5. 9. 2017 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Youth
There lived an incredible group of individuals who wanted to make a difference in society. They answered the call from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and one weekend they all gathered together for a magical event called ‘Youth Bled Strategic Forum’. They came from many faraway lands – Japan, Brazil, Egypt, Moldova, Montenegro, Australia, Serbia, EU countries and others, to attend this event held in the region of central Slovenia – green Ljubljana at ABC Accelerator. In fact, more than 30 creative minds, tech and social entrepreneurs and researchers gathered for 48 hours to collaborate to create stories and raise awareness on the pressing issues related to the nexus of economy, ecology and electronics in times of (dis)connected reality.
Concrete issues were tackled over the weekend. Groups were created with a mix of professions, including start-up CEOs, researchers, governmental officials, innovators, web designers, social and tech entrepreneurs. Led by a design-thinking coach these groups were tasked with creating a ‘tale for the ages’ regarding their chosen venture. For 48 hours, participants of the 7th Young BSF were networking and bonding, thinking outside the box and making magic. Participants really got to work on Saturday morning in an Opening Reflection with H.E. Dr Miro Cerar, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, that encouraged the participants not to forget the values behind any positive change in society and to be courageous, bold, innovative, open, but also to be tolerant and cooperate with each other.
Participants prepared a manifesto with 10 actionable policy recommendation for the changing world in three sessions on electronics, environment and economy that were initially presented to the Mayor of Ljubljana Mr Zoran Janković and subsequently at the Bled Strategic Forum. In addition to that, participants walked away knowing that they were helping to make the world a better place. Participants left the event inspired, buzzing and motivated. New partnerships were formed and friendships created. They travelled back to their faraway lands motivated and inspired…
1. Prepare For The Challenge Of Industry 4.0
2. Technological Inclusiveness
3. Problem-Based Learning
4. Universal Technological Ethical Code
5. Incentive-Driven Agriculture Policies
6. Green Urban Planning
7. Sustainable Consumption
8. Increasing The Efficiency Of Public Services
9. Trust Building Through Improving Transparency
10. Enhanced Cyber Security
1. Prepared for the Challenge 4.0: Each stakeholder – policy makers, implementers, educators, non-technological businesses, media, and users should be continuously educated to enable them to adequately participate rather than just observe Industry 4.0. Plans and resources should be made for relevant, efficient and timely training and learning by the best providers in education – public and/or private.
2. Technological Inclusiveness: While technological achievements are common and widely used in more developed and affluent parts of the world, it is not the case across the globe. To address the emergence of regional technological asymmetries and the distinctive form of inequality that it brings, we propose the establishment of a Universal Basic Technology System to act as a redistribution mechanism similar to that of the Universal Basic Income. The system should be financed by a combination of smart taxation and an incentive-focused tax relief policies, built around key stakeholders, both corporate and individual.
3. Problem-based Learning: For the humankind to remain and be a positive factor in the ever-more frantic societal change, we call for an Education Reform employing problem-based, life-long learning with an emphasis on character-building. Such reform would help raise responsible and proactive citizens, capable of critically assessing new issues and responding to them in a swift manner which remains inclusive and sustainable.
4. Universal Technological Ethical Code: We unanimously recognize the development of clearly defined ethical standards as one of the main challenges of our hyper-technologised and often borderless societies. To avoid the misuse of power around scientific breakthroughs, both on the part of states as well as non-state actors and individuals, a clear set of rules and guidelines need to be established. They would direct all areas of human activity heavily impacted by digital and other newly emerging technologies.
5. Incentive-driven Agriculture Policies: Many traditional human activities are facing the challenge of an aging population and disappearing knowledge pools in certain industries. Agriculture, particularly at local level, is a pertinent case in mind. To motivate producers in the agricultural sector to continually educate themselves and strive for sustainable production, we suggest a revision of subsidy policies and smart incentive-oriented approaches that enable local production to better dovetail with the industrial food sector. Such approach would result in higher quality of products while also ensuring a more secure form of income and sustainability for producers at all levels.
