleasure to apply my skills to this proj-ect.

My future objectives for this magazine include the continuation of information distribution. In terms of ideas, policy prescriptions and coverage. Moreover, I hope it serves as a platform to the voic-es of the youth, with respect to issues which affect them.

I hope you enjoy our first publication. If you have any feedback or comments to the contributors, please do not hesi-tate to contact us.

Yours sincerely, Mathew Davies.

Chief Editor of the Forum Magazine.

Nowy Sacz hosted usFor 4 days Malopol-ska was capital of young Europe.HOSPITALITY

Poland-Germany (2:2)Germany and Poland inspire Europe.ANALYSIS

� We tackle problems in Europe � The best Forum so far � Nowy Sącz - the place to be � Prescriptions for a competitive Euro � Collective security is a priority � Smart moves for Europe and beyond

� Participants voice � Time for a new generation � Get into the Energy market � The migration issue is complex � How can we make co-operation work!

PAGE 2 PAGE 7

Crisis in EurozoneEUROZONE This year we have witnessed one of the greatest developments in Europe. The Euro has been tested and some would say it is now at the brink of collapse. Conversely, at the end of the global financial crisis, the Euro looked formidable.

Page 3

Migration challengesSCHENGEN Some politicians, have called for deeper integration on matters such as the Eurozone and migration. Con-versely, a considerable number of statesmen within the Schengen zone offer different prescriptions. In this ar-ticle Mathew Davies, chief editor of the Forum’s magazine offers his insight into the crossroads of EU policy.

Page 3

Page 2

Page 2

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Page 8

Page 8

THE FORUM POST 2

We tackle problems in EuropeMathew Davies, UK

OBSERVATION Political and economic perspectives were offered by young people from 34 countries this year. Some predict the breakup of the European Union, and an un-fortunate regression of co-operative policies, such as Schengen and the Euro. Oth-ers see the current crisis as an opportunity to develop solidarity and deepen inte-gration. This year, we were very lucky to have a series of eminent leaders. President Saakashvili was a very important guest because he is the first head of state who is currently in office to attend the Forum. Moroever, he launched the first topic. The situation of Georgia. He has witnessed many challenges in a relatively short period of time, including state building in a post soviet state and the Russian-Georgian war of 2008. As a leader who became an MP at the age of 25, Minister of Justice at 30 and then ran for Presidency at 35, he has a lot of advice for the leaders of tomorrow.

The President pointed out that seven years ago Georgia was “basically a failed state”. Despite many problems, the country has soldiered on. Therefore, just as “no-body predicted what happened in the 80s, the revolutions in Eastern Europe or the Arab Springs” few could see which direction Georgia would take. However, due to liberalisations, which he argued were the “basis for success” Georgia has become the place to invest in the region. Furthermore, with growth at 6.5%, the conditions are im-proving for Georgians. That said, t e n s i o n s still exist b e t w e e n Russia and Georgia, he remarked ‘ we want R u s s i a n tanks out, and Russian tourists in’. He closed by delivering a message to the young leaders of tomorrow by motivating them to take the opportunities which present themselves.

Nowy Sącz - the place to be for young leadersMalte Koppe, Germany

HOSPITALITY When coming to Nowy Sącz for the Economic Forum, you realize right away that the city and its inhabitants welcome you very warmly.

A huge banner at the beautiful town hall greets the participants from all over Eu-rope. This is a beautiful symbol of the openness of the hosting city of the 6th Economic Fo-rum of Young Leaders. And probably all the young leaders were over-whelmed by the hospital-ity during the evening re-ception at the town hall where they could taste Polish cuisine. And it is without doubt that the prognosis of Bożena Ja-wor, Mayor of Nowy Sącz, will come true. She addressed the future leaders of Europe in the following way: “Someday you will come back to our city as investors - or for recreation with your children.”

The best Forum so farINTERVIEW with Michal Wojcik, Pro-gramme Director of the Economic Fo-rum of Young Leaders.

Could you please tell us what your impression is of the Forum this year?

