Public Conference - Banking on Europe: Holding Pan-European Public Borrowers to Account

Registration

Registration is required before 1 March

Please bring a form of identity (ID card of passport) to ensure entry into the ECA

Description

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) and ‘Banking on Europe’ project team are organizing a one-day conference on holding pan-European borrowers to account. From financing the European Green Deal to assistance for Ukraine, institutions with the authority to raise funds on financial markets to provide grants, loans and guarantees to public and private actors are playing an increasingly prominent role in the European Union’s response to a variety of economic, political and societal challenges. With this increased role comes a greater need for ensuring that the institutions that manage these EU and non-EU financial instruments are sufficiently held accountable.

This conference aims to bring together researchers and policymakers to discuss how pan-European public financial institutions are currently held accountable and how this could be improved in the future. Panel 1 will discuss the views of those institutions that hold pan-European borrowers accountable, including the European Court of Auditors and the European Parliament. Panel 2 will discuss how the European Commission is held accountable for its borrowing operations, especially linked to the Next Generation EU programme. Panel 3 will discuss how two intergovernmental institutions — the European Investment Bank and the European Stability Mechanism — are and should be held to account.

Programme

9.00 – 9.30 Arrival and coffee
9:30 – 10:00 Introduction and Keynote lecture
10.00 – 12.00 Panel 1: The institutions holding European borrowers to account
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break (buffet)
13.00 – 14.30 Panel 2: The Commission as a large-scale borrower – an accountability challenge?
14.30 – 14.45 Coffee break
14.45 – 16.15 Panel 3: The accountability of intergovernmental borrowers: the EIB and the ESM
16.15 – 16.30 Closing Remarks

List of confirmed speakers / chairs:

Tony Murphy, President of the European Court of Auditors.
Colm Friel, European Court of Auditors.
Paul Stephenson, University of Maastricht.
Ana Bobić, Court of Justice of the EU.
Anne Vitrey, formerly European Parliament, Budget Committee.
Rosita Hickey, Director of Inquiries, European Ombudsman, Brussels.
Maria Luisa Sanchez, University of Deusto.
Florian Zinoecker, European Stability Mechanism.
Philipp Koenig, EIB Complaints Mechanism.
Michele Chang, College of Europe.
Dermot Hodson, University of Loughborough (London)
David Howarth, University of Luxembourg

The conference is organised by the Banking on Europe team and the European Court of Auditors

Banking on Europe is a three-year research project on the evolution and accountability of pan-European borrowers funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and the Luxembourg National Research Fund and led by Professor Dermot Hodson (Loughborough University London) and Professor David Howarth (University of Luxembourg). The views expressed in this conference do not necessarily reflect those of the ESRC, the FNR or the European Court of Auditors.