6. Green Urban Planning: It is projected that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will be urban. Cities, regardless of their size, should strive to increase and balance the size of their green areas. This can be achieved by traditional means, such as re-opening old and creating new parks in different forms, as well as using previously idle spaces, as is the case with rooftop gardens. This would provide a valuable example for city-dweller to also engage in responsible and sustainable production within the confines of their own homes and communities. Green urban planning should become an highly-ranked integral part of policy contemplations both at the state and municipal level, while also becoming a fulcrum of private undertakings.
7. Sustainable Consumption: It is important to stress that how we consume is just as important as how we produce. Since the bulk of the global consumption stress is rooted at the level of the individual consumer, the only way for us to lessen the ecological footprint of human consumption is to become more and better aware of the impact of our everyday activities. People should be encouraged to engage in moderate and ideally environmentally neutral consumption, something that can also be supported by innovation and awareness raising campaigns undertaken by both public and private actors, as well as on international level.
8. Increased Efficiency of Public Services: Today, large portions of the public sector seem to be trapped in a pre-digital era. This is perhaps most evident in the case of bureaucratic services, which many people consider to be the epitome of inefficiency and tediousness. It is even more remarkable when we consider the innovation and optimisation potential of modern technology on administrative processes and the fact that technology-based solutions are regularly adopted in the private sector to great avail. In addition to existing digital solutions, newly emerging technologies, such as virtual reality and blockchain should also be considered seriously and in a timely manner to enable e-governance systems to be fit to serve the needs of people in the 21st century.
9. Trust Building through Improving Transparency: Lack of trust both in public institutions and private organisations is undermining people’s ability to tackle contemporary challenges across the global policy spectrum effectively. As technology develops, this problem is likely to worsen, unless ethical standards are introduced along with scientific advancements. To this end, existing as well as emerging technologies should be taken up with the aim of improving the transparency of all societal and economic processes, through open data, big data and more. While process tractability is likely to be affected to an extent, particularly regarding privacy, we still regard these measures worthy of consideration given their trust-building potential.
10. Enhanced Cyber Security: In a world where not only virtual but also physical infrastructure is governed using digital systems, the enhancement of cyber resilience is paramount. To avoid intrusions and disruptions at an individual level as well as curtail systematic risk, a two-pronged approach is required. Firstly, we need to reinforce our technical capabilities by investing in nascent technologies, such as machine-learning and artificial intelligence, which will help us have the necessary level of control in an ever-more complex world. Secondly, restrictive standards should be put into place – they would clearly define which actions are permissible within the cyber realm and crucially how to deal with violations. Cyber security standards should be agreed at a global level and would need to be binding for all relevant stakeholders.
Support the Manifesto at: http://bit.ly/ybsf17manifesto
5. 9. 2017 | Bled Strategic Forum, Danube, PR
A leading conference in Central and South-East Europe, the annual Bled Strategic Forum provides the needed high-level platform for discussion of pressing regional and global issues. Attracting over 1000 participants, including heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, representatives of the business sphere, scholars and the media from the entire world, the forum also offers a unique opportunity for bilateral and multilateral meetings with the foremost regional and global stakeholders and a possibility for extensive networking between political and business leaders of today.
This years Bled Strategic Forum attracted specially interesting guests from 66 countries, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, H.E. Ms Federica Mogherini and First Vice-President of the European Commission and Mr Frans Timmermans, to name only two. Fifteen Foreign Ministers joint them in interesting debates, ten of them were representatives of the Danube region, which gave the event a fascinating regional dimension and opportunity to numerous bilateral meetings.
A high-profile panel debate on the Western Balkans wrapped up the two-day Bled Strategic Forum, with the participants agreeing that the EU accession prospect has a transformative effect on the countries in the region, but also that the accession is a two-way process that requires effort from both sides. Entitled Western Balkans: EU Enlargement – Is Pretending the Name of the Game?, the panel featured ministers or deputy ministers of foreign affairs of seven Western Balkan countries as well as representatives of the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the EBRD and the US State Department.