The participants are very good, they have asked a se-ries of questions which are chal-lenging and rel-evant. I have seen them networking and learning about each other which is one of the aims

of his forum. Furthermore, they have had the chance to share their ideas with many other people. This is because we work with a media team from Nowy Staw Foundation in Poland and Ben-nohaus in Germany. They have facili-tated an open studio with live streams daily – and many interviews with the participants, from the organisers, to the programme councillors and panellists. I think it is very promising that the media coverage has expanded, how-ever, is this different from other years?

This is a very good question. Like I said earlier, the partners have generally been expanding and deepening every year. The level of efficiency this year surpasses previous forums. This is be-cause we have learnt from our previous editions. I am very thankful to the town of Nowy Sacz.

Where do you see the forum going over the next few years?

Firstly, this is the first year that we have developed a newspaper for the fo-rum. This is one aspect we would like to pursue in the future. I think this is very important so that the messages and challenges are delivered in a way which people can reflect upon, or indeed learn from. Secondly, we are hoping to co-operate with the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt/Oder. By doing this we could establish research thugh-out the year, and develop a researched based approach to the forum. This could lead to a young peoples think tank. As you can see, we have a series of new ideas, and we aim to develop the ones we have.

“Don’t wait, and don’t think that it is too far away...the point is that 20-30 years ago poli-ticians were very old...not now when we have to think fast...go for it, take it when you have the opportunity, you may not get a second chance”

Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia

Michał Wójcik

THE FORUM POST3

Michele Turati, Italy

EUROZONE Unfortunately, as the Greek crisis expanded, so too did the num-ber of countries affected by the limi-tations embodied within a monetary union without fiscal governance. This downfall began in Ireland last Au-tumn, Portugal followed in the Winter of 2010 – 2011. The situation has wors-ened since, and the ramifications are likely to stretch beyond the Eurozone. The creation of a financial stability facility has not tamed market confi-dence. And as Italy, the latest coun-try to begin imposing harsh austerity measures calculates its losses after a very volatile month. Michele Turati, from the World Trade Organization in Brescia offers his analysis on the crisis facing the monetary union.

The Brazilians economy is expand-ing rapidly whereas the US is lagging. Based on some forecasts, in a year and a half, Brazil’s GDP will be higher than Italy’s. Russia’s GDP will exceed that in one year. This is a testament to the growing power of emerging countries. By 2020 there will likely be only three strong currencies in the world: the US dollar, the Chinese Yuan and, if it sur-vives, the Euro. Consequently, the Euro-pean single currency is very important, and we must not let it break. It’s the only way to facilitate a balance of power be-tween the emerging Chinese and Ameri-can hegemonic powers.

Therefore, the issue of balance is cen-tral. One of the major consequences of the failure of the Euro would be an im-balance in the exchange rate between the USD and the Euro. This is relatively stable at the present time. The US can-not risk the dollar losing competitive-ness against the Euro, and lose their contemporary leadership as the world’s strongest economy. Therefore it is in the interest of the USA to mitigate the Euro crises. However, they haven’t the capac-ity to do this in the way they once did. Consequently, the choices made in the Eurozone are more important than ever.

Which steps have already been taken?An important step towards efficiency and competitiveness has been taken

with the Lisbon strategy which was con-siderably ambitious. But it lacked imple-mentation from many member states. One problem lies in the resources avail-able to the EU, and the fact that a con-siderable amount of the budget is spent on agriculture. We need mechanisms like ‘Europlus’ to steer states to publish outcomes annually – thus deepening transparency. This would increase com-petitiveness and accountability.

What else can increase competitiveness? There are three key areas, infrastruc-ture, research and labour. The crisis and the high debts of some States have had a strong negative impact on those three policies; a few cuts here and there aren’t enough to ensure sustainability: a key could be to lower the weight of the State in the economy. Firstly, it is however true that the economy natural-ly develops with the right infrastructure. Secondly, research is a long term invest-ment but it yields growth; right now the EU budget is limited and the fo-cus on re-search has been lost in many EU Countries. N o n e t h e -less, it is p o s s i b l e to reduce waste and reallocate resources to appropriate research de-partments. Thirdly, Labour reform is needed.

