Le rapport Werner en suspens. Les débats autour de l'Union économique et monétaire en 1973

in Wilkens, Andreas (Ed.) Une année particulière: 1973 et les tourments de l'Europe (2023)

Economic Ideas and Political Action in Shaping Economic and Monetary Union: Pierre Werner and Luxembourg

in Danescu, Elena; Dima, Alina (Eds.) Fostering recovery through metaverse business modelling - An interdisciplinary analysis of the new paradigm shift (2022, November 19)

The international financial centre in Luxembourg grew considerably in the 1960s, driven by proactive government policy, flexible regulation, a willingness to harness external opportunities and the ... [more ▼]

The international financial centre in Luxembourg grew considerably in the 1960s, driven by proactive government policy, flexible regulation, a willingness to harness external opportunities and the establishment of Community institutions and European funding institutions in the country. As Luxembourg was in a currency union with Belgium within the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union and did not have its own Central Bank, these developments were all the more meaningful. When the European integration process experienced a series of major crises – including the failure of the European Defence Community and European Political Community in 1954, the empty chair crisis in 1966 and General de Gaulle’s veto on British accession in 1962 and 1967 –, Luxembourg set out on the path of European monetary integration, under the impetus of Finance Minister and Prime Minister Pierre Werner. In October 1970, the Werner Report provided a detailed blueprint for Economic and Monetary Union and laid the foundations for the euro. The Luxembourg financial centre would serve as a “laboratory” for the future single currency. This paper makes extensive use of relevant European and international archives and original interviews, adopting an interdisciplinary approach to analyse Luxembourg’s leading role in reconciling different views on EMU and fostering political commitment to a European currency among the Member States. [less ▲]

Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) 2022 - Luxembourg Country Analysis

in Danescu, Elena; Clément, Franz; Thomas, Adrien (Eds.) Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) 2022 - Luxembourg Chapter (2022)

The Grand Duchy is considered as the third most open economy in the world, with an openness rate of 158.2% of GDP. The country has an export-intensive economy, with a recurrent trade deficit. The share of ... [more ▼]

The Grand Duchy is considered as the third most open economy in the world, with an openness rate of 158.2% of GDP. The country has an export-intensive economy, with a recurrent trade deficit. The share of foreign trade in Luxembourg’s GDP is currently higher then 30%. Even in the context of the Covid-19 crisis, the country is pursuing its strategy of public investments. Direct and indirect investments envisaged to reach 4.3% of GDP in 2021, a significantly higher cap than the average of 3.7% during the years 2015-2019.Luxembourg has a highly qualified workforce (59.6% of the active population). Over the past 12 month the overall employment growth rate was 1.6%, and that related to the cross-border workers was 2,2%. Two-thirds of jobs created in Luxembourg are aimed at higher education graduates.With an outstanding social security system, a level of material wellbeing above the EU average and sound public finances, Luxembourg is currently one of the most politically stable and prosperous countries in the world. Its strong fiscal position is well illustrated by a longstanding AAA credit rating, a significant accumulation of government financial assets, and a balanced, healthy fiscal position. The public administration, almost completely digitalised, is efficient and the overall economic outlook remains stable. [less ▲]

European Integration Studies through Oral History and Multimedia Research - Innovative methodologie and new content creation

Presentation (2022, July 11)

Presentation of three study cases: 1.Oral Historyand MultimediaResearch–Project ‘’Pierre Werner and Europe’’ (2011-2017) 2.Collaborative Oral History Project –‘’Brexit Reality Portraits’’ (2021-2022) 3 ... [more ▼]

Presentation of three study cases: 1.Oral Historyand MultimediaResearch–Project ‘’Pierre Werner and Europe’’ (2011-2017) 2.Collaborative Oral History Project –‘’Brexit Reality Portraits’’ (2021-2022) 3.Oral History Research Project –‘’The role of women in European and international relations in Luxembourg (after the Second World War)’’ (2022-2025) [less ▲]

Small States Diplomacy in Action. Luxembourg in the European Integration History

Presentation (2022, May 30)

After the Second World War, in line with its new strategic choice Luxembourg resolutely set out on the road to international multilateralism and European integration, being in 1951 one of the six founding ... [more ▼]

After the Second World War, in line with its new strategic choice Luxembourg resolutely set out on the road to international multilateralism and European integration, being in 1951 one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and in 1952 - the workplace of the newly established European Community institutions. Since then, Luxembourg has played and continues to act as a mediator and a force for ideas in the EU, either as a member State, or through some of its leaders (including Joseph Bech, Pierre Werner, Gaston Thorn, Jacques Santer, Jean-Claude Juncker). Based on a wide range of sources from public and private archives, this presentation aims to illustrate how the Grand-Duchy had become a master of small states diplomacy and a consensus builder in the European integration history, and to demonstrate that the influential nature if its leadership gave Luxembourg a role that far outweighed the country’s socio-economic impact. [less ▲]

Luxembourg – navigating the transition to the knowledge economy. A historical perspective

Scientific Conference (2022, May 13)

Luxembourg is a multicultural, multilingual and cross-border area par excellence that has always sought to maintain an openness to its neighbours, both for reasons of security and to give itself access to ... [more ▼]