PA10-SI Centre for European Perspective as co-organizer of the Bled Strategic Forum ensured that the voice on macro regions was well heard as well. Mr Walter Deffaa, European Commissioner Cretu’s special adviser joined the debate of prominent speakers and emphasized that “one should not underestimate the transformative power of cooperation between the Western Balkans and EU that is happening at the moment. This are kind of mini laps of an integration.” He explained that there are four macro regional strategies at that two are of importance for the Western Balkan countries, the Danube and Adriatic-Ionian strategy. Concisely he wrapped up the importance of the macro regional strategies saying that “having it for the first time in this kind of set up, that for high profile initiatives, endorsed by the European Council, the Western Balkan participating countries – they are there on an equal footing. They are shaping and deciding on development issues for the Danube and for the Adriatic Ionian region. Serbia, for instance, is very active now, when it comes to the Danube. These are concrete examples of what can happen in very concrete terms in the area of regional cooperation.”
Speakers at the panel:
H.E. Mr Ditmir Bushati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
H.E. Mr Igor Crnadak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
H.E. Mr Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Prof. Dr Srdjan Darmanović, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro
Mr Walter Deffaa, Commissioner Crețu’s special adviser, European Commission
H.E. Mr Nikola Dimitrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia
Mr Pierre Heilbronn, Vice President, Policy and Partnerships at EBRD
Mr Thomas Mayr-Harting, Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia at the European External Action Service
Mr Valon Murtezaj, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo
H.E. Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia
Mr Hoyt Brian Yee, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State
4. 9. 2017 | Bled Strategic Forum, Danube, PR, Youth
The Young Bled Strategic Forum that took place between 1. and 3. September was built on premise from Vladimir Bartol’s novel Alamut: Nothing is true, everything is permitted and the put in context of the industrial revolution 4.0.
The fourth industrial revolution changes the way of life and at the same time blurs the line between physical, digital and biological spheres. It is impacting all disciplines, economies and industries, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. The countries of the Danube region are also suffering from the digital revolution as they still do not have enough competencies to cope with challenges that are brought by digital transformation.
The group of young prominent individuals from the Danube region countries: Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Slovenia, presented their competitive business models on electronics, environment and economy in the fusion of virtual, digital and real.
The participants met Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar who warned them of two aspects of science: it can lead to positive achievement or it can lead to various disasters. He stressed that digitalisation should be “digitalisation with a human face and purpose.”
Three days of intensive workshops with the design thinking method ended with nine policy proposals ranging from agriculture and public services as well as green urban planning to sustainable consumption, education, technological inclusiveness and cybersecurity, forming the manifesto. The manifesto will be presented to decision makers and other stakeholders on the Bled Strategic Forum.
1. 9. 2017 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR
The world has been changing rapidly. While globalisation and digitalisation have significantly increased the pace of our lives and brought us closer than ever before, we are confronted with fundamental challenges to our perceptions of politics, the economy, security and society. Organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Centre for European Perspective under the title New reality, the twelfth Bled Strategic Forum, to be held on 4 and 5 September, will try to find ways to adapt to the new realities without forgetting the foundations on which our modern societies were built. The political-security Forum event will again be accompanied by the Business BSF and Young BSF, as well as several side events.
| Bled Strategic Forum (BSF)
The Leaders’ panel will feature a debate on today’s rapid changes, which present profound challenges to our self-perception, politics, the economy, security, and society. With the world order possibly at the breaking point, it will seek a strategic vision on how to adapt to the new reality without forgetting the foundations on which our modern societies were built.
Federica Mogherini will continue with the session Address by the High Representative / Vice-President of the European Commission before the Special panel – A new vision for a new reality, where instability, poor development, environmental changes and conflict situations that cause grave human suffering and result in violations of basic human dignity, social stability, peace and international law, will be debated. Long-term global peace, stability and sustainable development can be achieved only through result-oriented and enduring dialogue, taking into account the basic values, norms and principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
Conversation with the President-elect for the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly will feature Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, and will revolve around the priorities of the forthcoming presidency of the UN General Assembly, as well as the issues currently at the top of both United Nations and international agenda.
