9 DECEMBER 2015, Bucharest

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1 9 DECEMBER 2015, Bucharest

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3 CONTENTS Excellence in European Affairs Agenda Background document Speakers EIR Excellence Awards Partners Notes EVENT ORGANIZED WITH THE SUPPORT OF

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5 Excellence in European Affairs The European Institute of Romania celebrates today 15 years of activity! These 15 years were marked by fulfillments, but also by hardships. We started our journey in 2000 by managing a European project meant to support the set up and development of the Institute (I wonder if you remember the PHARE program). Created from the need to strengthen the country s institutional capacity in the perspective of EU accession, the Institute succeeded, all these years, through its activities and projects, to obtain in the four specific fields of activity research, training, translation and communication recognition as a think-tank in European affairs. Throughout all these years, the Institute s presence on the relevant market was increasingly visible, its various work instruments supporting the Government of Romania in implementing obligations which arise from Romania s membership to the European Union. We mention, with modesty, the SPOS (Strategy and Policy Studies) project launched in 2006, a follow up to the project PAIS (Pre-accession Impact Studies), the training sessions targeted to the employees in the central and local public administration (but not limited to them), the experience accumulated in the activity of translating the community aquis, now reflected in the translation of ECHR case-law and, last but not least, the conferences, debates and seminaries on European themes organized by the Institute. The quarterly journal issued by the Institute, Romanian Journal of European Affairs (RJEA), launched in December 2001, is the first publication in Romania centered on the debate regarding the process of European integration and Romania s role in an enlarged Europe. The journal has a large audience in Romania, as well as in prestigious universities and research centers in Europe and USA. Due to the accumulated expertise, the Institute is today member in the Managing Board of the European Policy Institutes Network, member of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) and national correspondent for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EUROFOUND). Partnerships developed while carrying out our projects have brought along institutions of the Romanian public administration, universities and research institutes, the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, the Information Bureau of the European Parliament in Romania, embassies of EU member states in Romania as well as various NGOs. The European Institute of Romania looked to the future with trust. And its trust was rewarded This anniversary event at which we are pleased to have you as guests represents the crowning of 15 years of success! See you again in 2020! Gabriela Drăgan, PhD Director General of the European Institute of Romania - 5 -

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7 AGENDA Euro Adoption in Romania: Challenges and Perspectives Anniversary Conference and the Sixth Edition of the EIR Excellence Awards 9:00 9:30 Registration 9:30 10:15 Opening remarks 10:15 10:30 Break Mugur Isărescu, Member of the Romanian Academy, Governor of the National Bank of Romania (*) Leonard Orban, Presidential Advisor for European Affairs, Presidential Administration George Ciamba, Secretary of State for European affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs The message of the Minister of Public Finances, Anca Dana Dragu, Alina Bârgăoanu, PhD Prof., President of the Administration Board, European Institute of Romania Gabriela Drăgan, PhD Prof., Director General, European Institute of Romania 10:30 12:00 Consolidating the Economic and Monetary Union Moderator: Mihaela Luţaş, PhD Prof., Prorector of the Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca Speeches Artur Nowak-Far, PhD Prof, Warsaw School of Economics, former Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland Daniel Dăianu, Member of the Romanian Academy, Member of the Board of the National Bank of Romania Carlos Puente Martin, Team Europe (Spain), European Commission Aurelian Dochia, Managing Partner Concept Q&A (*) to be confirmed

8 AGENDA 12:00 12:15 Coffee Break 12:15 13:45 Euro Adoption in Romania: Challenges and Perspectives Moderator: Octavian-Dragomir Jora, Journalist, Editor in chief ECONOMISTUL Speeches Valentin Lazea, Chief Economist, National Bank of Romania Carmen Mărcuș, Economic Counsellor European Semester, EC Representantation in Romania Ion Ghizdeanu, President, National Commission for Economic Forecasting Florin Bonciu, PhD Prof., Prorector of the Romanian-American University Vasile Secăreș, President, Romanian Banking Institute Q&A 13:45 14:00 Break 14:00 14:45 EIR Excellence Awards, the sixth edition, 2015, for the promotion of the European spirit and values Speeches George Ciamba, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alina Bârgăoanu, PhD Prof., President of the Administration Board, European Institute of Romania Gabriela Drăgan, PhD Prof., Director General, European Institute of Romania Excellence Awards: Projects and initiatives to support and promote cultural and creative industries sector in Romania

9 BACKGROUND DOCUMENT Euro Adoption in Romania: Challenges and Perspectives - Background paper - The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) was a leap forward for the European Union (EU) in the process of economic integration, which started in 1957, and a radical change in the way of developing macroeconomic policies inside the EU. The decision to set up EMU was mentioned in the Treaty on the European Union (Maastricht Treaty), in force starting with November 1, In June 1988, the European Council confirmed the objective of progressively setting up the EMU. The Council appointed a committee presided over by Jacques Delors, the then President of the European Commission, to study and propose the steps to be taken towards the setting up this union. At the moment of the launch of EMU it was expected that further economic integration by the introduction of a common currency would represent a catalyst to increase the competitiveness of Member States and reduce development gaps between them. In practical terms, EMU means: coordination of economic policies between Member States; coordination of fiscal policies, especially by establishing limits for public debt and public deficit; an independent monetary policy coordinated by the European Central Bank (ECB); a single currency and a single market. The eurozone is made up of the EU Member States which adopted the single currency. This zone is not static according to the treaty, all EU Member States have to join the euro area as soon as they meet the necessary requirements, except for Denmark and Great Britain who have negotiated an opt out clause which allows them to remain outside the area. To adopt the euro, a country has to fulfil the nominal Maastricht criteria, which Romania meets at present. Thus, before joining the eurozone, a country is supposed to have a budget deficit under 3% of its GDP, its public debt has to be limited to less than 60% of its GDP and inflation not more than 1.5 percentage points above the rate of the three best performing Member States. The exchange rate has to keep within the interval between the fluctuation margins in the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II) for a period of at least two years without strong deviations from the ERM II central rate, especially without proceeding on own initiative to the devaluation of the national currency against the euro. Replacing the national currency with the euro is a complex operation, which requires numerous practical preparations for instance, guarantees must be given that the national currency will be rapidly withdrawn, that the prices of goods will be correctly converted and that the population is well informed on the whole process. All these preparations are based on a certain single currency adoption scenario, which the candidate state opts for. At the time of the launch, on January 1, 1999, the euro became the new official currency of 11 member states (Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland), replacing in two stages their old national currencies. The number of the participating Member States reached 12 on January 1, 2001, when Greece entered the third phase of EMU. Slovenia became the 13 th member state of the eurozone on January 1, 2007 and it was followed one year later by Cyprus and Malta and then by Slovakia on January 1, 2009, Estonia on January 1, 2011, Latvia on January 1, 2014 and Lithuania on January 1, Other 9 Member States, including Romania, have not yet taken this step

