ACCA, in the framework of the President’s Debates series, is delighted to invite you to a high level conference, which will gather policy experts to discuss proposals for a Banking Union and the way towards a solid and sustainable integrated financial framework. The event forms part of the programme of official events organised under the Presidency of Lithuania of the European Council.

Despite some signs of improvement of the global economic conditions, recovery remains fragile and the Eurozone is still exposed to difficulties. However, lessons have been drawn from the financial crisis. They namely show that the eurozone, because of the interconnectedness of its financial institutions and markets, requires a stronger institutional framework to safeguard financial stability and avoid that problems in the financial sector of one country can spread to another. To address this, in 2012, EU leaders committed to the creation a Banking Union in order to contribute to a smoother functioning of the monetary union, minimise the cost of bank failures and restore confidence in the banking sector.

The Banking Union consists of the establishment of five complementary building blocks: a single rulebook, which exists already in a substantial way - the European Commission has proposed nearly 30 sets of rules since 2010;  an EU framework for a single supervision mechanism , the SSM,  currently underway; a Single Resolution Mechanism, the SRM, as proposed by the European Commission in July 2013, a financial backstop with the possibility of direct capitalisation of banks by European funds, and a common system of deposit protection.

The ACCA President’s Debate will discuss some of the issues at the heart of the banking union debate and look at how to set the architecture of a Banking Union that would be built on common EU standards, able to serve both Eurozone and non-eurozone EU member states.

RSVP by 8 October  to cecile.bonino@accaglobal.com

Draft agenda

17.15h Registration and welcome coffee

18.00h Welcome speech by Dean Westcott, ACCA past President

18.10h Roundtable: Banking Union: towards a solid and sustainable Integrated Financial Framework?

• Wolf Klinz, MEP,  European Parliament
• Fabian Zuleeg, Chief executive, EPC
• Silvia Scatizzi, financial stability unit, DG MARKT, European Commission
• Jean-Pierre Vidal, Cabinet of the President Van Rompuy, European Council
• Wouter Coussens, Head of ECB Representative Office in Brussels
• Julian Callow, Chief Economist, Barclays
• Graham Bishop, Member of the EC working group on redemption fund and eurobills

19.20h Debate with the audience

19.45h Concluding remarks, Dean Westcott

20.00h Cocktail reception