The Euro itself can be sustained by strong pension reform and a wide range of policies regarding liberalization. La-bor needs to be more flexible even though this goes against many histori-cal goals achieve by trade unions. The developments by collectives in the form of unions aggravate competitiveness on the global market. In Countries like Italy, a large company, for example FIAT, can go on strike due to a couple of people losing their jobs. This is not sus-tainable. There is of course another ex-treme. In my neighboring Country Swit-zerland, a person can get fired as easily as in the United States. The best way is in between those two models.

Another possible solution to the Euro

crisis is the development of Eurobonds. They could become a resource to save the Euro. They are often seen as a life vest for the PIIGS and they are indeed a reasonable instrument; However, An-gela Merkel, the German chancellor, is against them because as the strongest economy, Germany would carry the burden of debt. Conversely, France isn’t against Eurobonds. A solution is needed urgently because the eurozone and the global financial system requires confi-dence..

A consequence of global speculations is that we are witnessing the selling of the euro all over the World, often in ex-change for any other currency. This puts the value of the Euro down. However, the breakup of the Euro is not an option. Without the euro, the Countries that abandon it will face a series of devalu-ations affecting their new currencies; some would see a rise in unemployment and worsening social problems. Theo-retically, this might lead to financial tragedies similar to the one in Argentina in 2001: That example consisted of an increased devaluation of the currency,

until it was not possible anymore, and finally the Country defaulted. This is a real risk in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ire-land and Italy. The Eurobond is a real-istic option. However, one must ask the following.

What are some possible negative consequences of Eurobonds? Just a number: 45 thousands billion Eu-ros of debt. This is a burden Germany is likely to resent. Indeed, that is the ma-jor argument within Germany. But they cannot have their cake and eat it – hard choices need to be made. The bottom line is that compromise is needed to save the Eurozone, and the options exist to do it.

“The Euro itself needs to be sustained by strong pension reform and a wide range of policies regarding liberalization. Labor needs to be more flexible even though this goes against many historical goals achieved by trade unions”

Michele Turati

Prescriptions for a more competitive Euro!

THE FORUM POST 4

Mathew Davies, UK

MIGRATION Two years ago Dick Roche, Irish Minister of State for European affairs, was a guest speaker at this Forum. He said that the EU is the ‘greatest peace project the world has ever known’ and that it requires a ‘new sense of passion’.

This year that project is under threat. In addition to the Euro crisis, migration has once again become a security issue

at the centre of EU politics – a theme that has always caused tensions accross the political landscape. On Sunday the 17th October 2010, I opened my week-end copy of the Financial Times. Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, had audaciously asserted that multicultural-ism had ‘utterly failed’. I was aghast to hear the leader of the economic power-house of Europe deliver such a general comment on such a contentious issue. It was to become the first of many.

In the case of internal migration, there have been mixed signals. Some, for ex-ample the former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema stated bluntly on the 10th May for the French newspaper Le Monde, that ‘Europe needs Migrants’. As the Polish Social Scientist and Phi-losopher Zygmunt Bauman has pointed out, ‘there are today 333 million Euro-peans, but with the present (and still falling) average birth rate, this number will shrink to 242 million in the next 40 years’. Clearly this raises some very important questions for the policy mak-ing process, and requires careful com-munication with people throughout the regions of Europe. This has often failed in the United Kingdom, with Ru-pert Murdoch’s media consortium of the sun, the daily mail and others framing

the issue in simplistic and almost draco-nian ways. We are, however, outside the Schengen zone in Britain. Many of the countries which have brought the issue of migration into question are bound by obligations and trust to uphold Schen-gen. Therefore, it is fair to compare and contrast the decisions from Poland to France with respect to migration. With-out respecting law, trust and legitimacy decline.

The key political intervention which potentially undermined Schengen was

made by Nicolas Sar-kozy, the President of France and his government. The ini-tiative to grant and exclude the Roma people can be debat-ed in terms of ethics, but not in terms of law and obligation. The action has un-dermined EU gover-nance. Coupled with the assertion by An-gela Merkel, Chan-

cellor of Germany, and later Silvio Ber-lusconi, Prime Minister of Italy to make the case that some leaders have tired of the constraints of the Schengen zone. After France expelled the Roma, the Italian premier developed this further. Before the Arab springs and the rebel-lion against Gadaffi in Libya. Italy had pledged financial aid to contain its peo-ple, and to prevent them fleeing Libya.

