The institutional negotiations keep dragging on. Whatever the result, the fundamental challenges will have to be addressed one way or another. We therefore have an appointment with history in the years to come. Either we make the strategic choices we have delayed for too long now. Or we condemn ourselves to gradual decline. The Itinera Institute still believes the future is ours to win, which is why Itinera has organized a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics for socioeconomic reform in Belgium: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On September the 21st Itinera tackles the issue of “Economic Growth”. Economic growth lies in the middle of the debates regarding austerity. Will we be able to reach our goals as fast as wanted? Which political choices, on the middle and long term should be prioritized? What can we conclude from the structural evolutions of growth and productivity during this last decades? Senior Fellow Johan Albrecht will present his Itinera report on economic growth, while Paul Soete (CEO Agoria)  and Alexis Walckiers (Chief Economist of the Belgian competition authority) will react and comment on the propositions.

Program

12.00:
Welcome and sandwiches

12.15:
“Economic growth”, Johan Albrecht (Itinera Institute)

12.45:
Comments and contributions of Paul Soete (Agoria) et
Alexis Walckiers (Chief Economist of the Belgian competition authority)

13.15:
Questions

 
The presentation and the reactions will be done in Dutch and French but questions can be asked in the language of your choice. This event is free of charge but the available seats are limited.

Your money or your life! What role for cost-effectiveness in Belgium?

On September 13th, Brieuc Van Damme and Lieven Annemans will present the main conclusions from their report “Your money or your life! What role for cost-effectiveness in Belgium?”, inspired on practical experiences abroad but with a concrete focus on Belgian policy reforms. Their recommendations will enhance our healthcare system’s accessibility, without compromising on quality and medical innovation though. Martin Buxton will share his field experiences with NICE in the UK, and 3 Belgian experts will react.

Program:

3.00: Welcome

3.30: Pr. Dr. Lieven Annemans (Itinera, UGent and VUB) and Brieuc Van Damme (Itinera and Antwerp University) – Your money or your life! What role for cost-effectiveness in Belgium?

4.15: Pr. Dr. Martin Buxton (Brunel University and advisor to the British government) – Practical experiences with cost-effectiveness in the UK

5.00: Reactions from Belgian experts
· Irina Cleemput (Federal Centre of Expertise)
· Jean Creplet (pharma.be)
· Dirk Ramaekers (ZNA and KULeuven)

5.30: Debate and Q&A

6.00: Reception

The presentation and the reactions will be done in Dutch and French but questions can be asked in the language of your choice. This event is free of charge but the available seats are limited.

The institutional negotiations keep dragging on. Whatever the result, the fundamental challenges will have to be addressed one way or another. We therefore have an appointment with history in the years to come. Either we make the strategic choices we have delayed for too long now. Or we condemn ourselves to gradual decline.

The Itinera Institute still believes in the future. We organise a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On April the 13th Itinera tackles the issue of public sector performance.

In this context, the Itinera Institute organizes its sixth Fast Forward- conference on "The future of taxation" on the 10th of May 2011. The presentation will be given by Jean Hindriks (Senior Fellow at the Itinera Institute) and Ivan Van de Cloot (Chief Economist at the Itinera Institute).  Afterwards high-level stakeholders and politicians will add their contributions.

The Itinera Institute still believes in the future. We organise a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On March the 16th Itinera tackles the issue of fiscality.

The Belgian tax burden is among the highest in the world, with an average total tax rate for companies of 52%. And it does not appear that our fiscal situation will improve. In fact, in recent years no significant reduction in the total tax burden has been observed. On the contrary, 20 additional taxes have been introduced since 2007. This is most certainly a remarkable evolution in a country whose necessary budgetary recovery will depend on a healthy, transparent and balanced fiscal policy.

But how can this be translated into reality? How can we create an efficient fiscal policy environment with a simple and fair tax system that goes hand in hand with budgetary recovery? The Itinera Institute examines this issue and provides detailed answers and practical solutions to questions that have confused many, specialists included.

In this context, the Itinera Institute organizes its fourth Fast Forward- conference on "The future of taxation" on the 16th of March 2011 between 12h and 14h in it its offices in Brussels. The presentation will be given by Mr. Axel Haelterman (Tax Expert at the KULeuven).

The Itinera Institute still believes in the future. We organise a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On February the 9th Itinera tackles the issue of healthcare reform.

The most important challenge for the future is to secure a sustainable healthcare system. Rising expectations from the citizen-patient, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, technological evolutions and new medical therapies, an ageing population, etc. are continuously putting strain on our healthcare expenses. These trends will way on Belgium’s healthcare system and eventually lead to important problems in terms of financing and accessibility. It is fundamental to address these and to advance concrete solutions.

The Itinera Institute takes the lead. Its report “Healthcare: how to combine quality, accessibility and effectiveness?” will be presented on February 9th 2011 at noon in the offices of the Institute. In their report, François Daue (Senior Fellow) and Lieven Annemans (Senior Fellow) expose concrete and innovative actions to build a sustainable healthcare system. Prof. Alain De Wever (ULB) and Dr. Hugo Robays (UZGent) will react on the policy recommendations.