10 BACKGROUND DOCUMENT The onset of the financial crisis in 2007 exposed a series of deficiencies in the way of functioning of the European mechanisms, showing the incomplete architecture of the EMU policy. Thus, it became obvious that the financial integration, financial stability and national responsibility for the prevention and management of crisis could not be fulfilled all at once. There were several factors responsible for deepening the effects of the financial crisis in the EU, mainly: the eurozone single monetary policy and the lack of a fiscal institution as counterweight for ECB, eurozone governance centered more on rules as means of preventing crises and less on managing them, permissive supervision standards, lack of cross-border risk sharing mechanisms and bank nationalism and, also, a lack of political leadership at the EU level. Most authors who write about the euro crisis identify as the main cause of the current situation the fact that the single currency was introduced preponderantly for political reasons. They argue that it was not economical reasons that prevailed, but rather the ones associated with European power projection, with identifying a new symbol to establish this power. On the other hand, the introduction of the single currency was ensuring economic support and represented the financial expression of the recently created single market. When the euro was introduced, the level of development of eurozone members was different. Consequently, the promotion of a substantial convergence policy to help reduce the development gap would have been useful. Without it, the economic landscape of Europe tended to become even more divided, fuelled by the different levels of competitiveness of the European states. The euro crisis reminded us of what Helmut Kohl and Francois Mitterand used to say, namely that the adoption of the single currency has to be continued with a political construction able to ensure financial stability. In other words, the monetary union about to be created should have been completed with a financial union and a federative political construction, in order to allow prompt decisions and common policies and to prevent inflation and financial disorder. Romania s objective of adopting the euro is supported both in the governmental and in the presidential program, the latter stating that maybe the most important test in the sense of Romania s institutional coming of age and modernization is accession to the eurozone, which has to mean, for the coming years, an anchor for disciplining the economic policies, for predictability and boosting economic growth. 1 In April, in the context of Romania s declared objective of adopting the single currency by 2019, the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu said that the date of January for the adoption of euro is a very ambitious one, but not without foundation, judging by the nominal convergence criteria that Romania already meets. But real convergence and sustainability are more important and, at present time, there is a risk for derailing, which can be extremely costly 2. Formal commitment is mentioned in the most recent edition of the (2014) Convergence Program, but we lack a roadmap and this affects our credibility, has warned the Governor of NBR, who reminded that countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic have opted for a wait and see strategy as concerns joining the eurozone. The advantages of adopting the euro have become less obvious and the costs, more visible 3. 1 Presidential program Romania of the well done job, available at: and Governing program , available at: 2 Agerpres news, available at: pentru-adoptarea-euro-zilele-intra-in-sac Ibidem

11 BACKGROUND DOCUMENT At the end of September, however, Mugur Isărescu declared that the adoption of the euro currency in 2019 has become an unrealistic target. According to the Governor of NBR, the time is up and Romania did not manage to draw up a clear roadmap: The 2019 target is no longer feasible because not only has the time run out, but Romania, since January 1, 2016 June 2016 at the latest, should have entered the ERM II, the waiting room of the eurozone 4. On the other hand, more recently, the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has outlined that the single currency will be endangered if the Schengen Area falls apart. The area with no borders control made up of 26 Member States is subject to immense pressure by the hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving from the MENA region, who are fleeing war zones and poverty and are trying to find refuge on the Old Continent, mainly in Germany and Sweden, in order to apply for asylum. Under these circumstances, the head of the EC observed that to let the Schengen Area become eroded by introducing border controls by certain Member States could have consequences for the euro. If the spirit of Schengen leaves us... we ll lose more than the Schengen agreement. A single currency doesn t make sense if Schengen falls, said the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg 5. Studies and Analyses Unit 4 Ziarul Financiar [Financial Newspaper] news, availale at 5 EUObserver news, availale at:

