On November 15th, 2017, ESCP Europe Symposium, a newly founded student society by various B.Sc. students, and the Jean-Monnet Module of ESCP Europe hosted in Paris its first co-organised event on The Future of Europe: The European Debt Crisis and its consequences for the EU. The event took place at ESCP Europe’s Paris Montparnasse Campus and was introduced to the audience by Prof. Benjamin Voyer, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Jean Monnet Module Leader at ESCP Europe, and Leon Ernst, Chairman of ESCP Europe Symposium.
The panel consisted of highly profile experts on sovereign debt issues:
- Mr. Matthew Dalton, The Wall Street Journal (Moderator)
- Ms. Kawtar Eddahmani, Barings Asset Management
- Mr. Dr. Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal, Queen-Mary University London
- Mr. Prof. Mathias Audit, Université Paris Sorbonne
The roundtable focused on a series of important topics. Panelists first analysed the causes of the European Debt Crisis and its consequences for the European Union, and discussed whether one could consider the financial crisis over. Opinions diverged, with participant Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal stating that, in his opinion, the European Crisis was not clearly solved. Second, the discussion shifted to the question of whether austerity was the right solution for indebted countries, such as Greece. Other topics covered in the discussion the future of European Debt Management, whether Europe needed an institution like the IMF at a European level. Political events, such as Brexit and its consequences, or the rise of right-wing parties in several European countries, were also at the centre of the debate. All topics led to lively discussions and interaction with the audience.