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International Programs

  • Brussels
    • 30 November 2015
     
     

    Energy Security as a Priority for Europe’s Foreign Policy

      This International Workshop was organized jointly with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), in cooperation with the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and with the support of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The discussions were structured so as to contribute to the development in progress of a “Global Strategy” for the European Union, which will be officially presented by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, in June 2016.

    • Milan
      • 19 March 2015
       
       

      Women in business. Innovation and technology: the Israeli experience

        This talk-debate session, sponsored by the Valore D association, Aspen Institute Italia and Women for Expo, explored the approaches and trends that characterize female entrepreneurship, the distinguishing features of this segment of the business community, as well as existing weaknesses that could undermine its development and growth. The event was organized as part of Aspen Italia’s Women in Business project, which aims to create a transnational network of debate and reflection in support of female leadership.

      • Rome
        • 25 June 2015
         
         

        Building the Energy Union

          The ongoing efforts to build a well functioning Energy Union in Europe should be seen in the context of major global changes related in various ways to the energy sector – possibly a whole new phase of globalization, featuring new actors, new forms of balance of power, new conflicts (actual or potential).

        • Milan
          • 8 July 2015
           
           

          Aspen at Expo – Women, science and sustainable development

            The key to sustainable development is not only an effective partnership between government, civil society and the private sector, but also a scientific approach. Science and technology are fundamental in generating the knowledge necessary to sustainably resolve today’s most pressing problems. And they are especially important when seen from a global viewpoint, as today’s problems are global problems, as well as from a gender perspective.

          • Milan
            • 8 July 2015
             
             

            Aspen at Expo – The role of nutrition in future health: the gender challenge

              The intersection between women, nutrition and health is undeniable. Women are the food matrons of the world as in most cases they are the ones who purchase and prepare what families eat. They are also the world’s caregivers, meaning they are typically the ones who look after children, the elderly and the sick. Despite this women are also the most food insecure and make up the majority of the world’s patient population, though they have the least access to healthcare.

            • Milan
              • 9 July 2015
               
               

              Aspen at Expo – The case for TTIP: how, when, what?

                Trade agreements, particularly those between Europe and the US (TTIP: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), provide a huge opportunity for development and growth and are therefore so much more than a potential risk. The European Commission’s agenda is very ambitious.

              • Milan
                • 8 July 2015
                 
                 

                Aspen at Expo – A conversation on human mind and innovation

                  By way of setting the tone for this International Workshop, figures were cited showing that, in 2014, 350 million PCs and 320 million tablets were sold, and that, in the next five years, there will be some 200 billion web-connected devices. The latest devices – it was observed – are able to learn our needs and preferences, enabling increasingly personalized feedback, with artificial intelligence continuing to make great leaps forward. It was stressed, however, that it is not just machines that are learning from people – humans too have ended up being shaped by their devices.

                • Milan
                  • 9 July 2015
                   
                   

                  Aspen at Expo – Agribusiness and trade: friends or foes?

                    Kicking off proceedings at this international workshop was the observation that agricultural market growth is once again the focus of world attention. Consumer prices for food products are rising, and sudden fluctuations in the cost of agricultural commodities are set to become more frequent in the short term. After a period of abundance, the world risks an era of food shortages, due to factors such as demographic shifts, climate change, growing global health problems, and an inadequate distribution of wealth.

                  • Rome
                    • 11 December 2015
                     
                     

                    Youth Forum – New Jobs for New Generations

                      Emerging from discussions during the Med 2015 Youth Forum – devoted to the topic “The challenge: new jobs for new generations” – was the finding that investment in infrastructure, in the Internet of Things, and in renewable energy, along with a shift towards a greater grassroots focus, are the factors that could bring about a decisive breakthrough to the problem of youth employment in the Mediterranean.

                    • Rome
                      • 20 January 2015
                       
                       

                      Rethinking energy security: economics and geopolitics

                        Kick-starting the debate at this third workshop of the Aspen Energy Forum was the observation that low oil prices and the consequent volatility are causing instability in energy markets, with the situation unlikely to change at least for a while.