This is logical because state security is bound, to a degree, by its management of migratory flows. Therefore, in the inter-ests of collective security, a pri-vate agency would seem the ap-propriate choice of mechanism. This does exist in the form of FRONTEX, a Warsaw based agency which polices the borders of Europe. However, according to Statewatch, in 2010, Italy was planning to co-finance ‘Libyan land borders, 50% funded by Italy and 50%, for which Italian com-panies with the necessary technological know-how will be responsible’. Howev-er, during the current Northern African crisis, and the arrival of more migrants at Lampadusa, an island south of Italy, FRONTEX was charged with helping the Italian government in policing its bor-ders. This has further legitimised the ne-

cessity of FRONTEX which has expand-ed every year since it was first initiated in 2005. Unfortunately, the European Asylum Agency, prescribed at the same time has not come to fruition. This rais-es three important questions. Some key questions therefore are the following.

Should Private companies be set up by the EU to manage border controls? If so what oversight ought to exist?

Perhaps the Polish Presidency is the perfect time to develop appropri-ate mechanisms. It would send a clear signal that collective security is in mo-tion. Unfortunately, this does not reflect the direction incidents this year seem to be heading. For example, Silvio Ber-lusconi’s government granted external migrants temporary visa’s. This allowed them to travel throughout the EU. Nico-las Sarkozy’s government stopped trains heading to France with them inside. Soon after Denmark reinstated border checks, and now the free movement of individuals is under attack. The EU was not prepared for an event like the Arab Springs.

Consequently, have the external chal-lenges of the Arab springs exposed the limits of EU solidarity and governance?

Perhaps, however Italy is more vul-nerable than other states because of its geographical location. Therefore in the absence of help from the EU, and the ab-sence of useful mechanisms to address the crisis, Italy has had to act in the interests of its people. Without useful mechanisms and the appropriate help,

people will lose faith in the EU if they feel abandoned. History has taught us where that leads, just as the correlation between economic decline and the rise in Nationalism has taught us to prevent it.

Therefore, should we address the cor-relation between economic challenges and nationalism? And if so, how?

Finally, in practise what mechanisms and processes need to be initiated to lead the EU further down the road of collective security?

The Polish Presidency is the perfect time to... send a signal that collective security is in mo-tion”

Mathew Davies

Collective security is a priority after the Arab springs

THE FORUM POST5

Malte Koppe, Germany

INTEGRATION 2011 is one of the best years for the German-Polish relation-ship. Cooperation is realized across the social, political and economic spectrum. However, 20 years after the signature “Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighborhood and Friendly Cooperation” some experts on the countries bilateral relations warn that mutual interest may decline. As Malte Koppe shows, a further com-mitment to the relationship could be the continuing promotion in Europe of the German-Polish achievements.

On June 17th 1991, the now indepen-dent and democratic Republic of Poland and the unified Federal Republic of Ger-many signed the “Polish-German Treaty of Good Neighborhood and Friendly Cooperation”. This defined various spheres for bilateral cooperation in politics and society. On May 1st 2004, Poland joined the European Union and soon after entered the Schengen zone. This year marks the twentieth anniver-sary of the Polish-German treaty. This has coincided with Poland taking over the presidency in the European Council.

Wherever you look - Poland and Germany cooperate!Today, cooperation and exchange be-tween Poland and Germany penetrate government and all spheres of society. Although the “community of interest” might be hard to achieve, Poles and Ger-mans are finally on a level where they can meet as emancipated partners. But this does not mean that the history of both countries is ignored. The follow-ing examples illustrate some common achievements in the last 20 years.

Firstly, around two million people of Polish origin live in Germany, the Ger-man minority in Poland accounts for around 160.000 people and is by law represented in the Polish parliament. This year the German Bundestag an-nounced that they would endeavor to support the Polish minority in Germany. This matters because Germany is Po-land’s most important trading partner, accounting for about one fourth of its imports and exports. Since May Polish people can work legally in Germany.

