On November 17, 2010 Lithuanian Free Market Institute in co-operation with European Liberal Forum, Think Tank E2 and Friedrich Naumann foundation organized the conference “Liberal answers to the global economic crisis“.
The aim of the conference was to discus various economic and political steps that have been taken or proposed in some European countries as an answer to the crisis. Special focus was devoted to liberal plans that were recently created by liberal minded governments in different European countries and especially in Baltic states. Are these plans compatible on European level? How to achieve the state of synergy among these plans?
PROGRAMME
9:00 – 9:30 Registration
9:30 – 10:00 Official opening
Andrius Kubilius, Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania
Dr. Eugenijus Gentvilas, ELF Board member
I. Successful government responses to the crisis. Austerity vs. stimulus
10:00 – 11:00 Key speech: Restoring common sense in government finance
Q & A
Dr. Jan Oravec, The Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia
11:00 – 11:20 The virtue of thrift – imposing fiscal discipline in public sector
Kalev Kallemets, Academy of Liberalism (Estonia)
11:20 – 11:40 Doing more with less vs doing less. A short guide to the new British fiscal policy
Mark Wallace, The TaxPayers’ Alliance (UK)
11:40 – 12:00 Coffee break
12:00 – 12:20 Theory and practice of reducing government spending. Routine work of ministry of finance
Ingrida Šimonytė, the Ministry of Finance of Lithuania
12:20 – 13:30 Discussion: How successful were these measures and at what cost?
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch
II. Future of the Euro. Sound economic policy alternatives to fix the current crisis
14:30 – 15:30 Key speech: From the Current Crisis to the Next: Destabilising Stabilisation Policies
Dr. Jörg Guido Hülsmann, University of Angers in France
15:30 – 15:50 Why bailout Greece? Critique of the current bailout policy of the EU
Juraj Droba, National Council of the Slovak Republic
15:50 – 16:10 Euro: still worth pursuing?
Rūta Vainienė, Lithuanian Free Market Institute
16:10 – 16:30 Competitiveness as sound policy of the EU
Ramūnas Vilpšauskas, Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University
16:30 – 17:00 Discussion: Where do we go from here and how?