Luxembourg is a multicultural, multilingual and cross-border area par excellence that has always sought to maintain an openness to its neighbours, both for reasons of security and to give itself access to larger markets. Despite its small geographical area, limited workforce and lack of natural resources, Luxembourg is currently first out of 196 countries worldwide in terms of GDP/capita (with 114 370 €/capita, representing 260% of the EU average).Thanks to a long-term strategic vision, political and institutional innovation and structural changes implemented in economy throughout the 20th century, the once bipolar agricultural/industrial society has become a competitive society based largely on knowledge-intensive services and centred on the financial sector, characterised by high-performing human capital, political stability, prosperity and a strong welfare system.Taking this observation as a starting point, adopting a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective and drawing on a wide range of European and international archive and institutional sources, the paper sets out to address the following research questions: what are the factors of change and the major challenges facing Luxembourg in the digital transition? What institutions and governance is it using to tackle these challenges? What are the risks, benefits and opportunities of this transformation over the long term? What are the country’s strengths in terms of competitiveness, and what are the weaknesses that might jeopardise its comparative advantages? What is the impact of digitalisation on the public sector and on the government’s links with business and the public at large? [less ▲]

Luxembourg and the creation of the European single currency - Lessons from the History

Presentation (2022, April 15)

In political terms, European integration and multilateral cooperation enabled Luxembourg to become an equal partner in the decision-making processes and leadership of European organizations. In economic ... [more ▼]

In political terms, European integration and multilateral cooperation enabled Luxembourg to become an equal partner in the decision-making processes and leadership of European organizations. In economic terms, these features gave the country the tools it needed to forge a development model that could underpin the creative growth of its social market economy, while preserving the majority of its vital interests—particularly the steel industry and the financial centre—over the long term. Focusing primarily on the 1970 Werner Report, which served as a blueprint for the European single currency - the euro - the presentation examines a key period in European integration history and one of the major European achievements of Luxembourg and of Pierre Werner (29 December 1913– 24 June 2002), former Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, who left his mark on the future of his country and is unanimously recognised as one of the architects of Economic and Monetary Union. [less ▲]

Report 2019-2021, Europe Direct Information Centre at the University of Luxembourg

Report (2022)

Following its participation in the European Commission call for proposals in 2017, the University of Luxembourg was selected as a partner to run a Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) for the period ... [more ▼]

Following its participation in the European Commission call for proposals in 2017, the University of Luxembourg was selected as a partner to run a Europe Direct Information Centre (EDIC) for the period 2018-2021. The agreement establishing EDIC University of Luxembourg was signed on 28 March 2019 by Prof. Dr Stéphane Pallage, Rector of the University, and Yuriko Backes, Head of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg. EDIC University of Luxembourg is geared towards a broad audience, with the aim of informing students, researchers, teachers and the general public about issues related to the European Union’s history and current affairs, as well as reflecting on potential future challenges. 29 Marc 2019 to 30 April 2021, EDIC University of Luxembourg had organized wide range of of lectures, seminars, discussions and exhibitions in cooperation with numerous partners from Luxembourg and worldwide. In the meantime, it had offered a vast variety of information about the history of European integration, the EU institutions, the workings and policies of a united Europe, as well as the place of Luxembourg and its key figures in the European integration history. Based in the Luxembourg Learning Centre (LLC) on Belval Campus, EDIC University of Luxembourg is managed by Dr Elena Danescu, a Research Scientist at the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) - the third interdisciplinary centre of the University of Luxembourg. [less ▲]

Europe between East and West - looking back, moving forward

Article for general public (2022)

“Deep divisions have emerged between East and West [Europe] on matters such as freedom, justice and democracy,” writes the University of Luxembourg’s Dr Elena Danescu. In this article, the researcher ... [more ▼]

“Deep divisions have emerged between East and West [Europe] on matters such as freedom, justice and democracy,” writes the University of Luxembourg’s Dr Elena Danescu. In this article, the researcher explores the origins of these divisions. [less ▲]

The European Investment Bank (EIB), an unknown player in the European integration process?

Presentation (2021, December 14)

The Winter Online Lecture Series on Europe will take place in December 2021 in connection with the courses “History of European integration (1919-1993)” (MAHEC-S1-M6i) and “Economic and social history of ... [more ▼]

The Winter Online Lecture Series on Europe will take place in December 2021 in connection with the courses “History of European integration (1919-1993)” (MAHEC-S1-M6i) and “Economic and social history of Europe after 1945” (MAHEC-S3-M5iii) from the Master in European Contemporary History, and the course “Democratic transitions in Central and Eastern Europe” (BCE-EU-301-04) from the Bachelor in European Cultures, with the aim of giving students on these programmes, as well as the wider academic community at the University of Luxembourg, the opportunity to find out about the history and workings of the European institutions in Luxembourg from new and unconventional angles and to discuss some of the milestones in contemporary European history with people who were involved in or witnessed these events. Each session (in French, with Q&A session in French and English) will be streamed via Webex and will include a presentation by a speaker, followed by a discussion with the audience and the opportunity to ask questions. [less ▲]