Plenary I: Political Economy, Activism and Alternative Economic Strategies in Europe
Geert Reuten
“If governments refuse to lead an expansion, labour must”
Geert Reuten is a member of the senate of the Netherlands for the Socialist Party (SP). He is spokesperson for financial, monetary and economic affairs. He is emeritus associate professor of economics at the School of Economics of the University of Amsterdam, where is currently also a guest professor in political economy. For his publications see http://www1.fee.uva.nl/pp/greuten/ . Relevant for the topic of his talk is a 2011 article: ‘Economic Stagnation Postponed: Background of the 2008 financial-economic crisis in the EU and the USA’, International Journal of Political Economy, 40 (3), 50-58 (2011).
Fabio De Masi
“Germany’s Euro Project: The German Left and the struggle against the coup d’etat under the European flag”
Fabio De Masi holds a degree in Economics (BHon, University of Hamburg), International Relations (MSocSc, University of Cape Town) and International Economics (M.A., Berlin School of Economics and Law). He served as political consultant for various Member of Parliaments of DIE LINKE with emphasis on European Integration and Economic Policy. He is currently the collaborator of MP Sahra Wagenknecht, Vice Chairman of the parliamentary group DIE LINKE in the German Parliament, and political secretary of the trade union orientated platform of DIE LINKE – Sozialistische Linke (Socialist Left).
George Stathakis
George Stathakis is a member of the Greek Parliament with SYRIZA, coordinator for the Ministry of Development. He holds a PhD (1984) and MA (1978) in Economics from Newcastle and is currently a Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Economics at the University of Crete.
He has been active in many Research Centres including the Center for European Studies, Harvard University (1992-93); Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Queens College, City University of New York (1987-88); Institute of Computing Technology, Patras (1986-87); and the Mediterranean Studies Foundation (1986-86).
Stuart Holland
“How to Recover Europe – with or without Germany”
Professor Stuart Holland was formerly a Member of the House of Commons and
Shadow Minister for Development Cooperation, when he worked closely with Willy
Brandt, then Shadow Financial Secretary to the UK Treasury. In his twenties he was
personal adviser on European affairs to Harold Wilson, and gained the consent of
Charles De Gaulle to the second British application to join the EEC. He proposed the
case for a New Messina Conference which was endorsed by Andreas Papandreou
and François Mitterrand and led to the commitment to economic and social cohesion
of the Single European Act. He proposed Union Bonds and a European Investment
Fund in a 1993 report to Jacques Delors. As an adviser to António Guterres, he recommended that the terms of reference of the European Investment Bank should include investments in health, education, urban renewal and environment, as well as green technology and innovation which enabled the EIB to fulfil its Lisbon 2000 cohesion and convergence remit and its successful i2i and Innovation 2010 initiatives. He is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.