Furthermore, The foreign ministries

are in close contact and regularly con-sult one another. A German-Polish university exists (European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder) as well as a foundation supporting civil society ini-tiatives (Foundation for German-Polish Cooperation) and even a bi-National Chamber of Commerce. Finally, a bilat-eral agency charged exclusively with supporting youth exchanges (German-Polish Youth Office) has been estab-lished along with the German-Polish treaty dating from 1991.

What does all of this mean? Transna-tional relations cannot be measured as easy as foreign trade. But opinion polls help. Indicators have become more and more positive. For example; a study pub-lished in 2011 by the renowned German Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research shows a number of develop-ments. Back in 1991, Polish perception of Germans ranged -0,35 on a sympathy scale (from -5 to +5) was pub-lished by the Ger-man maga-zine DER S P I E G E L . Years later the Polish account for a significant increase, and this is reciprocal. This is not all theory, we can observe outcomes in practice: For example, Poland is the Eastern neighbor with whom Germany has the most of its town twinnings.

A new mission - promoting the successes achieved and trilateral cooperation

Despite all these successes, it has been argued that people active in the Polish-German relationship form an inner cir-cle of converted enthusiasts alienated from their societies. Others claim that just because of all the progress made there are currently no controversial is-sues Poles and Germans need to talk about. A phantom of disinterest regard-ing the partner is roaming around. Both arguments bare some truth. This is why decision makers and advocates for the German-Polish cause should become aware that Poles and Germans together can give a good example for other Euro-pean countries. The successes of twenty

years of cooperation needs to be pro-moted.

Poland may use experiences gained with Germany in bilateral relations with their Eastern neighbors. Even more con-vincing might be a common German-Polish intervention. Therefore, the fol-lowing questions might be of practical interest:

What were the main agents in the pro-cess of German-Polish reconciliation? What was and what is today the role of civil society, the governments and pri-vate companies?

Under what conditions can bilateral cooperation in Europe develop? What processes worked in favor of German-Polish reconciliation?

Is political will cemented by a bilateral treaty? for example the German-Polish case. Or is it free trade and economic ex-change that pave the way for reconcili-ation and a good neighbourhood? And

how important is the common member-ship in a larger community (e.g. EU) in order to work together?

Without doubt there are also back-lashes in mutual cooperation and there-fore the following questions needs to be posed as well.

When does cooperation fail? How to prevent this from happening and how to overcome breakdowns?

Is it the will to dominate (and out-smart) the partner that leads to conflict in bilateral relations? In economic and political terms, an imbalance between Germany and Poland has often been observed. Under which conditions does disparity lead to the domination of one party in a bilateral relationship? Or can such an imbalance even stabilize a re-lationship (“learning from the older brother-phenomenon”)?

The best Germany and Poland could do for the Europe of the 21st century is to share experience and spread the results.

Smart moves for Europe and beyond

“Today, cooperation and exchange between Poland and Germany penetrate government and all spheres of society”

Malte Koppe

THE FORUM POST 6

Participants voiceJustyna Górniak, Poland

POINT OF VIEW This year’s Economic Forum of Young Leaders gathers more than 3 hundred people from 34 countries. “10 years ago I was in your shoes. I attended similar events like this one” said Artur Orzechowski, member of management board in one of the most successful companies in Poland.

Aliaksandr Zarembiuk, a social activist from Belarus now lives in Poland, and works for the Belarusian Information House Foundation. He is attending the forum for the first time. “I have heard good opinions about the forum from my colleagues, that is why I have applied. I am surprised by par-ticipants, in a positive way,” he says. “You can meet people from different countries and, therefore, get new perspec-tives,”

“For instance, not everybody knows what the situation in Belarus is, so they can get to know more from me and another Belarusians’’. “ Of course, we do have a lot of information from all over the world because of the media, but news cannot replace face-to- face conversation.” stresses Aliaksandr.