What drives Europe and the world in the 21st century? Is the move towards a society of change and innovation reshaping Europe’s economic model? How can Europe deal with growing economic (and political) inequalities within the EU and beyond, and how can we restore trust in democracy, especially among the younger generation? An informal chat entitled The Future according to Tanja Fajon and Jacques Rupnik will ‘pick the brain’ of two thinkers on the topic of big societal issues that are the EU’s key challenges for the decade to come.
The growing use of the Internet and social media platforms, where anyone can share their version of the truth and spread misinformation, has fragmented the commonly agreed basis for reality and led to the polarisation of public opinion. The ‘fake news’ phenomenon, the alternative facts phenomenon, along with media hacking, the changed rules of the political game, and the role of the media, will be discussed by the Night Owl Session – Fake news, and do the media still need editors?
The panel discussion Global nuclear governance: Quo vadis? will confront the unstable and unpredictable global security situation. Increased tensions, aggravated by public statements about the possible use and modernisation of nuclear weapons, as well as military exercises that simulate their deployment, including unannounced drills, and developments in other regions around the globe are a great cause for concern.
The uneven distribution of freshwater in the world, its vital importance for life and development, as well as factors such as population growth, urbanisation, and climate change, all determine the relationship between peace and water, as well as increase the relevance of the latter. While some states have already demonstrated their commitment to preserving this vital natural resource for future generations; nevertheless, global awareness of the importance of the nexus between water and peace still lags behind current pressing trends. The success of international initiatives and comprehensive awareness of the urgent need to address the challenges that water poses for peace and security will be addressed by the panel discussion on Water for peace and security.
The economic and financial crisis, unstable eastern and southern neighbourhoods, migration pressures,and generally deteriorating security situation have in recent years eroded trust between the Member States and caused a shift in relations between the EU institutions. With such developments occurring at a time when major global players are turning away from multilateralism and considering economic protectionism, the panel discussion on The European Union in a changed world will weigh in, whether the EU will be able to consolidate from within and re-establish itself on the global stage as a bastion of multilateralism and free and fair trade.
A growing list of nightmares, perfect storms, and global catastrophes fuel fear of the future. But there is another way of looking at the future. We do not have to be pessimistic or optimistic; we can simply have realistic hope, like future-oriented thinkers and doers who do not ignore reality, but take these challenges into account when exploring the possibility of making a better future for many more generations. The reasons for hope will be discussed by the panel discussion on Realistic hope – How transformation happens faster than one thinks.
The serious challenges faced by the Countries on all the shores of the Mediterranean today will be debated at the panel discussion on Southern Mediterranean and the promise of regional integration. In the context of global instability, and yet of immense regional opportunities, we will discuss the scope and a need for strengthened multilateralism and, even more importantly, for stronger integration in the South.
As history teaches us that protecting human rights and dignity helps prevent conflict, dispel ignorance, instil respect for others, and build better societies that are more resilient to threats from within and from without. What is the role of human rights in today’s society, why do we need them, and how they can help us face the insecurities of modern times will be discussed with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein at the session entitled Human rights in times of change.
Never before in the history of foreign affairs or diplomacy have heads of state had a method of such immediate and uncensored communication at their disposal as they have today with social media tools such as Twitter. Some argue that foreign policy should not be conducted via Twitter, while others feel that Twitter and the vast array of social media tools available today could launch a new form of public diplomacy, called Public Diplomacy 2.0. To Tweet or not to Tweet in foreign affairs will be the focus of the panel on the Digital diplomacy in the 21st century: To Tweet or not to Tweet in foreign affairs?
