The Munich Economic Summit is an initiative aimed at bringing together academic scholars and decision-makers in politics, industry and finance to discuss vital European issues.

The Summit convenes annually and involves only a limited number of invited participants to allow for a private atmosphere.

The first Summit in 2002 focused on "Europe after Enlargement". The second Summit drew attention to the challenges Europe faces in the world economy. The third Summit dealt with the economic challenges implicit in the drafting of the European Constitution.

The fourth Summit conducted a critical assessment of the achievements attained so far towards the goal of the Lisbon Summit 2000 to establish Europe as "the world's most competitive and dynamic economy by 2010". The fifth Summit delved into the question of how the massive changes in the global division of labour – characterised above all by outsourcing and offshoring – affect the global economy in general and the European economy in particular.

The sixth Summit, under the title "Europe and the Demographic Challenge," was held on 21 and 22 June 2007. It delved into one of the more problematic issues facing industrialised countries in the coming decades: the rapid ageing of their populations. The seventh Summit was held on 5 and 6 June 2008 and explored how to gain and how to retain one of the most crucial assets in an era of globalisation: brains and the talents they bring with them.

The eighth Summit, held on 28 and 29 May 2009, cast a critical glance at the European policies to combat global warming, pointing out some paradoxical outcomes resulting from disregarding economic aspects when devising some of such policies. One of the paradoxes is that policies slated to turn ever greener over time can actually end up accelerating global warming.

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The Munich Economic Summit is organised by


A non-profit institution that seeks to foster national and international dialogue between business, politics and society, and to promote a mutual understanding of these areas.



A joint initiative of the Center of Economic Studies and the Ifo Institute for Economic Research, CESifo is the international platform that brings the output of these two research powerhouses to an international audience.


in partnership with

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