The 1st annual conference “Delphi Economic Forum” took place at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Greece, between the 26th and the 28th of February 2016.
H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos entering the Plenary Hall, Delphi Economic Forum
It engaged business, political and academic, and other top experts in an effort to address emerging challenges for Greece, influence the national and regional agendas and promote sustainable and socially responsible growth policies.
The Forum brought together more than 140 speakers from Greece, Europe and the United States covering the fields of politics, academics, enterprises and journalism as well as top government ministers, representatives from the main opposition party, European Commissioners, high-ranking officials from global institutions such as World Bank, European Investment Fund, the European Commission, OLAF and highly-influential international think tanks.
The agenda of the meeting covered 20 crucial issues, such as changes in international geopolitical balance of power and challenges facing the eastern Mediterranean region and Greece’s long-term growth outlook.
The conference took place under the auspices of H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos and was organized with the support of the Region of Central Greece and the Municipality of Delphi.
Among the key policy makers and thought leaders who participated:
H.E. the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos
Wolfgang Schussel, Federal Chancellor of Austria 2000-2007
Yiannis Dragasakis, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece
Nikos Voutsis, President of the Hellenic Parliament
Loukas Papademos, former PM of Greece
Panagiotis Pikrammenos, former Caretaker PM of Greece
Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship
Corina Cretu, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy
Giovanni Kessler, Director-General, European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Giovanni Buttarelli, European Data Protection Supervisor
Charles Ries, Vice President, The Rand Corporation
Adonis Georgiades, Vice President of Nea Demokratia party
Peter Spiegel, Brussels Bureau Chief, Financial Times
Ian Lesser, Executive Director, German Marshall Fund of the United States
George Katrougalos, Minister of Labor, Social Insurance and Social Solidarity
Nikiforos Diamandouros, former European Ombudsman
Dora Bakoyannis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
Evangelos Venizelos, former Vice President of the Hellenic Government
Kevin Featherstone, Director of the Hellenic Observatory, LSE
George Dertilis, Professor, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
Nikos Dendias, former Minister of Defence, Justice and Economy, MP Greece
Dirk Reinermann, Program Manager for Southern Europe, World Bank
Deborah Wince-Smith, President and CEO, US Council on Competitiveness
Mujtaba Rahman, Europe Practice Head, Eurasia Group
Anna Diamantopoulou, former Minister of Development & Education, President of Diktyon, Greece
John Sitilides, Principal, Trilogy Advisors LLC, U.S.A. & for the full list you can visit www.delphiforum.gr
Ioannis Dragasakis, Deputy PM of Greece in conversation with Pavlos Tsimas, Editor at Large, Huffington Post, Greece
Participants Profile
ü 800 participants
ü 15 nationalities
ü 21 key topics discussed
ü 144 business and thought leaders
ü 40 public sector representatives from
– International Organizations such as the World Bank, IFC, OECD, FRONTEX
– EU Authorities including the EU Commission, EIB, OLAF, EDPS and the EU Parliament
– Senior level Greek Government representatives
ü 6 influential international Think Tanks: German Marshall Fund, Eurasia Group, Atlantic Council, Rand Corporation, Stratfor, Konrad- Adenauer-Siftung
ü Speakers & Moderators from top Greek & International Media including the Financial Times, Huffington Post, Kathimerini, Skai, Naftempotiki
ü 29 hours of premium content
Corina Cretu, EU Commissioner for Regional Policy addressing the Plenary session
Wolfgang Schussel, Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria 2000-2007, Dora Bakoyannis, former Minister of Foreign Affairs
Media Participation
ü 50 accredited Journalists
ü 40 leading Greek and International Titles
ü Accreditation from 10 prestigious international brand names such as Huffington Post, WSJ, Bloomberg, The Guardian, New Europe and many more
Media Coverage
ü 35 TV references
ü 130 press articles
ü 1,600 web articles
ü 10 feature articles
ü 10 full-page interviews
ü 740 social media references
Key Issue Areas Covered
· Analysis of the shifts in the global balance of power on the road to 2020 and beyond that will have a far-reaching impact on businesses, economies, industries and societies and will define the future of Greece and the wider Region
· Understanding the linkages between regional changes and global geopolitics and strategy in the East Mediterranean and Southeast Europe
· Redefining the pattern for achieving a durable and sustainable growth for Greece: strategies, policies and prospects for a national plan to overcome the crisis
· Assessing the impact of the current crisis on the dialogue about constitutional revision
· Findings and lessons to be learned in the development and evolution of the political institutional infrastructure in Greece
· Facing one the world’s biggest migratory waves and ways for Europe to put the migration and refugee crisis in context. Are the European values against the national interests of the Member-States?
· Finding ways to inject entrepreneurship in the Greek economy and stimulate growth
· The link between debt overhang, corruption and growth strategies as a common EU-Greek interest and the assessment of a “Blue-Green” economy
· Modernizing the Greek banking sector amidst a large scale of structural changes that are taking place in order to better serve the economy
· The implication for policy makers driven by a fragmented implosion in Europe’s future rather than a greater integration
· The study of the role of both public and foreign direct investments in facilitating the stimulation of the economy
· The rise of extremism and populism in Europe while the democratic values are at stake
· Reform efforts to upgrade the Greek pension system while Europe is dealing with ageing demographics
· Research focused on re-skilling the workforce in the digital age, the role of big data to secure the fundamental rights and the balance between freedom and security
· Energy efficiency and choices for Southeast Mediterranean in quest of a common EU Energy Policy
· The role of Diaspora in the future of Greece and ways to ameliorate the cooperation and partnership with homeland
· Defining the structural reforms needed for the national education system and investing substantially in the human capital
Plenary Session “Laying the Foundations for Growth in Greece: Strategy for Sustainable Development” with Dirk Reinermann, World Bank, Loukas Papademos, former PM of Greece,
Dr. Ioannis Ioannides, Tufts University, Takis Athanasopoulos, IOBE
Conference abstracts and invited talks presentations will be published in a Special Issue of the Delphi Economic Forum 2016 coming soon along with a full-detailed report. The complete program and the details of each session can be accessed from the Forum’s website (www.delphiforum.gr).
Konstantinos Karamanlis Hall, Plenary Session, European Cultural Centre of Delphi