The side event entitled InvestTalk Slovenia will present opportunities for investment and business climate in Slovenia. Presentations will be held by the representatives of SPIRIT Slovenia – Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalization, Foreign Investments and Technology, as well as representatives of the the Bank Assets Management Company, who will present concrete business cases and investment opportunities.
The debate on the Western Balkans, a recurrent topic at the Bled Strategic Forum, will assess a lack of implementation of agreements in a panel entitled Western Balkans: EU enlargement – Is pretending the name of the game? While this may be a consequence of the fractured relations in the region, the internal political situation in individual countries, the situation in the EU, and the slow pace of the enlargement process it should have been clear by now that it is in the EU’s strategic interest that the enlargement process has no real alternative.
| Business Bled Strategic Forum (Business BSF)
Organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia, and the German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the 2017 Business BSF will focus on the role of innovations. As the world is changing rapidly it no longer suffices to understand these changes solely on the basis of past experience and to adapt to a new reality with traditional approaches. We need to create and implement new business, economic and social concepts and new approaches in order to successfully address the challenges of our new reality.
The gap between reality (awareness) and the near future (new reality) will be discussed by the AmCham Business Breakfast – A Changing World: How Do We Feel and Co-create the New Reality?, while in the second part, breakfast will continue with the session entitled Red Monkey Innovation Management Organizations and Regions in Search of a New Balance and a discussion on how to bridge this gap.
The innovation movement is growing and acquiring a global dimension, and the new reality demands a genuine effort to achieve sustainability. What role does innovation play in the new reality and how does it manifest itself will be discussed by The role of innovation in a new reality session. However, as even the most visible and successful technological innovations are not enough to drive change, they can act as a trigger. Transformation in its broadest and real sense entails changing both the mind-set and culture in a particular organisation or society as a whole. Thus, the session will also take into focus the need for social innovations.
The special session Musical Leadership Strategy – For a European Identity in a Multipolar World will feature the social innovation brand of Miha Pogacnik, known as the “resonance platform”. By using the disruptive method, he empowers business and political leaders to experience the genius of classical music masterpieces as a specific European strategy for vision, the mobilisation of total human potential and action.
While the rapid ongoing digitalisation and technological transformation of the economy and society holds many promises, it also brings disruptions, transforms our societies and the way we live and work, and opens new issues on regulation. The session entitled Innovative Europe – Opportunities for a new breakthrough will therefore address the main obstacles to, and/or catalysts for, a new breakthrough in the field, as well as how does the business sector perceive these opportunities for Europe as a whole.
The modern technological platforms connecting supply and demand are assuming the roles of accommodation providers, tour operators, taxi drivers, tour guides and restaurants (for example: Airbnb, Couchsurfing, Uber, Blablacar, EatWith, ToursByLocals etc). This collaborative economy is causing profound shifts in tourism. The needs, wishes, and motivations of contemporary consumers, but also the ways to address the question of what the fair rules of the game are for all tourism stakeholders in the existing system and how to establish effective cooperation to the benefit of all, will be discussed by the tourism panel entitled The collaborative economy: sharing, cooperation or simply business?
| Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF)
Under the title (Dis)connected reality, the seventh edition of the Young BSF will bring together successful and innovative young leaders, diplomats, academics, representatives of NGOs and business professionals from all around the world between 1 and 3 September. They will discuss the different ‘realities’ of our physical world that seem completely disconnected from the reality that our societies actually live in. Young BSF will give visionary young leaders an opportunity to form real, connected, or virtual partnerships and networks. This goal-oriented forum will seek to prompt discussions and create synergies between different ideas, turning them into connected or disconnected realities of, and for, everyone.
Bled Strategic Forum in brief
Over the years, the annual Bled Strategic Forum has become established as a leading conference in Central and South East Europe focused on discussing and seeking solutions to pressing regional and global issues. The Forum attracts some one thousand participants, including heads of state and government, ministers, diplomats, businesspeople, scholars, youth, and media from around the world. It also provides opportunities for bilateral and multilateral meetings with prominent regional and global actors, as well as possibilities for networking and exchanging ideas between political and business leaders.