Aliaksandr has come for the event with an aim, networking. He wants to meet people who are interested in the same topic as he is. Support-ing democracy in Belarus. “I will definitely stay in touch with many participants from this year’s forum. We have already come up with ideas for the future projects and we will defi-nitely organize them’’

“Contact making is very important” agrees Filip Ślęzak from the Centre of Young Diplomats. He took part in 2 previ-ous editions of the forum “ For instance, 2 years ago during the forum he met a guy who inspired him to apply for an in-ternship in the European Parliament.” Moreover, Despo Had-ijapanayiotou, who works for Greek Association for Atlantic and European Cooperation also pointed out that networking

is one of the reasons why she has come to the forum. “ It’s my first time here. I have decided to attend the event because this is a perfect opportunity to promote my as-sociation and find people who would like to cooperate with us.” She says.

Goran Grubešić, who runs a student debate organization based in Sarajevo took part in the forum for the second time. “I do like the fact that in one place you can meet people who come from different backgrounds” he says. The forum at-tracts young activists, NGO workers, policymakers and entre-preneurs. “It’s great that people with various points of view gather here...you cannot be a good leader if you...do not re-spect different points of view” Goran points out.

“United in diversity - that is the main idea of European Union,” recalls Filip Ślęzak “The Economic Forum of Young Leaders and other similar events are necessary to reach that goal and make Europe truly integrated.”

The forum is also a chance for young people to meet and confront public figures. This could be European politicians and entrepreneurs. This year the forum hosted Georgian pres-ident, Mikcheil Saakashvili. “This edition does not have too many guest from ‘A list’ though, in comparison with previous editions” says Filip. “Especially this year, during the polish presidency in the EU our leaders should be more willing to attend the forum, and...encourage us to be active and take part in creating the future, our future,” he adds.

During the forum young leaders also get the experience to become efficient in the public sphere. Aliaksandr Zarembiuk puts that into the Belarusian context “We do need people with certain skills, who could establish democracy in Belarus. The problem is that young Belarusians study in western countries, they get professional experience, but cannot use their skills in Belarus now. We will face the transforma-

Forum SpotlightsIMPRESSIONS

Aliaksandr Zarembiuk

Goran Grubešić

Filip Ślęzak

THE FORUM POST7

Forum SpotlightsIMPRESSIONS

tion, sooner or later. That is why it’s so important to know how other countries coped with that process. Today it is a perfect time for them to get new perspectives. The forum is a perfect place for that”

Regardless of the political situation in European countries, there is a need for new, fresh ideas coming from the youth. Despo stresses that the majority of young people are not interested in being active in their societies. “ It happens in Greece, it happens everywhere. ” she says. “People in their twenties too often just don’t want, or do not have an opportunity to undertake this challenge. The report titled “The Youth of 2011”, has been recently published in Poland by minister Michał Boni. Its conclusion is quite pessimistic, like Despo’s statement.

In Nowy Sącz, this lack of energy to change the world does not have a place. “It is all up to us, the youth of today’s Europe.” says Despo. “If we don’t want to be active citizens with a strong will to get involved and make some positive changes in our countries, who will do it instead of us?”

Time for a new generationRobert Thompson, USA

OPINION afternoon was kicked off with an inspiring speech by the Economic Forum’s special guest, Presidet Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia as well as a panel discussion chaired by members representing a cross section of Poland’s civil society.

The evening was concluded with a speech by Aaron Davis, representing Schneider Electric, who had advice for those interested in leading the world’s green technol-ogy revolution.

President Saakashvili could not emphasize enough the crucial role at which “20 and 30 something’s” had played in the transformation of Georgia and for placing the country on a trajectory bound for success. Even today, Georgia’s civil society is not comprised of old and dogmatic career politicians but with young people brim-ming with fresh ideas and who possess a keen sense of the benefits to be had from nurturing an open society. Both of which, a fundamental break from Georgia’s So-viet era government and an embracement of a free and open economy is beneficial.

Georgia’s recent success can in part be attributed to the seizing of opportunity and a willingness to take risks. However, as noted by the panel as well as Mr. Davis, opportunity is often times created by one’s own ambition and perseverance in the face of adversity.

The very adversity that this generation of young leaders is facing, as will following gen-erations, is in part due to global climate change. Just as climate change is a product of a flat-tened world, mitigation of its negative consequences lay in the positive opportuni-ties presented by that same, flat, and increasingly interconnected planet. Today’s entrepreneurs and pioneers of green technology have to think on a global scale and a vast field, prime for development, lay before this generation waiting to be seized.

