Events

2023 EuDA Annual Conference at Stanhope Hotel Brussels“Blue Economic Actors and Assets, Critical to deliver Europe’s Open Strategic Autonomy”

Following the global confinement due to the COVID pandemic and subsequently the war in Ukraine, Europe faced in a three-year period major disruptions of its supply chains and realised that many sectors of its economy, including the strategic ones, were too dependent on only few supplying nations, which do not necessarily share Europe’s core values.

To enable its economic growth, Europe needs to safeguard its supply chains, in particular, its most strategic transport assets and accesses to resources, and to further expand its geopolitical diversification. Within the strategic assets and cornerstones of Europe’s global supply chain, waterborne transport infrastructures play a critical role. This was widely and repeatedly recognised during the recent crises. Therefore, with its Open Global Gateway, Europe intends to reinvigorate and secure its main multimodal trade routes, hubs and flows.

Europe still has a global competitive advantage in building, operating and maintaining waterborne transport infrastructures. However, over the past decade, this European leadership has been progressively weakened and is now even under threat by the relentless and determined use of unfair trade practices. Non-EU State-owned Enterprises (non-EU SoEs) are the spearheading instruments used by some nations to fulfil their economic and geopolitical ambitions. This ‘aggressive’ use of economic power and resources to deliberately weaken and progressively eliminate competition in targeted markets is also known as hybrid warfare. When the stage of economic dependence is reached, the home country’s influence is significantly increased in the area.

In 2019, Europe realised that its relationship with China was multifaceted:

“China is, simultaneously, in different policy areas, a cooperation partner […],
a negotiating partner […], an economic competitor […], and a systemic rival […].
The tools and modalities of EU engagement with China should also be differentiated […].”

When addressing unfair trade practices, there is no silver bullet and the only effective approach is through a strategic toolbox of “differentiated” but complementary trade instruments. Since 2019, Europe has built new legislative instruments and equipped itself with trade tools to defend its internal market and its industries against the toxic effects of these practices.

During our 2023 Annual Conference, representatives from the European Commission, Academia and Industry presented their views on these multipronged threats to Europe as well as the corresponding initiatives to adequately counter them: Economic Security, Foreign Subsidies Regulation and the Open Global Gateway. They exchanged their views on their respective strategies and the way to fill the remaining gaps. The floor was opened for lively and meaningful exchanges with the audience.

Conference Overview:

Welcome and Opening

• Mr Kees van de Graaf
EuDA Vice-Chairman

Opening Keynote Speech

• Trade Aspects of Europe’s Open Strategic Autonomy
Mr Denis Redonnet
European Commission Deputy Director General for Trade
European Chief Trade Enforcement Officer

Blue Economic Actors and Assets, Critical to deliver Europe’s Open Strategic Autonomy

• Moderation: Ms Eleonora Catella, Business Europe Deputy Director for International Relations

New Forms of Competition Distortions

• Presentation on the Concept of Economic Security
Prof. Dr Cind Du Bois Presentation
Royal Belgian Military Academy, Head of the Chair of Economics

EU Policy Instruments

• Presentation on EU Strategy on Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR)
Ms Silvia Selandari Presentation
European Dredging Association, Director for Trade Affairs

• Presentation on EU’s Global Gateway
Mr Lénaïc Georgelin Presentation
European Commission, DG INTPA Sustainable Transport and Urban Development

Feedback from the Field

• Presentation on European Dredgers’ Challenges Inside and Outside Europe
Mr Paris Sansoglou Presentation
EuDA, Secretary General

Closing Keynote Speech

• Way Forward for the Construction Contractors
Mr Karel De Gucht
Former European Commissioner for Trade
Belgian Minister of State and
President of the VUB Institute for European Studies

View the Conference Messages and the Conference Programme in detail.