The Itinera Institute still believes in the future. We organise a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On January the 12th Itinera tackles the issue of austerity.

Belgium is facing a public deficit of 16 billion Euros and an official government debt of 100% of GDP. The savings that need to happen are too far-reaching to be decided in one night in a castle lost in the Belgian countryside. Important reforms need to be put in place immediately.

Itinera takes the lead and presents the budgetary challenges our country faces in its analysis “Finding the right budgetary path”. In his report, Chief Economist Ivan Van de Cloot uses, among others, Dutch and British examples and suggests concrete and necessary reform measures. Koen Schoors (Ghent University) and Wim Moesen (KULeuven) will give their reactions on the proposed policy measures.

The Itinera Institute still believes in the future. We organise a Fast Forward series on seven crucial topics: the policy priorities for the next government, with or without new elections. On December the 8th the first topic of the series to be scrutinized is “Working longer”.

We all know it is inevitable. It’s on every political party’s agenda. We’ve had the Generation Pact. But it’s not working. How do we finally evolve from necessity to reality? How do we transform this necessity into a virtue? The Itinera Institute goes practical. Our action plan includes short and middle term measures. It will be presented by Marc De Vos, Itinera’s general director, and will be followed by interventions by Antoine de Borman, Minister Milquet’s employment advisor, and Jan Denys, Randstad’s labour market specialist who will give their objective reactions on the proposed policy measures.

At this event, the Itinera Institute will present its strategic vision for the future of elder care in Belgium. A brand new book by Itinera fellow Brieuc Van Damme explores new avenues and offers concrete policy solutions for one of the most pressing issues of our time.

Hans Beckers, a renowned care-guru and president of Stichting Humanitas will stimulate the debate further by offering his views on the future of elderly care: “Should we care for our grandparents? The Yes - culture in elder care. “

The European Commission aims to inspire with the “Europe 2020” strategy.

On the 18th of June 2010, the Itinera Institute, in collaboration with the European Commission, organised a study and conference day: “Europe 2020 and Belgium: the challenges”.

Prominent speakers from the political, economic and academic world debated on the main themes of the European strategy and its application in Belgium.

The Itinera Institute compiled its policy recommendations in its very own little red book.

The presentation of this red book will take place on the 10th of May,18h30, at Euronext Brussels (Palais de la Bourse), and will be followed by a debate with Frank Vandenbroucke, Michel Jadot, and Luc Everaert.

In this publication author Johan Albrecht analyses the transition challenge and makes concrete policy proposals.

François Daue explores a couple of ideas on possible new roles for the sick funds, to ensure a sustainable, accessible and affordable health system.

The presentation will be followed by a round table discussion on three critical questions: which of the challenges are the most interesting, which projects are already set in place or scheduled, and which are the keys to success and the problems to be anticipated.

 Bea Cantillon, Universiteit Antwerpen and CSB, explains why that is, and how we can turn it around

We need to take action rather sooner than later. What can we learn form our neighbours?

Wynand van de Ven, Professor of Health Insurance, Erasmus University Rotterdam elaborates and sketches the challenges ahead in the Netherlands.

In the Forum series, the Itinera institute diverges from its usual scope of policy propositions.
In this series, the Institute acts as a platform, a laboratory for cross-fertilisation of ideas, that will hopefully lead to practicable policy propositions.
We offer a platform to Ignaas Devisch, professor Ethics, Philosophy and medical philosophy at UGent and University College Artevelde Hogeschool.

He discusses the role of individual responsibility for lifestyle in healthcare
Should it become a criterion for obtaining Healthcare services, and what would be the consequences? How can a patient become an active, informed partner in health? Should a government penalize patients for an unhealthy lifestyle?
Devisch illustrates with the case of obesity, a disease (of civilization) that threatens society as a whole.

Discussant Yvonne Denier,Zorgnet Vlaanderen, reacts.

The debate on public sector performance is too often reduced to stereotypes and slogans. Under the supervision of leading experts and with the consultations of top public managers, the Itinera Institute has submitted the whole Belgian public sector, both federal and regional, to a full independent review based on official reports and up-to-date information. The verdict is clear: the Belgian public sector is underperforming. To go further, we provide a set of innovative and concrete actions for better performance and higher aspirations in the government in our groundbreaking book: “Beyond Copernicus: From Confusion to Consensus?".

Temporary agency work in Belgium is traditionally considered as important in the transition from school to work and from inactivity to work. Jan Denys (Randstad) argues that temporary agency work is also crucial in the work-work transition, and expresses clear recommendations towards a better policy for an efficient labour market. Fons Leroy, (VDAB) concludes the lecture with an objective reflection.

This event is fully booked. The Itinera Institute organises a second public presentation on 11 December 2007.