Talk-debate

This meeting offered the opportunity to discuss US security policy and priorities with regard to European allies. The luncheon guests considered crucial issues facing Western democracies today, from Afghanistan to Iraq, from Iran’s nuclear ambitions to the development of a greater multinational force capable of intervening quickly around the world. They also discussed issues of a more purely political nature on the transatlantic agenda, such as the direction Russia is taking in its political development and the possible enlargement of NATO as far as Ukraine.

The volume Chi guida l’economia contains a study of a statistics survey on private and public sector leadership with particular attention to Aspen Institute Italia members who are also part of Italy’s Entrepreneurs Association and the Public Administration Management School. Positive and negative aspects of the Italian economic leadership emerged from this study which includes a substantial uniformity in the education and competency of private and public managers, the lack of internationalization and a limited presence of female figures in roles of high responsibility.

On June 7, at the Rome offices of Aspen Institute Italia, a luncheon was held in honor of the Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica, who was on an official visit to Italy together with a delegation including Pedrag Bubalo, Minister of Economy and Privatization, Velimir Ilić, Minister for Investment, and Milan Parivodić, Minister for International Economic Relations.

The working lunch with the European Commissioner Peter Mandelson has brought the attention to the delicate and complex issue of trade policy prior to the Doha Round scheduled in December in Hong Kong. Participants generally agreed that greater caution is required in further trade liberalization: Italy needs more time to prepare for trade challenges that arrive mainly from China, India – in the IT sector – and from the "green giant" Brazil.