This modern concept of a European Union is being tested early in this 21st Century. From the impacts of the burgeoning refugee crisis, to the rise of populist parties, to the British exit from the EU, the future of the Union remains uncertain. While many obstacles to overcoming these challenges persist, cross-sector collaboration lends itself to more efficient allocation of resources to address these issues and implement viable solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Concordia Europe Summit took place at a pivotal time for the continent, following significant shifts in regional leadership that will continue throughout 2017. As the popular vote has become far less predictable than ever before, elections in Italy, France, Germany, and elsewhere are affecting not only on citizen populations, but also universal human rights, global markets, migrant populations, and regional investment climates. Concordia believes that public-private partnerships (P3s) have great potential for impact in Europe as it works to preserve a modern-day union, quell a mounting refugee crisis, and reignite regional economic growth while remaining on the path to achieving the SDGs by 2030. By convening regional leadership to address these challenges and formulate practical solutions, Concordia provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and brokered new relationships across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
For a full breakdown of the 2017 Concordia Europe Summit in Athens, please view our Post Summit Report. With session descriptions, overviews, quotes, and key takeaways, this report aims to be a building block to the discussions that will take place at the 2017 Concordia Annual Summit hosted in New York City in September 2017.
With over 700 participants, 36 Speakers and Conversations Leads, and 11 current and former Heads of State and Government, Concordia set out to document this historical Summit in Europe. Thousands of photographs were captured, highlighting some of the most memorable moments that took place. Along with photographs of the Summit itself, thousands more were captured of participants and attendees networking and connecting throughout the two days.
With over 700 participants, 36 Speakers and Conversations Leads, and 11 current and former Heads of State and Government, Concordia set out to document this historical Summit in Europe. Thousands of photographs were captured, highlighting some of the most memorable moments that took place. Along with photographs of the Summit itself, thousands more were captured of participants and attendees networking and connecting throughout the two days.
Welcome remarks from Concordia’s Co-Founders.
Trade between the United States and the European Union is currently the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world, totaling $1.1 trillion in 2014. This trans-Atlantic trade route not only accounts for billions of dollars a day in goods and services, but millions of jobs across both continents. Concordia will host a fireside chat with former President of the European Commission and former Prime Minister of Portugal, José Manuel Barroso, to discuss aspects of, and opportunities for, the economic relationship between the United States and the European Union. This conversation will include an analysis of what has contributed to the robustness and strength of the world’s largest trade relationship and what lies ahead as technology, innovation, power dynamics and politics continue to change in our increasingly interconnected world.
An organization’s potential for social impact is largely influenced by the corporate ethos and values cultivated by its leadership. Balancing needs to meet market demands and remain competitive, while also integrating sustainable busi-ness practices, is no easy task. In this session, Muhtar Kent, Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company, will reflect on lessons learned from his tenure as the CEO of a renowned multinational organization and posit recommendations for the pri-vate sector to rise to the challenge presented by the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
When developing public-private partnerships (P3s) for social impact, organizations aim to facilitate innovative programs that are sustainable and scalable beyond the local level. In this session, the Athens Partnership in Greece and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance in the United States will be highlighted as case studies of organizations promoting the value of strong cross-sector collaboration, which can spark innovation and help local, national, and global leaders alike to rethink their path to social and economic impact. In addition to the essence of public-private partnerships, speakers in this session will also discuss the importance of community engagement in public improvement projects, the power of digital technology, and the ability to improve education outcomes and workforce development through early intervention.
Sustainable development requires a holistic and cross-sector policy approach to ensure that economic, social and environmental challenges are addressed together. The European Union Commission’s answer to the 2030 Agenda will mainstream the SDGs in the European policy framework and current Commission priorities and will prepare for the long-term implementation of the SDGs. Cross-sector investment in the SDGs is critical to achieving goals across the development agenda. From infrastructure to sanitation, and education to hunger, there are many investment opportunities for the private sector to both increase profits and contribute to global socioeconomic development. According to a 2014 UNCTAD report, developing countries face a $2.5 trillion annual investment gap in key sustainable development sectors. Private sector investments can be maximized by collaboration with the public sector to complement public funding capabilities, increasing impact and scale. Additionally, the private sector’s role in promoting good governance in business practices must not be understated; transparency and accountability are key in maintaining strong relationships between businesses, governments, and civil society. This session will seek to identify and prioritize tangible opportunities for investment, while also addressing challenges to collaboration to achieve the SDGs.
