15/06/10 The 2010 Government of the Future Summit Convenes

Convening just two days before the June European Council, the Government of the Future Summit convened under the timely theme of ‘Exiting the Crisis: Citizens, Society and State Transformation in the 21st Century.’ Organised by the Lisbon Council, in collaboration with the College of Europe and Accenture, the summit brought together senior government and civil service leaders to explore key themes such as innovation in the public sector and providing more and better services despite strained government finances.  The summit was kicked off by Pier Carlo Padoan, deputy secretary-general and chief economist of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) who delivered The 2010 Jean Monnet Lecture on ‘The Challenge of State Transformation in the Post-Crisis Era.’ The summit also launched a new publication, Building a Better Future in an Age of Transformation which summarises four case studies on state transformation prepared by College of Europe Students.

For more information, please visit http://www.lisboncouncil.net/governmentoffuture

17/06/10 New E-Brief: If Not Now, Then When?

Written by Executive Director Ann Mettler, this e-brief lays out how the Europe 2020 strategy can be used to move from immediate crisis management to restoring confidence and growth. The overriding priority now must be to change the narrative and demonstrate that Europe and the member states can pro-actively shape and develop medium- and long-term policy agendas rather than only formulate rushed and defensive responses in reaction to previous shortcomings.

05/03/10 The 2010 Innovation Summit

Delivering The 2010 Guglielmo Marconi Lecture, the Lisbon Council’s flagship event on innovation and creativity, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European commissioner for research and innovation, called on Europe to step up its innovation performance, outlining how transformative changes should be used to address "grand challenges." Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn’s address was part of The 2010 Innovation Summit, which also saw interventions from Prof. Dr. Martin Schuurmans, chairman of the board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), Anthony D. Williams, senior fellow for innovation at the Lisbon Council and co-author of bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Andrew Wyckoff, director, science, technology and industry directorate at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Rian Liebenberg, engineering director of Google.

Watch "What is Innovation?" video clip on You Tube
Watch highlights of The 2010 Innovation Summit
Watch Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn's lecture on YouTube (Part 1 of 2)
Watch Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn's lecture on You Tube (Part 2 of 2)
Watch remarks of Prof. Martin Schuurmans, EIT
Watch interview with Anthony D. Williams on Wikinomics in Europe

04/03/10 Wikinomics in Europe

A timely contribution to the Europe 2020 strategy, this e-brief explores the changing nature of innovation, towards more open, collaborative and inter-disciplinary systems. Entitled Wikinomics and the Era of Openness: European Innovation at a Crossroads, the study demonstrates how Europe can benefit from participating in a global movement to share knowledge, raise creativity and encourage social innovation. The author is Anthony D. Williams, co-author of the international bestseller Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, who also serves as senior fellow at the Lisbon Council.

Watch interview with Anthony D. Williams on Wikinomics in Europe

25/01/10 High Cost of Low Educational Performance

The Lisbon Council hosted the European launch of a watershed OECD publication on the High Cost of Low Educational Performance. Presented by Andreas Schleicher, head of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) at the OECD, the study demonstrates the enormous economic return on investment in education. If, for instance, all OECD countries could raise their educational performance to Finland’s level, the result could be an aggregate GDP increase of $260 trillion – an important conclusion as the EU is pondering next steps in its EU 2020 strategy.

Watch interview with Andreas Schleicher here

05/02/10 Newsletter: Eco-Innovation, Government of the Future, and more

Read the latest Lisbon Council Newsletter, full of information about recent and upcoming activities, including Eco-Innovation Summit, EU 2020, Government of the Future Centre, Digital Europe, Why Skills are Key to Europe's Future and much more.

06/12/09 EU 2020: Why Skills are Key for Europe's Future

As part of the Lisbon Council's contribution to the EU 2020 strategy, Paul Hofheinz, president of the Lisbon Council, argues that this crucial agenda should prioritise skills acquisition and the necessary accompanying investment in human capital. He maps out a one-of-a-kind intellectual framework to evaluate skills policy and explains what levers can be utilised to finally move from rhetoric to action.

08/11/09 European Growth and Jobs Monitor Autumn Update

The autumn update of The European Growth and Jobs Monitor, a bi-annual study published by the Lisbon Council and Allianz SE, looks at the ongoing controversy regarding exit strategies – How should exit strategies be timed? When should they start? And what could happen if policy makers get it all wrong? “The stimulus packages in place for next year are both necessary and appropriate,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Heise, chief economist of Allianz and principal author of the study. “But it is time to start being vigilant again. We must make sure that the progress we see will lead to sustainable growth, not more financially fuelled growth. We must learn the lessons of the past, and not allow another bubble to develop.”

24/06/10 Ann Mettler on G20

In this Wall Street Journal editorial, Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council, argues that economic growth does not come from deficit spending, but competitiveness.

Download Ann Mettler's editorial

02/06/10 Lykke Friis on Energy and Climate Change

In a stimulating and forward-looking intervention, Lykke Friis, Danish minister for climate and energy presented her government's energy plan to The Lisbon Council Eco-Innovators Network. She also addressed her vision for the EU Energy Action Plan, as well as the Danish EU Presidency in the spring of 2012.

Watch Lykke Friis' interview on The Lisbon Council YouTube Channel