Date: Thursday, April 2
Time: 17.30 – 19.00
Venue: Hemicycle, European Parliament, Brussels

SPEAKERS

For this debate, we have invited panelists from all over the world. 

• Alfred Gusenbauer, former Chancellor, SPÖ, Austria
• Chen Fengxiang, Vice Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China
• Martin Ziguélé, President of the MLPC, former Prime Minister, Central African Republic
• Lawrence Mishel, Chair of the Economic Policy Institute, USA
• Piero Fassino, MEP, EU special envoy to Burma, former Minsiter of Justice, DP, Italy
• Luc Cortebeeck, Vice-President ITUC and President of the CSC, Belgium
• Alexandre Seron, Research, CNCD, Belgium
• Rapporteur: Kristian Vigenin, MEP, PES Group, BSP, Bulgaria

Background note

The current international system witnesses an increasing number of regional integration processes. The present workshop addresses the nature as well as the implications of this more and more frequent phenomenon and the need to reach a new scale in terms of political cooperation, economic and trade relations to address adequately the challenges of today’s world. It is also a democratic challenge to involve the citizens in the framing of such large supra-sovereign entities.

Q&A

• The number of states groupings developing a political dimension including diplomatic and security arrangements in their close interaction remains significantly lower when compared to the much more common trade-focused agreements. Yet, regional integration can also have important effects in the socio-economic area. In recent years, several regional integration processes have focused on the social policy and social governance dimension. A number of regional integration bodies, regional agreements and regional international organisations have felt the need to develop regional social policies in order to balance economy and trade driven integration processes with social policy considerations. In economic terms regional integration helps regions to fulfil their potential, to improve the interconnectivity of their network infrastructures and to facilitate the integration of individual countries into the international markets. What comparison could be made between this different models; European Union, African Union, Mercosur, ASEAN? How is it possible to deepen the social perspective while social competition and dumping seem to be a comparative advantage in today’s trade? What kind of regional solidarity mechanism (a sort of cohesion fund) could be created and what role for the developed countries in this prospect?
• Regional integration processes often lead to falling customs revenue, resulting in substantial public spending cuts in key sectors such as health and education. What compensating mechanisms should be put in place to prevent such shortcomings? Should poorer countries be supported with the cost of transition? If yes, how?
• Regional organizations can play a pivotal role in the international system. How should their emergence and their reinforcement be supported? Should cooperation and assistance limit itself to political aid or should economic aid be considered?
• The world has witnessed changes of major magnitude in the past few decades with the end of the Cold War, the emergence of a multipolar system and globalisation being only some, and significantly not all, of the characterising elements. Should regional bodies be considered in the context of reforms of international institutions and the global governance system? If yes, with what authority and role should they play vis-à-vis the UN?
• Regional integration processes, when of a political nature, can make substantial contributions to peace and security while also allowing regional entities to become influential players on the world stage. In this context, what co-operation between the UN and regional organisations can prove to be quintessential for the stability of an international multilateral system?
•  It is of utmost importance for regional integration processes to bear inclusive participation from citizens and full political ownership. How can these organisations develop and reach democratic functioning? What should be the role for National Parliaments and supra-national governments? What kind of cooperation between these institutions, national governments, Parliaments, trade unions and civil society?