The common message could not have been more fitting for today’s youth who are finding themselves in an unfavorable economic environment, of which they bear no responsibility for creating. When taken together, the economic crisis and the ever pressing issues presented by climate change, problems are presenting themselves at every corner. But, for every problem there is an opportunity and a solution.

The circumstances are ripe for the ushering in of an entirely new generation of thinking, molded by the personal initiative and fresh ideas of today’s young lead-ers who will shape this new generation into their own image, far and away from the images which characterize previous generations.

Today’s college graduates face a world much different from the world faced by those who graduated only five years ago. Jobs were waiting for those who asked themselves, “what job do you have to give me”. Today’s graduates will separate themselves from their predecessors by asking themselves not “what job can I take” but “what job can I create”.

“The circumstances are ripe for the ushering in of an entirely new generation of thinking”

Robert Thompson

THE FORUM POST 8

Mathew Davies, UK

THE stories confronting humanity be-cause of climate change may have receded in the mainstream media, however, Aaron Davis, chief Market-ing Officer, and member of the execu-tive committee, had a lot to say on the issue.

He works for Shneider electric, ‘the largest unknown company in the world’. He delivered a highly interactive presen-tation on day 2 of the forum. He shared his background, drawing on his begin-nings in his families company. Then em-phasized the need to mitigate climate

change, and pointed out that it ‘’doesn’t matter what the cause is, the solution is the same’ essentially, we need to turn the lights off. This may seem detrimen-tal to the interests of a businessman in the field of energy. Conversely, he want-ed to point out the imperative to invest in the field of energy m a n a g e -ment. He b e l i e v e s that with population growth (an a d v o c a t e of China’s

“You make your own luck”

Aaron Davis, Schnedier Electric

one child policy) comes the necessity to manage energy efficiently. A series of questions were asked which challenged some of these assumptions.

Get into the Energy market

Mathew Davies, UK

MIGRATION This year has been a chal-lenge for the EU and two of its central policies. This is not a new subject, however, the intensity regarding the Euro and Schengen is.

This is certainly true since the Arab Springs and a multitude of political in-terventions which have called internal migration policy into question. The Pan-el at the forum included Ruth Ferrero-Turrion, Political Advisor to the Prime Ministers office in Spain. And Chris-tophe Leclercq, founder and publisher

of EurAc-tiv. Ruth F e r r e r o e m p h a -sized the i m p o r -tance of d i s t i n -g u i s h i n g b e t w e e n

internal migrants and external migrant, and the important role of language in this topic. Christophe Leclercq was an advocate of transcending limitations wrought by visa’s and would like to see many layers of access rather than ex-tremities with respect to migration. He said that ‘’visa’s belonged in the 19th century’’. There was a very interesting discussion between them, and the audi-ence asked a series of questions which enriched this further. The guests spent time discussing the topic with partici-pants after the panel, and were inter-viewed by www.europeanweb.tv.

The migration issue is complex

“Well done for raising this topic which is not an easy topic to raise”

Christophe Leclercq, Founder & Publisher EurActiv.com

Malte Koppe, Germany

COOPERATION The point of this panel was to explore the following question. How can we overcome the problems of a difficult past in a bilateral rela-tionship? Based on the experience of the German-Polish case, Dietmar Nietan (German Parliament Bund-estag) stressed that awareness of his-

tory of the partner is essential. Both should be in constant dialogue about their national historical narratives.

Tomasz Różniak (Nowy Staw Foun-dation) added that it is the young gener-ation that counts. They should have the chance to meet their colleagues from the neighboring country. Markus Meck-el (Former Foreign Minister of the GDR) summarized that inclusion is important: The partners should, for example, invite

each other on occasion such as national holidays. All panelists agreed though, that there is not one perfect solution for cooperation among societies and coun-tries. Each bilateral partnership has to find solutions appropriate for their his-torical context, economic and geopoliti-cal solution. This was the central mes-sage of the panel.

How can we make co-operation work!

Contact usforum@forum-leaders.eu

z

Layout: Zmicier Hryškievic

Print of the newspaper supported by the Foundation of Polish - German Coopera-tion