Andor László – intézetünk tanácsadó testületének elnöke – a FEPS Podcast sorozatának keretein belül beszélgetett Dr. Mario Holznerrel, a Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) ügyvezető igazgatójával.
What’s next in the fields of cohesion, convergence and enlargement? Dr Mario Holzner, executive director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), discusses with Dr László Andor, FEPS Secretary General, the latest study of the institute: “Avoiding the specialisation trap and embracing megatrends: A new growth model in EU-CEE”. The study was commissioned by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). They analyse what are the main challenges that the CEE region is facing like an aging population and the need to adapt the industry to the changes brought about by robotization and digitalisation. At the same time they also identify opportunities and the potential of the region and how the EU funds could help these countries moving closer to the development level of Western Europe. The discussion highlights the importance of reconsidering competitiveness and reforming EU tools in the fields of convergence and cohesion. Finally, the discussion arrives at the questions of further EU enlargement: why this is so important for the Western Balkans but also the entire EU, and how this should also be a major topic in the Conference on the Future of Europe. What concerns Next Generation EU and the recovery strategy, Mario Holzner has been among those suggesting to use much of the new funds to develop European public goods, including a transnational high speed rail network to improve EU connectivity, strengthen European identity and, at the same time, make the EU Green Deal a reality.