1. 9. 2017 | PR, ROSE
A new website www.roseslovenia.eu was developed and the website www.slovenskieracun.si was updated for providing support and useful information to the public service providers in carrying out their upcoming responsibility to receive eInvoice when sent in European standard. The website will be regularly updated as it tracks developments of “Readiness Of Slovenian E-invoicing (ROSE)” Action, whose implementation is under way and supported by the European Union.
The Action implementers – representatives of Public Payments Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, Centre for European Perspective, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Mojdenar IT and ZZI gathered on 31 August 2017 at 3rd Steering Board meeting, reviewed accomplishments and planned tasks and approved presented website.
Among important issues of the Steering Board meeting was also, a decision to start with intensive preparation of the national conference titled “Will we be ready for EU standard for eInvoice” which will take place on 22 September 2017 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
OBJAVA SPLETNE STRANI ZA ROSE – “Readiness Of Slovenian E-invocing” UKREP
Oblikovana je spletna stran www.roseslovenia.eu, hkrati pa so bile narejene dopolnitve na spletni strani Slovenski e-Račun (www.slovenskieracun.si), z namero, da se s pomočjo spletne strani zagotavlja podpora in uporabne informacije izvajalcem javnih storitev pri izvajanju prihajajoče obveznosti o sprejemu e-računa, ko bo poslan v EU standardu. Na spletni strani bodo redno objavljene dopolnitve in novice, saj spletna stran spremlja napredek ukrepa “Readiness Of Slovenian E-invoicing (ROSE)”, katerega izvedbo, ki je v teku, podpira Evropska unija.
Nosilci ukrepa – predstavniki Uprave Republike Slovenije za javna plačila, Centra za evropsko prihodnost, Gospodarske zbornice Slovenije, podjetji Mojdenar IT d.o.o. in ZZI d.o.o. so se zbrali 31.8.2017 na tretjem sestanku usmerjevalnega odbora, se seznanili z dosežki in načrtovanimi nalogami ter potrdili predstavljeno spletno stran.
Med pomembnimi odločitvami usmerjevalnega odbora je tudi odločitev o začetku intenzivnih priprav na nacionalno konferenco z naslovom “Bomo pripravljeni na EU standard za e-račun?”, ki bo organizirana 22. septembra 2017 v Ljubljani.
26. 8. 2017 | OBOR, PR
Karl Aiginger is Director of the Policy Crossover Center in Vienna and Professor of Economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Economics. From 2005 to 2016, he served as Director to the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO). He is also co-editor at the Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade (JICT), and was coordinator of the research project ‘WWWforEurope – a new growth path for Europe’ from April 2012 to March 2016. His research areas include: industrial economics and policy, competitiveness of industries, regions and nations, financial crisis, and economic strategy and policy.
On 11 July 2017, WeBuildEurope spoke to him about OBOR – the Chinese trade and investment initiative – and its implications for the European Union.
Professor Karl Aiginger
http://www.querdenkereuropa.at/who-are-we-1/
WBE: Does the Chinese OBOR strategy pose a threat to the EU?
A: It is an advantage to both, and should be a start of cooperation. The EU and China should shape the welfare-increasing globalisation process together, and especially at a time in which the US is retreating from the global stage (‘America first’), which also means less imports and more protectionism. China and the EU know that globalisation of trade and investment can increase incomes and reduce poverty, but also that it has to be shaped in a political process and by looking at mutual benefits. OBOR is an essential part of the Chinese strategy, and China is able and willing to invest a lot of money in an infrastructure that reduces trade costs. For the EU, OBOR is an opportunity because it connects Europe more closely with Asia, including the Post-Soviet space and the Black Sea region, but also India.
WBE: So, besides offering possibilities for cooperation, OBOR does not pose a threat to the EU?
