Group III – "Various Interests" European Economic and Social Committee The credit crunch and shrinking savings: how to break the vicious circle to kick-start recovery? EESC, Room VM3, 6 June 2013 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Opening session 9 a.m.  Jacki Davis, moderator, Meade Davis Communications  Luca Jahier, President of Group III 9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. Session one: the credit crunch 1. Current constraints on access to credit: families, businesses and banks facing the crisis Speakers:  The macro-economic context: Michael Smyth, Member of Group III  Consumers and difficulties to access financial services: Mick McAteer, Chairman of the Financial Services User Group  Enterprises and lack of new investment: Gerhard Huemer, Director for economic and fiscal policy, European association of Crafts and SMEs (UEAPME)  Banks and difficulties in credit management: Robert Priester, Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive, European Banking Federation (EBF) 2. Restoring access to credit: key challenges and possible solutions? Panellists:  Patrice Liauzu, Adviser, European Investment Bank (EIB)  José Fernando Figueiredo, Chairman, European Mutual Guarantee Association (AECM)  Martin Schmalzried, Policy Officer, Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) Reactions from the floor  Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General, EUROCHAMBRES  Diana Dovgan, Policy Officer, The European confederation of industrial and service cooperatives (CECOP)  Arno Metzler, Vice-President of Group III  Johan Bortier, Director of the Studies Department of the Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers (UNIZO)  Guust Jutte, Product manager Debt Capital, Rabobank 12.30 – 2 p.m. Buffet lunch offered by Group III "Various Interests" – Atrium VMA 3 2 – 4 p.m. Session two: A new savings culture for a new era? Panellists:  Giuseppe van der Helm, President, European Sustainable Investment Forum (EUROSIF)  Hervé Guider, General Manager, European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB)  Thierry Philipponnat, Secretary General, FINANCE WATCH  Luc Boscaro, Director of the Audit Department, CREDIT COOPERATIF France, member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values  Emanuela Angori, Head of business development & client protection, UNICREDIT Reactions from the floor:  Carlos Trias Pinto, member of Group III and President of the Consultative Commission on Industrial Changes of the EESC  Panagiotis GKOFAS, member of Group III 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Closing session - Presentation of the conclusions to the institutional actors  Presentation of conclusions: Michael Smyth  European Parliament: Othmar Karas, Vice-President and President of the SME Intergroup Enterprise and Industry Commissioner: Massimo Baldinato, Member of the Cabinet in charge of access to credit Directorate General Health and Consumers: Maria Cristina Russo, Head of Unit - Financial Services and Redress European Economic and Social Committee: Hans-Joachim Wilms, Vice-President    5 p.m. Closing remarks  Luca Jahier, President of Group III Working languages: FR DE EN IT NL EL ES PT CS ET HU PL RO BG FI / FR DE EN IT EL ES PT PL FI