View this email in your browser [https://wiiw.ac.at/files/mailings/event-201902260950-en.html]   Dear Madam/Sir, On behalf of the European Commission Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC) the Commission’s in-house think tank, and the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW), we have the pleasure to INVITE YOU TO A two-day HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE on: THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 2004 EU ENLARGEMENT: LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD MONDAY, 8 APRIL 2019, 9:00 AM (09:00 CEST) _OESTERREICHISCHE NATIONALBANK (OENB)_, Otto-Wagner-Platz 3, 1090 Vienna, Austria TUESDAY, 9 APRIL 2019, 4:45 PM (16.45 CEST) _SHERATON HOTEL_, Pribinova 12, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia   EU Member States from the Baltics, Central and South Eastern Europe have enjoyed many benefits of EU membership, including steady economic convergence. As policy makers are seeking ways to close the remaining convergence gap, new challenges and opportunities arise. THIS CONFERENCE WILL EXAMINE THE CHANNELS THROUGH WHICH EU MEMBERSHIP HAS SHAPED AND HELPED ECONOMIC CONVERGENCE IN THE REGION, AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE EU IN THIS REGARD CAN BE FURTHER ENHANCED. The sessions will discuss PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE developments in important areas such as trade, investment, reform processes, finance, demography and the social dimension. ... read more [https://wiiw.ac.at/the-15th-anniversary-of-the-2004-eu-enlargement-looking-b...] Confirmed speakers include, among many: * TERESA CZERWIŃSKA, Minister of Finance, Poland * HARTWIG LÖGER, Minister of Finance, Austria * MUGUR ISARESCU, Governor, Romanian Central Bank * EWALD NOWOTNY, Governor, Austrian National Bank * BORIS VUJCIC, Governor, Croatian Central Bank * ADAM FARKAS, Executive Director, European Banking Authority   We would be grateful if you could confirm your participation no later than 31 MARCH 2019, using this registration link [https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/15Y_conference]. For more information, please follow the conference website [https://ec.europa.eu/info/events/conference-15th-anniversary-2004-eu-enlarge...] and contact us via the dedicated mailbox: EU-15-YEARS-ENLARGEMENT-CONFERENCE@ec.europa.eu. In view of the 15th anniversary of the enlargement, we are looking forward to your contribution in our discussions on the 8-9 April, as we look back at our story and think about our collective future. Best regards, ISTVÁN P. SZÉKELY, Principal Advisor, DG ECFIN LÚCIO VINHAS DE SOUZA, Head Economics Team, EPSC ROBERT STEHRER, Scientific Director, WIIW wiiw The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies Rahlgasse 3, 1060 Vienna, Austria wiiw@wiiw.ac.at, wiiw.ac.at [https://wiiw.ac.at] T: +43 1 533 66 10 [tel:+4315336610] [http://www.facebook.com/wiiw.economic.studies] [http://www.twitter.com/wiiw_news] [http://www.linkedin.com/company/vienna-institute-for-international-economic-...] [http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyNuSfsgzgBsIf7AaH8Vk-Q] [https://wiiw.ac.at/rss.php] Copyright ©2019 wiiw, all rights reserved.