Third bilateral Belgian-German conference. The event was opened by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder- and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders. On 17 April Belgium’s Egmont Institute and the Brussels Office of the Bertelsmann Stiftung convened the third bilateral Belgian-German conference. This year the distinguished participants met in the Palais d’Egmont. The event, which was entitled “Dialogue in Difficult Times. Labour Markets, Education, Social Partnership,” was opened by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders.
About 200 participants listened as MM. Schröder and Reynders outlined their priorities with regard to labour market and welfare state reforms, which were designed to maintain the international competitiveness of both Germany and Belgium against the backdrop of the euro crisis, greater global competition for industrial locations, and an ageing working population.

Keynote Speech by Gerhard Schröder, former German Chancellor.

Communication of Elio Di Rupo, Belgian Prime Minister.

Speech by Etienne Davignon, President of Egmont Institute.

Speech by Didier Reynders, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Speech by Monica De Coninck, Belgian Minister of Work.

Speech by Philippe Van Parijs, Prof. Université de Louvain, Chaire Hoover d’éthique économique et sociale & Nuffield College, Oxford.

Speech by Frank Vandenbroucke, Minister of State, Prof. KU Leuven and Universiteit Antwerpen.

Speech by Caroline Ven, Gedelegeerd bestuurder van het Ondernemersplatform VKW.

Speech by Luc Denayer, General Secretary, Central Economic Council.

Summary

Programme FR

Programme NL

(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)