                      • Pavia
                        • 9 July 2015
                         
                         

                        Aspen at Expo – Science and individual health

                          These days, the world of health is facing a revolution that does not only concern medicine but also includes a broad range of disciplines and many aspects of daily life.  Demographic tendencies, the evolution of research and the strategic use of “big data” are bringing about a sea change in the existing model of individual care.

                        • Rome
                          • 26 November 2014
                           
                           

                          Crime and punishment: justice and the political economy

                            In 1764, the now famous treatise “On Crimes and Punishments” was published anonymously, meeting with a success that today would be described as global, creating quite a stir in Italy, and exerting an influence both on the Founding Fathers in the United States and on the Napoleonic Constitution in France. Two years later, having already become an established work, it was released again – though this time it was attributed to the pen of Cesare Beccaria.

                          • Rome
                            • 6 November 2014
                             
                             

                            The US midterm elections: results and analysis

                              This talk-debate session focused on the Republican victory in the recent US midterm elections, heralded as unquestionably significant in terms of both numbers and scale. President Obama is potentially up against both the House of Representatives and the Senate – a circumstance that is certainly nothing new in  the American political system. Indeed, in the last sixty years, Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson were the only presidents not forced to contend with a “divided government”, making the latter an established institutional tradition of politics across the pond.

                            • Rome
                              • 5 February 2014
                               
                               

                              Second dialogue of the Aspen Institute Food Security Strategy Group

                                The second meeting of The Aspen Institute “Food Security Strategy Group” was held in Rome between February 5-7, 2014, and saw the participation of entrepreneurs from the agro-food sector, experts, development practitioners, representatives from international organizations, and political leaders.

                              • Siracusa
                                • 6 June 2014
                                 
                                 

                                Arab Evolutions. The Mediterranean after the global slowdown

                                  Kick-starting talks at this session of the Aspen Mediterranean Initiative was the observation that the arduous and variegated evolution of the Mediterranean region needs to be viewed within the prevailing global context.

                                • Rome
                                  • 31 July 2014
                                   
                                   

                                  From vulnerabilities to resilience: strengthening human development

                                    Education, welfare and the gender gap were at the top of the agenda of discussions at this international roundtable, which featured guest speaker Khalid Malik, Director of the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office. The Office’s 2014 report sets out to measure progress in long-term human development against three main areas of achievement: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living. Also taken into account are the capacity to enjoy equal opportunity of access, and to exercise the universal right to the same opportunities in life.

                                  • Rome
                                    • 29 June 2014
                                     
                                     

                                    The next frontiers: tapping the potential of our economies

                                      Launching discussions at this World Economy Conference was an acknowledgement by those in attendance that the recovery from the economic crisis of recent years has been particularly slow in historical terms, with the most recent figures confirming fears of a further possible slowdown. This global scenario was seen as a fortiori necessitating that growth be considered a top priority for Europe during Italy’s current 6-month-long presidency of the Council of the EU.

                                    • Geneva
                                      • 18 October 2013
                                       
                                       

                                      Science and innovation: research, infrastructure and international collaboration

                                        The opening premise of discussions at this International Conference was that scientific research is crucial to innovation, understood as both the discovery of new facts, data, or laws of nature, as well as knowledge with a direct technological application. Indeed, technology provides an essential bridge between science and society. As a demonstration of this, the participants pointed to the limitless practical applications of the World Wide Web (which had its origins at CERN, based on the development of the internet), citing it as a case where the industrial spinoff has been enormous.

                                      • Naples
                                        • 5 July 2013
                                         
                                         

                                        The changing Mediterranean: the quest for growth and the Gulf factor

                                          Discussions at this 2-day event got underway with the observation that the Mediterranean Sea clearly connects Europe not just with North Africa, but also the Middle East, the Anatolian Peninsula, and the Persian Gulf. All these axes present opportunities for growth through greater interdependence, in spite of the current difficulties being experienced by European economies and the political uncertainty holding back those on the southern shores of the Mediterranean.