Training in European Affairs - Previous projects
Economic and Monetary Union - 2008
The Growth and Stability Pact, the Euro zone, the budget of the European Union are just a sample of themes of interest for specialists in the economic field, especially in the context of the global crisis. The way in which the European construction evolved economically, especially with the adoption of the Euro currency holds important aspects for Romanian specialists from the financial and economic area whose activity is influenced by community requirements. The seriousness of the moment we are all living in and the precarious state of the global economy cannot be underestimated. It is therefore necessary to understand the existing mechanisms which govern European economic and monetary policies for the adoption of national, community and international measures.
The Economic and Monetary Union training programe was organized due to the identification of this theme as a training need in the analysis conducted by the EIR at the end of 2007. The current global economic climate demonstrates the urgency and the depth of financial and economic problems and a training programme focused on the economic elements of European coordination can only be of use for Romanian specialists.
The participants at the Economic and Monetary Union training session in 2008 were in their vast majority representatives of central public administration: the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Office of the Prime Minister – the Anti Fraud Department, the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The positions occupied by participants in their organizations were mainly counselors, experts, legal counselors or programme directors.
As a continuation of the accord between the EIR on one hand and the National School of Political Science and Administration and the Soros Foundation in the Republic of Moldavia on the other, two persons of Moldavian citizenship traveled to Bucharest to take part in the training programme.
The main purpose of the training programme was the offer of a preparation at an advanced level in the field of economic and monetary policy of the EU. The participation at the programme presupposed a minimal level of knowledge both in terms of European Affairs and economic issues. The architecture of the programme was designed to facilitate the understanding of the most important features of economic and monetary policies and the instruments of their implementation.
The Economic and Monetary Union training programme was organized for the first time by the European Institute of Romania from December 2nd - 3rd 2008. Another training session has been programmed for the year 2009.
The course was structured in modules and the themes were approached from the methodological standpoint with presentation and debates about:
- The monetary and financial market – concepts, forms and instruments
- The history of the formation of the Economic and Monetary Union
- The Growth and Stability Pact
- The role of the exchange rate mechanism in the adoption of the Euro currency
- The experience of member states in adopting the Euro
The training programme was presented by dr. Mihaela Luţas, professor with the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca – Economy and Business Administration Faculty. Dr. Luţas is a specialist in the economic field with a solid academic and professional background in Romania and in other countries, being also the author of numerous books and studies in the economic and European Affairs domains, but also associate professor at prestigious universities in Italy.
The assessment of the training programme by the participants was conducted through the administration of an opinion poll fulfilled anonymously containing questions in which marks were awarded pertaining to the general level of the programme, as well as that of the different modules, but also contained open questions about the most useful or redundant knowledge accumulated during the four days of training. Also there were open spaces for further comments and suggestions.
The results of the opinion poll showed a general level of satisfaction with the course which was viewed as excellent by 57% of participants and very good by 37% of them. Among the most useful information and/or competences obtained are: the exchange rate mechanism II, the phases of the adoption of the Euro, the banking procedures and the role of central banks in the monetary policies. The criticism expressed was aimed at the lack of coordination between the materials presented and those contained in the training materials supplied. There were also administrative issues related to the excessive heating in the training hall.
Here are some of the suggestions offered by participants at the Economic and Monetary Union training programme:
- very good conditions and organization
- a very good training programme with an excellent trainer; I feel that I have accumulated a lot of knowledge during these two days
- insufficient amount of time for the delivery of lectures about the institutional structure of the Economic and Financial Union and the levels of decision-making
- more case studies to better understand the Economic and Financial Union mechanisms were needed
- generally speaking the course was very well organized, but the excessive heating lead to periods lacking of attention
The Economic and Monetary Union training programme was organized by the European Institute of Romania at its headquarters in Bucharest, 7-9 Regina Elisabeta bldv in the conference hall.
The project coordinator was Alina Arhire, alina.arhire@ier.ro