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13 SPEAKERS Mugur Isărescu, PhD in Economic Sciences (1989), President of the Administration Board and Governor of the National Bank of Romania (appointed by the Government in 1990; mandate from the Parliament in 1991 and renewed in December 1998, November 2004 and October 2009). Prime-Minister of the Government of Romania (December 1999 December 2000). President of the Economic, Legal and Sociologic Sciences Section of the Romanian Academy; Member of the Romanian Academy (2006); Vice-President of the Inter-ministerial Committee for the adoption of Euro; President of the National Committee for Financial Stability. Member in the General Council of the European System of Central Banks; Member with voting rights on behalf of Romania in the European Systemic Risk Board; Governor for Romania in the Council of Governors of the International Monetary Fund; Vice-Governor for Romania in the Council of Governors of the World Bank; Vice- Governor for Romania in the Council of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Representative of Romania at the Bank for International Settlements and in the Basel Committee of Governors of Central Banks; President of the Club of Governors of Central Banks in the Black Sea Area, Balkans and Central Asia ( ); Member in the Consultative Council of the Regional Office for Europe and CIS of UNDP. Author, co-author and coordinator of numerous books and scientific works; research themes: international monetary-financial relations and institutions; global economy conjuncture, with focus on the western countries; Romania s foreign economic relations; issues concerning the set up and functioning of international credit mechanisms; exchange rates and prices. Mr. Isărescu s activity was recognized through numerous orders, diplomas, distinctions and awards (among the most recent ones we mention The Honor Plaque of the Minister of Internal Affairs, November 2014; Cross of Merit in the Rank of Commander of the Republic of Poland, December 2012; Carol Davila Trophy a high distinction granted by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila, October 2012; Honor of the Romanian Army Emblem a distinction granted by the Ministry of National Defense, 21 October 2011; National Order of the Legion of Honor in Rank of Officer, granted by the Embassy of France to Bucharest, 4 March 2011; National Order Star of Romania in the Rank of Collar, 26 January 2010). Leonard Orban, Presidential Advisor for European affairs within the Presidential Administration (since January 2015). From December 2013 December 2014 Mr. Leonard Orban was President of the Administrative Board of the European Institute of Romania. From September 2011 to December 2012, Leonard Orban was Minister of European Affairs in charge of European affairs and European funds. From 2010 to September 2011, Mr. Orban was Presidential Advisor for European affairs within the Presidential Administration. In January 2007, Leonard Orban became the first Romanian Commissioner in the European Commission. In the period January 2007 to February 2010,

14 SPEAKERS Leonard Orban was Member of the European Commission in charge of Multilingualism. Starting from May 2001 until the closing of negotiations for Romania s accession to the European Union and the signing of the Accession Treaty in April 2005, Leonard Orban was Negotiator and, subsequently, Chief Negotiator with the European Union, at the Ministry of European Integration. Mr. Orban has continued to coordinate the process of preparation for Romania s accession to the EU as State Secretary at the Ministry of European Integration from December 2004 to December In the period he was Parliamentary Advisor for European and International Affairs at the Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of Romania Since February 2013 Mr. Leonard Orban is Associate Professor at the Romanian-American University in Bucharest. In 2002 he was decorated with the Order Star of Romania, in the rank of Knight, for his contribution to Romania s accession to NATO. Leonard Orban has graduated the Faculty of Mechanics, University of Brașov, and the Faculty of Management at the University of Economic Studies, Bucharest. George Ciamba, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; career diplomat (has been working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since December 1990). Prior to his assignment as Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, George Ciamba was Romania s Ambassador in the Hellenic Republic starting from September 2005; Secretary of State for Global Affairs in Romania s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( ); Romania s Ambassador in Turkey ( ), as well as Permanent Representative of Romania to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization ( ). After his graduation George Ciamba joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Attaché and after going through all the stages of diplomatic career, in 2004 was granted the rank of Ambassador. Between he occupied various positions in the Ministry: Area Referent for the United States of America, Referent for IAEA, Head of Chancery of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Director and, subsequently, Director of North America Unit ( ). George Ciamba has a Master s Degree in International Relations (1993), he joined the program Economy and International Relations at Hoover Institution (1992) and was selected to take part in the program International Visitor concerning foreign policy issues, of USA s Information Agency (1997). In 1999 he was granted the Ambassador of the Year award by the publication Nine O Clock. In 2000 he was decorated with the Order National Merit in Rank of Commander

15 SPEAKERS Alina Bârgăoanu, Professor and Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Romanian School of Government), Chancellor between ; Chairman of the Board of the European Institute of Romania; EU Communication and the Public Sphere Jean Monnet chair holder and academic coordinator of the Jean Monnet Module Communicating Europe. Policies for Increasing EU s Visibility among Member States. Recent books: United by or Against Euroscepticism. An Assessment of Public Attitudes towards Europe in the Context of the Crisis (Cambridge Scholars, 2015), The Crisis of the European Union. Identity, Citizenship and Solidarity Reassessed (2013), Comunicarea în Uniunea Europeană. Modele teoretice şi aspecte practice [EU Communication. Views from Theory and Practice] (2011), Examenul Schengen. În căutarea sferei publice europene [The Schengen Test. In Search of the European Public Sphere] (2011), Fondurile europene. Strategii de promovare şi utilizare [European Funds. Promotion and Absorption Strategies] (2009). Founder of the Center for EU Communication Studies and of the online magazine Convorbiri Europene ( Fulbright scholar ( ). Gabriela Drăgan, PhD in Economic Sciences, Director General of the European Institute of Romania, dean of the Faculty of European Economic Studies within Romanian-American University and university professor at the Faculty of International Business and Economics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Mrs. Drăgan is also a Jean Monnet professor and an expert in European Integration. She has published, as author or coauthor, a significant number of books and articles (indexed in international databases, published in scientific volumes or conference proceedings), she is a member of the Romanian Association for European Integration Studies, the European Regional Studies Association (ERSA), the Romanian Association of Regional Studies, and, as of January 2008, Director of the Romanian Journal of European Affairs, edited by the European Institute of Romania, member of the Editorial Board of the Romanian Economic Journal Faculty of International Business and Economics, member of the Editorial Board of the Bulletin of the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploieşti, Economic Studies Series etc. She has participated as a speaker or moderator in many national and international debates, workshops, conferences (organized by the Romanian Academy, Vienna University, Institute for World Economics - Budapest, European Institute of Japan, Kobe and Tokyo, Centre for Security Cooperation in Croatia, European Forum Wachau - Austria, Hebrew University Tel Aviv, Economic Forum Krynica, Republic of Poland etc). In November 2013, Mrs. Drăgan received the high-rank decoration the Knight s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, conferred by the President of the Republic of Poland, in recognition of her contribution to promoting Polish-Romanian cooperation in European affairs

