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This event is part of the European Resource Bank Meeting. For full information, including registration, please visit www.rbeurope.org

Centre-right parties have recently taken office in many of the 'powerhouses' of Europe - Germany, Sweden, and France - and the right is on the rise again in Britain. So does this signal the death of the European social model of generous welfare provision and an active role for the State? Western Europe has clung to its social protections even in the face of global capitalism and immigration but how long can its high taxes and inflexible labour markets survive? Can reformers turn Europe's welfare state and its economy around, introducing consumer-focused health reforms, active welfare to work schemes and more private pensions, or will its voters revolt in the face of social upheaval?

The Stockholm Network co-hosted a dinner with American Spectator. Rick Nye gave a presentation on the state of UK politics, which was followed by a discussion of recent developments in Britain and the USA.

The emerging area of public interest IP has an increasing impact on both developed and developing countries in areas as diverse as patenting, traditional knowledge, access to knowledge in the digital environment, and culture and arts. Important issues to be discussed and debated include: What is the public interest in the IP area? How can the IP system accommodate opposing interests? How do you define Public Interest in IP when technologies advance far ahead of policy and legislation? To what extent can the limited rights bestowed by patents serve the public interest in rich and poor countries? Does the western concept of copyright protection serve the interests of countries with traditions of collective ownership? These and other probing questions will be addressed.

The European Single Market guarantees freedom of movement for all EU citizens: the right to settle, work or study in any member country is one of the major accomplishments of European integration. Yet three years after the latest enlargement, various protectionist trends are asserting themselves as welfare reform is accelerating. Is immigration a boon to labour markets or rather a strain on social systems? Is foreign labour creating ‘social dumping’ and exploitation of workers?

Philippe Legrain (UK) is the author of the best-selling Immigrants : your country needs them. He explains why, despite efforts to build Fortress Europe, EU politicians should admit that governments cannot stop people moving across borders, and why it is counterproductive to do so.

Instead of aspiring to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010, the EU member countries should be more modest. They should aspire to be better prepared to compete in the global knowledge economy by fundamentally strengthening key areas that currently impinge on its innovative output. Competition policy is a means to an end: promoting innovation, consumer choice, competitive prices and more efficient allocations of resources in general. The execution does not come at the expense of other policies that seek to maintain the same objectives. Therefore, Article 82 should be used in a manner consistent with other fundamental issues under the EC Treaty, such as Article 3 and Article 157 (competitiveness, innovation and technological utilisation).

In 2005 the European Union adopted the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in an attempt to provide economic incentives for reducing pollution. The ETS is being closely watched as the first serious international attempt at a carbon-trading system.
However, ETS has considerable limitations. It is very difficult and extremely expensive to assess emissions. ETS currently excludes agriculture and transportation from its remit. Accordingly, the UK has implemented a carbon tax on aeroplane tickets, introducing the possibility of some types of carbon emissions being traded on a European level while others are taxed on a national level. Many have argued that ETS subsidises polluters and as a barrier to entry for new firms in carbon-intensive industries.
Despite its difficulties, ETS is the obvious model, both for other jurisdictions looking to implement carbon trading, and for whatever system will replace Kyoto when the accord expires in 2008. So, is ETS a good example to follow?

In this debate some tough questions will be asked: Are pharmaceutical IPRs a barrier to access to medicines or are they essential to it? Do pharmaceutical patents prevent or enhance pharmaceutical research and development? Are compulsory licenses a legitimate tool for price negotiations or are they a predatory mechanism aimed at circumventing the rights of developers? Is there any hope at all for multilateral IP negotiations, and for whom? Are pharmaceutical IPRs a zero sum game or can they lead to win-win results?

The Gowers Review, published last month, proposes a fundamental review of IP protection in the UK, making 54 recommendations affecting issues such as copyright term, fair use, enforcement, patent and trade mark protection and the role of the Patent Office.
Managing Intellectual Property Magazine, in association with Lovells, and in collaboration with the Stockholm Network, is hosting a unique discussion on the Gowers Review on Tuesday January 30 2007. The discussion will feature panellists from industry and the law as well as Andrew Gowers himself.

To sign up, please go to
http://www.managingip.com/Default.asp?Page=5172

Places are limited

Globalised markets: a positive for proponents of the free market; a source of social evils to the opponents. The debate is often confused in terms of winners and losers. What is the real impact of the integration of formerly poor, yet huge economies such as China and India into the world economy?

Far from being a threat to growth in the West, the issue requires clarification and proper assessment.

Charles Gave, CEO of a global financial analysis firm and an eminent analyst with extensive experience of international fund management, will interpret the trends of financial innovation and explain the positive impacts of market integration.

The business of creating, distributing and selling counterfeit pharmaceutical products is an unregulated, criminal and growing part of the global economy. There is one major difference between pharmaceutical counterfeiting and other underground industries: lives are at stake.

Coincidence or Crisis brings together some of the world’s leading experts to discuss the growth of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the core issues, while delimiting key strategies to tackle the problem.