World Economic Forum Davos 2013: full agenda of EuCham at one of the most prestigious global economic platforms. WEF encourages businesses, governments and civil society to commit together and improve the state of the world.
The economic and political importance was the reason behind the intense, one-week works in Davos, meeting institutions and companies from across the world.
One of the sessions showcased the NGOs’ new models for the 21st century. The brightest minds shared their thoughts on who the NGOs should be accountable to as well as their efficiency. Mr Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, advocated for more transparency requirements and younger minds in international organizations as they have become too technocrat.
EuCham raised the importance of NGOs in complementing and correcting states and governments. Regarding their financing, two big issues were addressed: receiving donations from donors with questionable ethical background and collecting donations which imply too high administrative costs or commissions.
An important topic was unemployment crisis and its causes. The gap between the high number of university graduates and the economic policies that seem to rescue financial systems but not the unemployed population, was also highlighted. A valuable approach was brought by Mr Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of Sweden, who proposed that apprenticeships should be part of the equation in order to create productive jobs over the next decade. Mr Guy Ryder, Director General of ILO, urged governments to design efficient job policies.
The eurozone works gathered ministers of important economies, among others Mr Guido Westerwelle (Germany), Mr Vittorio Grilli (Italy), Mr Luis de Guindos (Spain), Mr Steven Vanackere (Belgium), moderated by Ms Minton Beddoes from The Economist and joined by Mr Angel Gurria, Secretary General of OECD. The session discussed how different interests can be reconciled. EuCham introduced the metaphor of the family as a community in order to explain the rules of collaboration in a common Europe. If a member behaves in their own interest, it affects the others as well. If an individual seeks their own benefits – as a parallel to the nationalist and populist policies of some governments – the mutual help is threatened. Solidarity and responsibility should be the governing principles in order to achieve a balance between growth and fiscal discipline measures.