16 SPEAKERS Artur Nowak-Far, Vice-minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Poland ( ); professor of European law at Warsaw School of Economics (SGH); enhanced Ph. D. (habilitatis) in European law (2001), Ph. D. in Economics (1996); member of the Special Task Force for Technical Harmonization; advisor to the Minister of Agriculture on EU matters; (two terms of office) member of the college of the Supreme Chamber of Auditors; member of the Polish Bar; author of 9 books and over 200 other academic publications. Daniel Dăianu, Member of the Romanian Academy; member of the Board of the National Bank of Romania; Professor of Economics, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest; former Member of the European Parliament ( ) and co-author of the EP Report on the reform of regulation and supervision of financial markets. Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Romanian Commercial Bank ( ); Finance Minister of Romania, 1997/1998; Chief Economist of the National Bank of Romania, ; Deputy Minister of Finance, 1992; Chairman of the Romanian Economic Society; Member of HLGOR, headed by Mario Monti; Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations; Trustee of Friends of Europe; Fellow of CASE; Guest researcher at Harvard University, Wilson Center (Washington DC), IMF (Washington DC), NATO Defense College (Rome), among others; Visiting Professor at Berkeley, UCLA, Bologna University, among others; President of Junior Achievement Romania; Member of the Black Sea Region Commission. Author of Europa în impas [Europe at a crossroads], Polirom 2015; co-editor of The Eurozone crisis and the future of Europe, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014; author of Which Way Goes Capitalism? CEU Press, Budapest/New York, Other writings: The Macroeconomics of EU Integration: The Case of Romania, Rosetti Educational, Bucharest, 2008; South East Europe and The World We Live In, Bucharest, Romanian Diplomatic Institute, 2008; with Radu Vrânceanu (ed.), Ethical Boundaries of Capitalism, Ashgate (UK), 2005; with Thanos Veremis (ed.), Balkan Reconstruction, London, Frank Cass, 2001; Transformation As A Real Process, Aldershot (UK), Ashgate, 1998; Economic Vitality and Viability. A Dual Challenge for European Security Frankfurt, Peter Lang, Carlos Puente, Doctorate Degree in Economics, Master s Degree in Law and Master s Degree in Political Science, Universidad Complutense, Madrid; Master s in European Law, U.L.B., Brussels; Diploma European Communities : Diplomatic School, Madrid. Businessman: Import-export, Madrid Manila; Commercial Manager and Futures Market Trader: Group of Cargill Inc.; Financial & HR Manager: SADE International Public Works, Madrid (Spain), Baghdad (Iraq). Practicing Lawyer

17 SPEAKERS Professor, Faculty of Law: Courses in Economics for Lawyers; Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences & Business Administration: Universidad Complutense, Madrid: Courses in World Economic Organizations; Professor of Post-Graduated Studies: Courses in Geopolitics of the International Economic Relations Government Official, Directorate General of Commercial Policy, Ministry of Commerce; Commercial Attaché, Spanish Embassy, Moscow, Russia; Director, Small and Medium Enterprises, IMPI, Ministry of Industry; European Commission: Desk Officer responsible for Commercial, Economic and Political Relations with Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary; Desk Officer responsible for Relations with Eastern Europe, PHARE and TACIS Programs Senior Visiting Professor; Member, TEAM EUROPE Lecturer group, European Commission; Radio and television Expert Speaker and Panelist, Newspaper Columnist Aurelian Dochia, PhD in Economic Sciences, coordinating-partner of SC CONCEPT - Economic and Business Consultants, a firm specialised in advising on mergers-acquisitions, financing and corporate governance counselling. He is also a Member of the Board of BRD Groupe Société Generale. He managed for 11 years the investment banking operations of Société Generale in Romania. Previously, his career combined a solid professional experience as consultant (for OECD, World Bank and EBRD, among others), holding positions in the Government (President of the National Agency for Privatisation, 1993) and the Parliament (Member of the Chamber of Deputies, ). Before 1990, he was a researcher at the Institute for National Economy of the Romanian Acadermy. He has published academic papers as well as press articles, and is author or co-author of several books. Mihaela Luțaș, PhD in Economic Sciences (1999), Prorector of Babeș Bolyai University Cluj Napoca (since 2012). Professor of the Economic Science and Business Management Faculty and coordinator of the courses: European Economic Policies and European Construction and Integration; European Economy (taught in English and Romanian languages); Jean Monnet Professor; Professor of the European Economic Integration Chair (European Comission); Associate Professor at Plymouth State University (USA); Associate Professor ( ) at ISIG, Gorizia (Italia), EuroTeam Member. Mihaela Luțaș graduated the Economic Science and Business Management Faculty, Department of Finance and Accounting (Babeș Bolyai University, 1981)

18 SPEAKERS Representative books: Lutaș Mihaela. Integrare economică Europeană (Economic Integration), Ed. Economica, Bucharest, 1999; Lutaș Mihaela, Uniunea Europeană. Mecanismul integrării (European Union. Integration Mechanism), Ed. Dacia, Cluj Napoca, 2004; Lutas Mihaela, Uniunea economică și monetară (Economic and Monetary Union), European Institute of Romania, Economic Policies, 2005; Relevant articles: Mihaela Luțaş, Europeanization and European Integration, in: *** Societate, Cultură, Valoare (Society, Culture, Value), Vasile MARIAN, Emil POP (coordinators), Argonaut, Cluj Napoca, vol. 3 (Economie, Filosofie), 2011, p , ISBN (general), (vol. 3); Mihaela Lutas, Dumitru Matis, Rolul europenizarii in adoptarea monedei euro in Romania (Role of Europeanization in the adoption of the euro currency in Romania), in vol. România după 20 de ani ( Romania 20 years on ), vol II, Radu MUREA, Vasile, BOARI, Natalia VLAS, (coordinators), European Institute, Iaşi, 2011, pp , ISBN ; Mihuț, Ioana Sorina, Luțaș Mihaela, Testing convergence and divergence among EU member states, Interdisciplinary management research, Vol. IX, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Ossjek, pp , ISBN , ISSN , Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, Croatia, Valentin Lazea, Chief Economist of the National Bank of Romania (since 1999). Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Institute of Romania; chairman of the Board of Directors of TransFond S.A., the company technically operating the electronic system for payments (since November 2004). Between and August-December 2000 he was State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Valentin Lazea is a graduate of the Sussex University in Brighton and of the IMF Institute in Washington DC. Carmen Mărcuș, Economic Advisor of the European Commission Representation in Romania on the Europe 2020 Strategy and the European Semester. Between 2003 and 2014 she worked with the Direction General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission in Bruxelles; for the last 6 years of this period she worked in a unit for economic analysis and monitoring of the national policies of EU member states. Over the time, she has been responsible for Romania, Great Britain and Estonia and has ensured the horizontal coordination of monitoring these policies for 27 countries in the context of the Lisbon and Europe 2020 Strategies. Carmen Mărcuș started her career at the Commission in the field of socio-economic indicators and foresight studies and has considerable experience in instruments of analysis and strategic planning of public policies. Before 2003 Ms. Mărcuș worked in the Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education and University Scientific Research, where she led the Department of Science Policy

