Russia on the road to modernization - reinvigorating superpower or progressive democracy?

Kremlin think-tank INSOR published a report which prescribed that Russia ought to go in the direction of state modernization and strategic partnership with Euro-Atlantic structures in the coming years. A call for reforms in all spheres of state and the economy has been declared. Modernization has become a subject of analysis and study in Russia. Will it become a reality though?

• Can the development of Russia rely on other sources than the raw materials and military-industrial? Such as technological innovation.
  
• Which democratic/economic model is suitable for Russia: Chinese or Western one?
  
• Will the Soviet mentality threaten the execution of these objectives of the state? If so, how?
  
• Is the motto of modernization desired or just an indication of the society’s readiness for a change?
  
• Is there space to develop closer institutional collaborations (NATO, EU, Russia) in the near future? If so, what would it look like?
  

Europe under special control
- models of governance, economic government, and the future of the monetary union.

The debt crisis in Greece as well as in other European states has exposed the weakness of the mechanisms of European governmentality. The European Union has found itself in trouble. The euro area is experiencing the worst economic period seen since its inception. A new dividing line has appeared, which no longer separates the members of the European Union into the developed West and the underdeveloped East. Rather, it creates a new division between states that are able to self-govern effectively (North) and those unable to do so (South). The creation of a new European financial mechanism, of a single economic government of the European Union, fiscal tightening and the creation of mechanisms to suspend the voting rights or membership in a monetary union could substantially change the management model of the European community.

• Will the EU dare to initiate the procedure for the exclusion of unreliable union members from the euro area?
• Should those states, contributing the most to the aid fund, be given greater control over the needy members of the Community?
• Will the euro-zone divide into well-managed North and the mismanaged South?
• Is there a need to pull economic sovereignty further? If so, what kind?
• Should Germans still feel responsible for the future of European integration?
• What role will Poland play in this process?

• Moderator: Mickey Turati
• Borys Tarasiuk - Przewodniczący Komitetu Integracji Europejskiej, Ukraina
• Mark Allen - Międzynarodowy Fundusz Walutowy
• Rafał Bator - Partner, Enterprise Investors Corporation, Polska
• Kaspar Richter - Starszy Ekonomista, Bank Światowy
• János Csák - Przewodniczący Rady Wykonawczej Constellation Energy Institute, Węgry

Central and Eastern Europe on the edge of a global society
– does the region have a chance at becoming a sphere of prosperity and innovation?

The regional situation in Central and Eastern Europe varies. Those states that belong to the European Union are in a somewhat better position. However, in light of the financial and economic crisis, they face a difficult challenge of fiscal consolidation and budget deficit reduction. It is crucial for them to return to the path of economic growth and reduction of developmental delays. In contrast, those countries that lie outside of the EU community (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova) are facing significantly diminished prospects of European integration. This is true not only due to the economic situation, but also to the political climate within the above states.

• What reforms are required for the countries of the region to catch up with the rest of Europe?
• What would happen, if Poland, Hungary or Ukraine withdraw from the path of consolidation of public finances?
• Would a return to state interventionalism and nationalization retard the flow of foreign investments into the region?
• Is a common currency, the euro, still an attractive prospect for the countries of the region?
• Are the richer members of the European Union still interested in financing the cohesion policy?
• Will the European Union open more towards the East?

Boris Tarasyuk - Chairman of the Committee on European Integration, Ukraine