In addition to speakers, confirmed Principal Participants include:
Despina Anastasiou, Regional Leader Central Europe & President Dow Hellas, Dow Chemical
Nikos Charalambides, Executive Director, Greenpeace Greece
David Horner, President, The American College of Greece
Jean-Yves Le Saux, Director of the Bureau of Strategic Planning, UNESCO
Ted Mitchell, former Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education & Member of the Board, Frontline Education
Eduardo Padrón, College President, Miami Dade College
Anne Peterson, Senior Vice President Programs, Americares
David Simas, Chief Executive Officer, Obama Foundation
Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, European Commission
Kristina Tremonti, Anti-Corruption Analyst, OECD
Nikos Trantas, Head of Unit, General Secretariat of the Government, Greece
Marianna Vardinoyannis, Goodwill Ambassador for UNESCO, BoT Member, NGIC
Grigoris Zarifopoulos, Country Manager, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, Google
Welcome remarks from Concordia’s Co-Founders.
The most pressing concerns of the European Union are up for debate, with conflicting priorities of fiscal austerity, refugees, security, and the negotiation of Britain’s exit from the bloc competing for urgency. Recent calls have been made to boost fiscal and structural policy within European national governments in order to increase the effectiveness of monetary policy and reinforce growth within the Eurozone. Britain’s 2016 decision to enact Article 50 has had rippling impact across Europe, leading to fluctuating financial markets, reluctant border policy, and an increase of populist movements in Germany, Austria, France and Italy. With the recent results of the American elections, added pressures to international monetary policy and regional security will also be discussed within this session as regional leadership seeks clarity from the incoming administration on free trade, climate change, immigration, and commitments to NATO.
In addition to speakers, confirmed Principal Participants include:
Dimitrios Athanasopoulos, Group Managing Director, Axia Ventures Group
John Calamos, Sr., Founder, Chairman, & Global CIO, Calamos Investments
Alexis Charitsis, Deputy Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, Hellenic Republic
Petros Christodoulou, Principal, Callisto Capital Advisors
Paula Dobriansky, Former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs & President’s Special Envoy to Northern Ireland; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Spyridon Flogaitis, Director, EPLO
Harris Giampanas, Managing Director, Private Banking London, Bank J Safra Sarasin
Nicholas Jennett, Deputy Director General, EIB
Ivo Josipović, Former President, Republic of Croatia, BoT Member, NGIC
John Koudounis, CEO, Calamos Investments; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Luis Alberto Lacalle, Former President of Uruguay; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Iannis Mourmouras, Deputy Governor, Bank of Greece
John Negroponte, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State & U.S. Director of National Intelligence
George Papandreou, Former Prime Minister of Greece
Jorge Quiroga, Former President, Plurinational State of Bolivia; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Antonis Samaras, MP, Former Prime Minister of Greece
Petar Stoyanov, President of Bulgaria 1997-2002, BoT Member, NGIC
Boris Tadic, former President of Serbia, BoT Member, NGIC
Anthimos Thomopoulos, CEO, Credicom
Panayotis Thomopoulos, Chairman of the Board, National Bank of Greece
Symeon Tsomokos, Founder, Delphi Economic Forum
Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Former President, Colombia; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Nicolas Vernicos, President, ICC– Hellas
Since the conflict in Syria began six years ago, staggering amounts of the country’s population has been displaced internally, with record numbers fleeing the country across borders. Over one million refugees entered the European Union in 2015, reflecting the height of the crisis. The protracted nature of the conflict means that temporary, short-term emergency response efforts are an insufficient solution to the overwhelming number of families who have been impacted by the crisis. However, relief programs of three, six, and twelve month durations still make up the majority of response efforts. It is clear the human toll of the Syria crisis must be addressed in the long term. This session will discuss the fundamental recalibration necessary to shift away from siloed short-term approaches to holistic strategies that bridge relief and development needs, maximize efficiencies by incorporating private sector perspectives, and values local voices and accountable governance.
In addition to speakers, confirmed Principal Participants include:
Jimmy Athanasopoulos, Head of Social Responsibility, The Libra Group
Eva Canoutas, Deputy Director, Programs, IRC Greece
Jean-Louis de Brouwer, Director for Europe, Eastern Neighbourhood and Middle East, European Commission
Epaminondas Farmakis, General Director, Solidarity Now
Natasha Freidus, Founder, Needslist
Spyridon Galinos, Mayor of Lesvos
Frank Giustra, CEO, Fiore Group; Founder and President, Radcliffe Foundation
John Jaeger, CEO, Hala Systems
Afshan Khan, Regional Director, UNICEF
Jae Kim, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Ascend Initiative
David Levin, Founder & Executive Director, Refugee Open Ware
Gal Lusky, Founder & CEO, Israeli Flying Aid
Michael Nyenhuis, President and CEO, Americares; Leadership Council Member, Concordia
Gianmaria Pinto, Country Director in Greece, Norwegian Refugee Council
Marietta Provopoulou, Director, Greece, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Nicole Riggs, Founder, Make it Happen
Cameron Sinclair, Head of Social Innovation, Airbnb
Bruno Stagno-Ugarte, Deputy Executive Director for Advocacy, Human Rights Watch
Emmanouil Vournous, Mayor of Chios
Scott Weber, Director-General, Interpeace
Vaggelis Xafinis, Executive Director, Elpida Home
Concluding remarks from Concordia’s Co-Founders.