19 SPEAKERS Ion Ghizdeanu, Doctor in Economy, President of the National Commission for Prognosis (since 2005). Director General, National Commission for Prognosis (February February 2005), Cabinet Director of the President of the Commpetition Office (1998 January 2000), Adviser to the State Minister for Reform (Government of Romania, ). Scientific Researcher at the National Economy Institute (since 2003); Associate Professor at the Department of Economy and Management Faculty of Management, Ecological University (since 2006); Associate Professor at the Economy Department, Construction Institute, Bucharest ( , ), the Department of Political Economy, Faculty of Law, Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest ( ). Member, Representative of Romania in the Committee for Economic Policy of ECOFIN, European Commission ( present); Member of the Inter-Institutional Work Group for the revision of the community budget (2007); President of the Council for the Coordination of the Forecasting Activity (2007); Member of he Committee for the organization of the European Conference for the medium term evaluation (2007); Member of the Board of the quarterly publication Romanian Journal of Economic Forecasting of the Economic Forecasting Institute (2007); Member of the Work Group for the Post-Accession Strategy (2007); Member of the Reflexion Group of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania ( ); Member in the editorial college of the Book of the Macroeconomic Modeling Seminary ( ); Member in the Economic and Social Council ( ); Member in the Export Council ( ); Member in the National Council for the Coordination of the Statistics Activity ( ); Member of the Scientific Council of the Economic Forecasting Institute ( ); in charge of the Editorial College of the Quarterly Bulletin of the National Commission for Prognosis Economic realities present and perspectives ( ); Member in the Interministerial Council for the drawing up and correlation of national development strategies and programs ( ). Author and co-author of several books, studies and specialized works, articles and scientific communications at conferences in Romania and abroad. Florin Bonciu, PhD in Economic Sciences (1994), Prorector of Romanian American University; university professor, senior researcher within the Institute for World Economy, member of the Scientific Consultative Committee of the European Institute of Romania. In the period he worked in the field of foreign investment promotion and collaborated with international organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. Books published: Fundamentals of Energy Conservation (co-author), 1988; Dynamics of Technological Efficiency, 1989; Attracting and monitoring foreign direct investments, 1997; World Economy under a Magnifying Glass: From Acute to Chronical Crises (co-author), 2010; Foreign Direct Investments before and after the World Crisis, 2011; World Economy of 21 st Century: a multi-polar World in Search of a New Paradigm, He

20 SPEAKERS also published numerous articles, papers and studies on international balance of power and global economic problems. Florin Bonciu graduated the Faculty of Trade from Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Vasile Secăreș, Chairman of the Board, Romanian Banking Institute; chairman of the Board, EximBank of Romania; founder, former Rector ( ), Professor of the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania; former Vice-President, Commission for Foreign Policy of the Provisional Parliament (1990); former Minister, Chief of Staff of the Presidency of Romania ( ); former Deputy Chairman of the Board & Vicepresident of the EximBank of Romania ( ). Octavian-Dragomir Jora, PhD in Economic Sciences, journalist, editor-in-chief ECONOMISTUL, weekly economic magazine (since June 2010); director of ŒCONOMICA, Romanian academic journal of economics (since 2009), Associate Professor Ph.D., International Business and Economics Department within the Bucharest University of Economics Studies (since 2015). Member of several scientific research projects; member in several professional associations for economists and research centres: the Association for Economic and Social Studies and Prognoses (Vice- President); the Executive Committee of the Romanian Society of Economics (SOREC), the Centre for Research in International Business and Economics (BUES); the Centre for Economics and Liberty (ECOL); the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Development (CADI); the Ludwig von Mises Institute Romania; the Murray Rothbard Centre for Business and Economics; the Friedrich von Hayek Institute Romania. More than 60 book chapters, scientific articles and conference presentations. Academic distinctions: 1 st Prize of the Association of Economics Faculties from Romania for the best economics book of the year (Avatars of Multinational Corporation. Essay in Proprietarian Analysis, Bucharest: ASE Publishing House, 2013); The Book of the Year 2013 from Wall-Street.ro (Capitalism. The Logic of Liberty, Bucureşti: Humanitas Publishing House, 2012). More than 600 extensive articles on economics and business in national and international massmedia (analysis, editorials, essays, pamphlets), activity distinguished with numerous prizes for economic journalism such as: Excellence Award of the General Association of the Economists in Romania (AGER); 1st Prize at the European Reporter Contest granted to Romanian journalists specialized in European Integration issues, by the European Commission Representation in Romania (2010, 2008, 2006); the European Parliament Journalism Award (2009); Great award at The young journalist of the year Contest, on its 9th Edition, organized by Freedom House and Edipresse AS Romania; 2nd Prize at the European Reporter Contest (2007)

