21 Feb 2013, 13:41
The Chairs of the Finance Committees from the parliaments of EU Member States meet in Dublin Castle on Monday 25 February to engage with Commissioners, Ministers and leading academics on fostering better integration growth and budgetary control.
21 February 2013
Under the chairmanship of Ciarán Lynch TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, the meeting takes place in the Conference Centre in Dublin Castle from 8:15 am on Monday (programme below).
Speakers include Commissioners Olli Rehn and Janusz Lewandowski, Ministers Michael Noonan TD and Brendan Howlin TD, Prof Karl Whelan of UCD and Prof Mark Hallerberg of the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
Deputy Lynch says: “With the brokering last night of significant measures to enhance EU oversight of national budgets, this is a timely conference. We look forward to engaging with Commissioner Rehn and Minister Noonan on how Economic and Monetary Union will develop in the coming years in light of agreement on the so-called ‘two-pack’. Central to our consideration will be how national parliaments can underpin the democratic legitimacy of the new arrangements.
“Later in the day, we will discuss the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which will shape the EU’s budget between 2014 and 2020. Discussions will centre on how the MFF will contribute towards growth and support reform across the Union. Speakers for this session are Janusz Lewandowski, European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget and Karl Whelan, Professor of Economics at University College Dublin. With Minister Howlin and Prof Hallerberg, we will discuss how national parliaments can hold Governments to account at national level at critical points during the European Semester process.”
“The European Union is sometimes criticised for conducting much of its business behind closed doors. So that’s why the eight meetings being hosted by the Houses of the Oireachtas will be held in public, broadcast live on Oireachtas UPC Channel 207, and webcast live on the dedicated website for the parliamentary dimension of the presidency, www.parleu2013.ie. We hope that by conducting the proceedings in the open, we will provide the citizens we serve with a window into discussions and debates between European parliamentarians, as we seek to chart a course for the EU’s economic recovery.”
The event is the second in a series of eight meetings being hosted by the Houses of the Oireachtas during the six month Presidency, details of which are accessible on parleu2013.ie. The Oireachtas Twitter feed @oireachtasnews will carry updates over the course of the day and a live webcast of the proceedings can be accessed via www.parleu2013.ie/live
ENDS
Media: Please note that the Werburgh Street Media Centre will not be open for this event. For further information or to register your interest in attending the event, please contact:
Paul Hand,
P: +353 1 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
E: paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
or
Cáit Hayes,
Tel: +353 1 6183883
Mob: +353 87 9190300
E: cait.hayes@oireachtas.ie
Programme - Monday, 25 February 2013
Theme of Meeting: Future Strategies for Integration, Growth and Better Budgetary Control
Venue: Conference Centre, Dublin Castle
08:20: Welcome by Ciarán Lynch TD
08.30: The Future Evolution of Economic and Monetary Union
(i) Mr. Olli Rehn, Vice President, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro
(ii) Mr Michael Noonan, T.D., Minister for Finance
11:00 Topic: Supporting Growth and Reform - the EU Financial Framework
(i) Mr Janusz Lewandowski, European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget
(ii) Mr. Karl Whelan, Professor of Economics, University College Dublin
Debate
12:45 Lunch
14:15 Topic: EU Economic Governance and the Role of Parliaments
(i) Mr. Brendan Howlin T.D., Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform
(ii) Professor Mark Hallerberg, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin
Debate
16:00 Closing Address by Ciarán Lynch T.D., Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform