The credit crunch and shrinking savings: Group III – "Various Interests"

Group III – "Various Interests"
European Economic and Social Committee
The credit crunch and shrinking savings:
how to break the vicious circle to kick-start recovery?
EESC, Room VM3, 6 June 2013 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Opening session 9 a.m.

Jacki Davis, moderator, Meade Davis Communications

Luca Jahier, President of Group III
9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. Session one: the credit crunch
1. Current constraints on access to credit: families, businesses and banks facing the crisis
Speakers:
 The macro-economic context: Michael Smyth, Member of Group III
 Consumers and difficulties to access financial services: Mick McAteer, Chairman of the
Financial Services User Group
 Enterprises and lack of new investment: Gerhard Huemer, Director for economic and fiscal
policy, European association of Crafts and SMEs (UEAPME)
 Banks and difficulties in credit management: Robert Priester, Executive Director and Deputy
Chief Executive, European Banking Federation (EBF)
2. Restoring access to credit: key challenges and possible solutions?
Panellists:
 Patrice Liauzu, Adviser, European Investment Bank (EIB)
 José Fernando Figueiredo, Chairman, European Mutual Guarantee Association (AECM)

Martin Schmalzried, Policy Officer, Confederation of Family Organisations in the European
Union (COFACE)
Reactions from the floor
 Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General, EUROCHAMBRES

Diana Dovgan, Policy Officer, The European confederation of industrial and service
cooperatives (CECOP)

Arno Metzler, Vice-President of Group III

Johan Bortier, Director of the Studies Department of the Unie van Zelfstandige
Ondernemers (UNIZO)

Guust Jutte, Product manager Debt Capital, Rabobank
12.30 – 2 p.m. Buffet lunch offered by Group III "Various Interests" – Atrium VMA 3
2 – 4 p.m. Session two: A new savings culture for a new era?
Panellists:
 Giuseppe van der Helm, President, European Sustainable Investment Forum (EUROSIF)
 Hervé Guider, General Manager, European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB)

Thierry Philipponnat, Secretary General, FINANCE WATCH

Luc Boscaro, Director of the Audit Department, CREDIT COOPERATIF France, member of the
Global Alliance for Banking on Values

Emanuela Angori, Head of business development & client protection, UNICREDIT
Reactions from the floor:
 Carlos Trias Pinto, member of Group III and President of the Consultative Commission on
Industrial Changes of the EESC
 Panagiotis GKOFAS, member of Group III
4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Closing session - Presentation of the conclusions to the institutional actors

Presentation of conclusions: Michael Smyth

European Parliament: Othmar Karas, Vice-President and President of the SME Intergroup
Enterprise and Industry Commissioner: Massimo Baldinato, Member of the Cabinet in
charge of access to credit
Directorate General Health and Consumers: Maria Cristina Russo, Head of Unit - Financial
Services and Redress
European Economic and Social Committee: Hans-Joachim Wilms, Vice-President



5 p.m. Closing remarks
 Luca Jahier, President of Group III
Working languages: FR DE EN IT NL EL ES PT CS ET HU PL RO BG FI / FR DE EN IT EL ES PT PL FI