21 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS ALT FESTIVAL Alt Festival, the first technology festival in Romania, is part of the product portfolio of the Cluster for Innovation and Technology ALT Brașov. The two editions of the event have already demonstrated the regional potential for developing the ecosystem and, implicitly, creating technology businesses competitive on the global market. Hundreds of participants from Romania and abroad were present in Brașov, where they were involved in dozens of interactive activities, from sustaining pitches in front of investors, training and mentoring sessions with relevant specialists from Romania and abroad, meetings with representatives from creative industries from South- Eastern Europe, to competitions for actual or potential entrepreneurs. On a general level, the purpose of ALT Festival is to contribute directly to making technology popular as a life style among the community. More specifically, the project brings the most novel Romanian software and hardware technologies in Brașov, and gathers in the same place people with complementary technical abilities: from architects to creatives, from engineers to entrepreneurs, from designers to gamers. The event is very likely to become one of the largest technological festivals in Europe and to facilitate the access of the Romanian public not just to world renowned speakers, but also to the newest technologies available on the market. The festival constantly seeks to make more accessible technology products that make our life easier and addresses the real need to promote technology among the Brașov community in particular and the Romanian society in general. Moreover, ALT Festival aims to bring together different audiences programmers, engineers, designers, architects, entrepreneurs with the purpose of enabling access to relevant know-how and creating memorable experiences. The Cluster for Innovation and Technology ALT Brașov was set up in 2013 and it contributes to the development, promotion and supporting of innovative industries in central Romania. ALT Brașov products offer economic development to the local communities from the Central Region by supporting entrepreneurial initiatives, attracting investments, encouraging innovation and connecting them to the global market

22 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries - R.C.E.C.I. Cluj Napoca City Hall, through the European project Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries aims to develop support structures for businesses, understanding that they represent a vital factor for increasing the regions capacity to attract investments in economical and social activities, and a key instrument for boosting the regional and local businesses, especially those with a focus on development in creative industries. The objective of RCECI is to stimulate job creation and the development of the local economy as a result of promoting the creative industries. The proposed location is in Lomb, Cluj-Napoca, on a 73,365 square meters area. The building will be made up of four units comprising: 2, sq m offices; sq m workshops; 1, sq m multifunctional spaces. Outside the building there will be a Green Amphitheatre and lawns, spaces open to the public for various outdoors activities. The market targeted by RCEC is the whole range of enterprises active in the North-West Region of Development who can carry out their activities in such a space. Direct beneficiaries will be a number of approximately 25 enterprises. Thus, firms which will require the Center s services will be offered office spaces, workshops, audio and video production studios, or multifunctional spaces, as well as other services and facilities. The main features which will differentiate the new structure from its competitors: The firms will have free access to integrated business services, free help-desk services in IT consultancy, legal and financial consultancy, advising in investments, marketing, general management; Free promotion on the Center s web portal; Mature firms will be encuraged to promote their services among the growing firms, or to propose partnerships with the most sucessful growing firms, thus creating a cluster effect; In order to address the firms need to be informed of the latest technological evolutions, a consultancy group, which includes academics, will be formed and maintained through various activities in which its members will be involved

23 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS CREATIVE EST 7 days that bring together design and music, gastronomy, arts and new media. The first edition of Creative Est works as a professionalizing platform for young entrepreneurs, networking center for creative guilds and an infinite discovery space for the curious public. Creative Est, brought to life by ORICUM Association aims to turn Romania into the leader of creative industries in Eastern Europe. The 2 nd edition of the festival will be in October Bucharest has what it takes to become the East- European center of creative industries it was proven by the first edition of the Creative Est festival which took place in the capital city between October Romanian and international speakers, 70 local design, fashion, technology, gastronomy and music businesses and 3000 supporters of creativity took part in the creative industries festival, a unique initiative in the East-European region. In 2005 when we started the project ORICUM the world looked different from now. Many were pioneers in fields in which, in other countries, people had been making performance for a long time. Our vision for the next 10 years is to bring the creative guilds closer to each other, to create contexts in which they can see the value of collaboration between fields of activity and of synchronizing efforts. We intend to bring to Bucharest the most innovative start-ups in the neighboring countries and to present for the Romanian public ideas that happen young professionals who decided to develop projects and businesses starting from their talents: designers, architects, visual artists, performers, communication professionals, craftsmen, IT developers and people with a passion for gastronomy, who had the courage to take off on their own. We, at ORICUM Association believe that Eastern Europe can become the next global creativity hub. We have a wealth of resources: production facilities in various creative sectors, very well trained human resources, an unexploited industrial heritage and also a Balkans specific vibe, which can be gathered in a common vision and a truly ambitious country project

24 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS DIPLOMA The Institute presents the new generations of Romanian creatives every year at the DIPLOMA. Starting from the premise that the Diploma project is a student s best work from the whole period of his studies and that this project is most of the times presented in front of a limited audience of professors, family and friends, the Instiute has launched the DIPLOMA an event intended to bring the Diploma projects of graduates from creative and vocational faculties to the attention of a large public. By involving the creative faculties in Bucharest, as well as other faculties, we intend to generate a dialogue between students in various fields, on the one hand, and between faculties, on the other hand, a dialogue which can grow and turn into partnerships, common projects and collaborations. The second edition of DIPLOMA featured the projects of 230 graduates in over 20 creative disciplines. It took place at the end of October, over four days, at the Chamber of Commerce Palace, on an area of 1,300 square meters. Film screenings, theater plays, musical performances, an exhibition of works of architecture, landscape design, urban planning, mural art, ceramics/ glass/metal, design, textile art, photography-video, graphics, fashion, art pedagogy, painting and sculpture were available for the public