A: It could also be a threat, if the Road is used one-sidedly. But currently the EU has a trade deficit with China, and willingness to increase investment into a better infrastructure in neighbourhood countries is limited and expectations of further enlargement to the East seems stalled by political conflicts. Important is to communicate and cooperate with China, so that the European firms may participate in building the Belt and so that European technologies and priorities for the environment are respected. The final result of the Chinese initiative and the European offer for cooperation, would then be positive not only for Europe and China, but also for other countries, the environment, and labour conditions.
An example is decarbonisation: Both the EU and China have signed COP21. Trade here is key: Both China and the EU can provide technologies. While the regions might go different ways, the aim is the same, and we can learn from one another.
So, as long as both partners can bring what they can do best, OBOR is a positive thing.
However, some countries in the EU may see it as a threat, and some companies complain that investment in China is difficult. But Chinese companies claim the same about some EU countries. Successful cooperation in building new infrastructure may increase cooperation on other levels: trade and investment in each country, as well as in partners along the Belt. The approach must be cooperation.
WBE: What possible difficulties do you expect? Any transparency issues or negative environmental impact?
A: Yes, in the current plans for the Belt, environmental standards are not always respected. There are differences in legal systems, corporate governance, etc. Different standards might pose some difficulties. Nevertheless, the goal shall be cooperation, for example in the form of joint ventures. Each side will have its goals and requirements in mind. The EU should ask for respect of its standards and values.
WBE: Is there a grand vision behind OBOR?
A: China has its own political and economic goals, as does every country. It once was the larges economic area and now it is about to return to that position. As far as concerns the political system, Europe is assessed as a soft power, in contrast to the United States and Russia, which are seen more as a hard powers. China has to find its own position. China has often looked for peace and has the potential to employ soft power – I think it also fits Chinese culture. The nation wants to have a fair share in international organisation and finance institutions, and has a lot of money, so it is looking for international investments. The EU would be well advised to offer a safe investment environment. Norway would be a good example of a country where China can safely invest.
WBE: Could China come into competition with the EU on soft power and cultural influence in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)?
A: Generally speaking, yes. So far, the EU was the only soft power, and was the hegemon of the social welfare state with very high expenditures for social security. Welfare systems within Europe are now much different. To find the real answer, we have to distinguish between the CEE countries that are already EU Member States, and CEE countries with candidate status for accession: In 2004, the then new members were very quickly integrated into the Union, even though they had a very different system. The process happened under a lot of constraints and stress; problems with migration, wage disparities, etc. nevertheless, given the huge task, the integration process happened very fast. Today, Eastern European countries grow 2 to 4 per cent faster than Western European countries, and were also able to manage the financial crisis quite well. A problem is that Russia has an interest in destabilising these countries. Also within the countries there are Pan-Slavic movements aiming for closeness with Russia.
In the non-member countries (the Western Balkan, Turkey, and the Black Sea region) the EU has not done enough in terms of investment or fighting political and structural problems like corruption. In these countries, the EU should cooperate more. An example is Ukraine: There, the EU did not sufficiently encourage ethnic groups to cooperate with each other. It forgot ethnic differences have to be resolved before integration into the EU can start. Similarly, Turkey, a country that has aimed for EU membership for decades, has not been welcomed. Today, the political environment in Turkey has changed significantly, but only 10 years ago it was strongly pro-EU.
WBE: The 16+1 framework: Could it be the EU’s foot in the door to OBOR and China, given the fact it consists of both types of countries (the CEE EU Member States and the CEE non-Member States)?
A: Yes, in general we should look for these types of frameworks for cooperation – we do not know what will ultimately be successful, but it will definitely enhance the cooperation.
WBE: Is there room for the EU to cooperate with China on peacekeeping and peacebuilding?
A: Yes, of course. And it is very, very necessary. The EU and China look at problems from different angles – as do other countries in Asia or Africa – and we should not be too one-sided. The Chinese perspective could enrich the way the EU solves conflicts. China is an important and necessary partner: in conflict resolution, conflict prevention, stopping global warming, and shaping globalisation.
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For more information on Professor Karl Aiginger and his work, see: http://karl.aiginger.wifo.ac.at/