25 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS ROMANIAN DESIGN WEEK Romanian Design Week is the largest design event in Romania. It is a celebration of creativity. The main objectives of this event are: promoting design, bringing together specialists from different branches of design, bringing a wide audience closer to the fields it aims to cover, and generating the context necessary for the development of these disciplines in Romania. It is the first project dedicated entirely to the Romanian design, which is intended both for the public and the professionals. Each year, Romanian Design Week draws a map of events and spaces that promote contemporary design as an intstrument which can contribute to social, economic and cultural progress. The third edition of Romanian Design Week, which took place this year in the second half of May, was a tourist objective for over 20,000 people, representatives of all creative fields, passersby, tourists or people searching for beauty in the city. The schedule included the central exhibition at Gabroveni Inn, which showcased the best 150 projects in architecture, graphic design, object design and fashion design made by 130 designers, and 60 events in other locations

26 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS DIZAINĂR Dizainăr, the Romanian design concept store, is a meeting place, a place for promoting and generating educated culture in the field of design for a better lifestyle and a greater appreciation of values in the society. At Dizainăr, the creativity of specialists in design, architecture and arts meets the local production by an international level execution and quality. Since 2012, Dizainăr has been constantly promoting Romanian design both in the country and abroad. Winner of the ELLE Decoration Romanian Design Award 2014 as The most active supporter of Romanian interior design, with two exhibitions at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2013 and 2015 and numerous national activities, Dizainăr brings Romanian designers closer to those who are passionate about design. In 2014, at BIFE-SIM, Dizainăr Collection for EFdeN was launched as a result of a beautiful collaboration between some of our constant designers, Romanian manufacturers and a first beneficiary of the products EFdeN solar house. Collaboration is the way to carry forward the ideas, the projects and the people. Design is not just a form of art made by a solitary man in his workshop. It is the logical and informed response to a social or individual need. Therefore design is, right from the start, a form of collaboration between the entity which needs a solution and the one that has a solution to offer. The designer is the one that brings together the factors which respond to this need. Sometimes, only the factors regarding form and functionality are needed, but, in most cases, there is a need to be aware of and to implement ecological, economical, medical and social criteria, among others, depending on the issues to be solved. We collaborate with over 100 designers and we have both product design ideas, and urban design ideas that we desire to develop and implement in Romania. An institutional framework to facilitate this initiative would be truly helpful for us. Mihnea Ghildus, product designer and founder of Dizainăr

27 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS GAZETA MATEMATICĂ Ediţie Electronică [MATHEMATIC GAZETTE Electronic Edition] GEOMETRIE, ÎNTRE JOC ŞI NOTA 10! [GEOMETRY, BETWEEN PLAY AND GRADE A!] INTUITEXT means innovation in education. Part of Softwin Group, INTUITEXT has been developing for over 20 years educational solutions to support students, parents and teaching personnel in Romania. We are passionate about the process by which, making new educational products available for children, we offer them the chance of taking pleasure in learning. Many years ago, we were the first in Romania to create digital lessons for student in the primary, middle and high-school. The lessons we conceived were used by thousands of students and teachers and, for us, this was a source of joy and hope for the future of these children. In addition, they were appreciated and they were awarded prizes: in 2003, the INTUITEXT team was awarded IST PRIZE, and in 2007, World Summit Award. We are pleased to introduce to you two of our special products: Geometrie, între joc şi nota 10! [Geometry, between play and Grade A!] an innovative series of five Mathematics educational software products. These products are targeted to students in the 6 th and 7 th grade. The Geometry lessons combine interactive learning with games and the five volumes cover the main chapters of the Geometry curriculum. Gazeta Matematică Ediţie Electronică [Mathematic Gazette Electronic Edition] the entire collection of the Gazeta Matematică review from the period Alongside the Romanian Mathematical Society, we are pleased to present to those who are passionate about Mathematics over 63,000 pages containing over 96,300 exercises and articles structured according to the number and date of issue, title, domain or author. In the last 12 years we created online communities for teachers, students and also parents, communities that bring together every week over 60% of Romania s teachers and over 30% of the Romanian students and parents (in total over 1,500,000 unique visitors a month): didactic.ro, SuntParinte.ro, viitoriolimpici.ro, olimpiade.ro, admitereliceu.ro. At its 7th edition, Concursul Gazeta Matematică și ViitoriOlimpici.ro [the Contest Mathematics Gazette and Future Olimpic Competitors] a project organised in partnership with the Romanian Mathematical Society is addressed to students aiming for performance in the primary, middle and high-school. In 2014, we enjoyed making textbooks for: Communication in Romanian language, and Mathematics and exploration of the environment, 1st and 2nd grades. The textbooks of INTUITEXT Publiching House are in keeping with the new psychopedagogical interdisciplinary aproach. The most recent platform created by our educatonal experts is intended for the students training for the National Evaluation at the end of the 8th grade. Our students deserve a harmonious education, therefore our mission goes on!

28 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS GABROVENI INN The autumn of 2014 brought back on Bucharest s map an important landmark and, at the same time an exceptional tourist site. The inn, built in the beginning of the 19 th century by a merchant, Tudor Hagi Tudorache, was given the chance of a new beginning. The building, whose history begins in the times when Lipscani Street was treaded by merchants from all over the world, went through many trials throughout time. Almost entirely destroyed in a great fire in 1847 and rebuilt nine years later, the Commercial Passage which connects with its vaults and cellars the streets Gabroveni and Lipscani, was in the first part of the 20 th century occupied by manufacturers, grocers, bankers, barbers, typesetters and carpenters. After 1977, when Bucharest was heavily damaged by an earthquake, the passage was registered on the list of unsafe buildings whose demolition became imminent. Oblivion and ruin further eroded the walls of the building after 1990 when the businesses that came to own the inn were seeking profit from the real estate potential of this piece of land in the center of the city. Thus, to recover the identity of a monument condemned to demolition seemed an impossible mission. However, the year 2006 saw the building coming under the administration of ARCUB, while being given the name Gabroveni Inn. The restoration project became official in February Thus the old 19 century shops were transformed, with patience, into a cultural center. Past and present are united in a unique architectural complex measuring 4,300 square meters. Finishes and ornaments reconstructed according to the standards of the age took tens of hours of study and work. The authenticity of the final aspect is guaranteed by the innovative work methods. Over 300,000 bricks from the over 200 years old walls have been individually replaced and metal casting ornaments of the gate were reconstructed from zero. Today, the former inn of Hagi Tudorache is already recognized as a modern center of urban culture. The main hall of the building has a capacity of 200 seats, Studio hall has 50 seats and the exhibition spaces of the passage, as well as Gabroveni, Lipscani and Arcelor halls are a major attraction point for artists, curators and the art public. On present-day Lipscani, at No , the voices of merchants were replaced by symphonic accords or the lines of the final act applauded enthusiastically by the audience

29 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS IDEO IDEIS National Festival for Youth Theatre IDEO IDEIS is an event dedicated to the process of alternative education for high-school students in Alexandria and the whole of Romania and, at the same time a theatre festival for the community in search of cultural experiences. The main purpose of IDEO IDEIS festival has become, in time, to create the ideal context of a space dedicated to alternative education through art for the participants in the festival. Thus the 10 editions organized so far proved that Alexandria became a creative space full of potential, for the meeting of the three generations that compose the activity of an artist: the amateur, the student, and finally the artist, but also between the artist and the public. The structure of the festival is unique in the landscape of teenage theatre festivals in the country and it is aimed to help participants to improve their communication abilities, to become confident and to interact with other types of models than those promoted by the massmedia. IDEO IDEIS is a festival designed as a process of alternative education through theatre. Throughout 9 days, this event offers the over 200 participants the opportunity to interact with renowned artists, to talk to genuine people of culture or professionals in various fields, to meet other youth with a passion for theatre who share the same ideals. The participants also have the opportunity to learn techniques of communication, argumentation and improvisation in the acting workshops. The festival is structured in 9 sections: Youth theatre plays; Youth theatre workshops; Skills workshop; Training of trainers; Invited shows; Late cinema; Story-tellers night; Ideo Ideis Masterclasses; Connected events. Besides the personal development benefits, the workshops give participants possibilities that the education system does not provide yet : to learn practically what professional development means in these cultural domains and to take the first steps towards a career in acting, dramatics, choreography, visual art, music, or scenography Through sections such as Story-tellers night, Ideo Ideis Masterclasses, Invited shows, Late cinema or the TIFF Caravan and with the help of personalities in various fields who take part in these sections, the festival defines clearly its intentions to prepare future spectators (not only future actors, directors etc.) and assumes the role of facilitator of mentoring experiences. This aspect was emphasized when the competitive character of the festival and, implicitly, the granting of awards for the teenage performance groups was eliminated (starting with the 2014 edition).

30 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS NOD makerspace Launched in 2015, the NOD makerspace project is the first large scale creative community center in Romania. Its objective is the democratization of creative design, engineering, manufacturing and education. Thus NOD makerspace is a creative work space that gives access based on membership to community, know-how, a wide range of tools and equipments for digital manufacturing and rapid prototyping. NOD makerspace aims to support its members projects: anyone who has an idea, who wants to set up an invention, or to build a prototype can find at NOD special equipments and tools, which would be too expensive to personally buy, such as laser engraving & cutting, 3D printing, CNC router, plotter, 3D scanner or welding equipment. Where? We established our activity in a 720 square meters reconverted industrial space, at the former Cotton Factory, on 160 Splaiul Unirii, on the banks of Dâmbovița. NOD was an exclusively private initiative and, with the help of a volunteer team, within only 6 months it has become a concrete example of reusing an unused industrial space. It encourages this type of approach of innovative projects. Who? We are a multidisciplinary community and we are reaching out to designers, architects, engineers, artists, inventors and entrepreneurs. Our principle is that the more we are, the greater power we have, and this way we manage to do complex projects with low resources. This project s long-term goal is to create opportunities to improve living standards, locally and globally (incubator), and to lay the foundation of a strong, open-source community. The objectives that we set for the next three years refer to the development of the learning component, complementary to the prototyping activity, the development of the incubator and accelerator function for the businesses created within the community and the gradual transformation of the Cotton Factory into a center for creative industries

31 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS TEEN FEST Organized between September 25 and October 2, the festival mainly focused on building bridges between education and culture. Therefore, TEEN-FEST represented for teens an alternative to the day-to-day routine, and also an opportunity to express themselves in a vivid event dedicated to the young generation and meant to promote Romanian theater of the highest quality, with the purpose of creating, through the arts of performance, not only a creative space, but also an educational platform. Alongside the mainstay theater performances the festival proposed a series of related events for young people such as movie nights with special guests, Q&A sessions, dramaturgy, photography and contemporary dance workshops held by professionals. The festival had a competitive nature. EXCELSIOR TEEN-FEST is much more than a festival, it is an attitude with long-term beneficial effects! With the arrival of the autumn, at the beginning of a new school year, the Excelsior Theater launched a different kind of invitation to a unique and necessary event in Bucharest: a theater festival dedicated to teenagers, EXCELSIOR TEEN- FEST. Until this year, the cultural scenery of Bucharest did not offer a professional theater festival regarding teenagers directly. TEEN-FEST, a project launched by the Excelsior Theater, gives youth the possibility to watch performances meant for them, to attend workshops and collateral events through which Excelsior Theater intended to involve them directly

32 EIR EXCELLENCE AWARDS VECTOR WATCH In 2013, Andrei Pitiș founded Vector Watch aiming to offer a novel product on the global market of smart watches. Vector Watch has known global success due to its innovative qualities, among which a 30-day battery life, compatibility with multiple platforms and water-resistance up to a depth of 50 m. Vector watches are crafted to deliver products of the highest quality with durability, comfort and style. The smart technology enables you to customize your personal notifications: receiving the right information and updates at the right time, anytime, anywhere

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