free market road show report

Free Market Road Show 2015

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FMRS

www.freemarket-rs.com


Report

Free Market Road Show, Page �1


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Table of Contents

Welcome by Sebastian Kurz 4

Executive Summary 6

History 9

Media Coverage 11

The Free Market Diaries 13

Praise for the Free Market Road Show 16

Cooperation: Liberty Fund 20

Sponsors/Partners 21



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Welcome by Sebastian Kurz Federal Minister of Europe, Integration

and Foreign Affairs How to create sustainable growth in Europe and beyond is of paramount importance as most European c o u n t r i e s a re f a c i n g r i s k s o f prolonged stagnation and deflation. After having been able to overcome the worst economic crisis in decades, policy-makers and other stakeholders at both the European and the national level continue to be focused on securing robust economic growth. Our companies are meanwhile also confronted with high levels of volatility.

In addition to effective macroeconomic policy-making, the further promotion of innovative entrepreneurship has to be put at the center of our efforts. Especially in the face of tough international competition, our entrepreneurs rely on the government to create a business-friendly environment generating jobs and therefore securing higher living standards. As a consequence, helping our companies to fulfil their potential in the global marketplace is one of the main priorities of the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

It is in this light that, besides other economic activities such as the negotiations of bilateral investment agreements, we focus our work on providing services to Austrian businesses at home and abroad



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in cooperation with the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. With our unparalleled network of over 100 diplomatic missions abroad, the Foreign Ministry can offer a significant spectrum of valuable assistance to Austrian companies, ranging from political support to networking and to the provision of important information about a foreign country. Furthermore, we organize numerous events together with the Austrian business community such as “Business meets Diplomacy” in order to establish regular contacts between our ambassadors and company representatives.

Efforts have to be coordinated among a wide range of stakeholders in order to successfully deal with the challenges outlined above. This is exactly what the 2015 Free Market Road Show is trying to facilitate and therefore I would like to wish you a lot of success.


Free Market Road Show 2015 Thessaloniki


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Executive Summary

The eighth edition of the Free M a r k e t R o a d S h o w h a s established some records for the free market movement. We have reached the mark of 35 cities visited across Europe, the Caucasus, and Israel. We have also had the largest attendance ever – of more than 7,000 people or an average of 200 attendees per city – with an a d d i t i o n a l h i g h l i g h t i n Thessaloniki, Greece with almost 1000 attendees.

This year’s FMRS has gathered 400 speakers from all over the world. Media coverage has skyrocketed with newspapers, online articles, TV and Radio interviews for our speakers and reports on the outcome of the conferences. We have come a long way since our beginning in 2008 with just four cities in Europe...

The 2015 FMRS was focused on how to create economic growth and which are the right incentives to establish a vibrant entrepreneurial scene in Europe.

A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of secular stagnation. Since the 2008 financial crisis most of Europe’s economies have not fully recovered and their economic forecasts are appalling. As a matter


Dr Barbara Kolm, Director Free Market Road Show.


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of fact, in 2013 28 EU countries registered a dismal 0.1% real GDP growth rate. Twin deficits are to be found in some of the Europe’s largest economies. The welfare state not only burdens future generations but it even seems to be on the brink of total collapse.

Meanwhile, political elites seem aloof and detached and Brussels continues to carry on its agenda of centralization and overregulation of Europe’s economy. Not surprisingly, our strangled national economies struggle to even produce anaemic growth.

Economic growth will bring higher standards of living, a cleaner environment, and the elimination of the remaining pockets of poverty. But do Europeans – and their political elites in particular – have what it takes to achieve positive economic results?

In connection with the lack of growth there is always the issue of entrepreneurship. One of Europe’s jewels is the ‘startup nation’ of Estonia, but the Baltic country is more likely the exception than the rule as contemporary Europe suffers from pandemic youth unemployment, and many of its brightest and most entrepreneurial leave the continent in search of better opportunities.

How can Europe unleash the creative forces of its youth? Some believe that the European Union should create startup zones that foster entrepreneurship. Others, on the contrary, say that the EU and its regulations must be as far away as possible from entrepreneurs so that the free market can provide the trial and error environment that startups need to thrive.

Due to its close relationship to these topics, a robust message in favour of rule of law, protection of property rights, and the importance of intellectual property was conveyed throughout the different events.



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Many new features were introduced for the 2015 edition. Live streaming was available for most of the events. We had a constant and systematic presence in social media, which fostered the sense of global community and constant interaction with our audience. We also presented a series of short videos, which illustrated the divergences between economic growth in the European Union and in the United States of America. Lastly, we launched and promote a campaign demanding that Mario Draghi -the President of the European Central Bank- puts an end to Quantitative Easing (QE).

The bar for the 2015 Free Market Road Show was set extremely high since the 2014 edition had registered the highest turn out ever. That is why we are so satisfied that this year’s edition gathered even more attendees than the previous one. It also renovates our commitment to keep the event growing and improving.


Free Market Road Show 2015 Thessaloniki


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History

For the past eight years the Free Market Road Show has expanded and grown in every conceivable way. Each year more countries participate and the road show takes place for a longer period of time. But most importantly, every year a broader audience is impacted in countries where the events take place also due to ever growing media outreach.

The Free Market Road Show started in 2008. In its events key decision makers, entrepreneurs, t o p j o u r n a l i s t s , outstanding international s p e a k e r s , l e a d i n g scholars, elected officials, d i p l o m a t s , b r i l l i a n t

students and other parties from every corner of Europe, the Caucasus, and Israel debate crucial questions. It is also the point of reference for the European Free Market Movement in terms of networking and exchange of ideas. Each FMRS stop provides the perfect environment for synergy, new perspectives, original research projects and innovation.

Europe is currently at a critical point in its development and the decisions that are made now greatly affect its future. A candid dialogue about the free market system and the dangers of interventionism is not only timely, but also essential for the future of Europe. While this debate is significant for the entire world, the course taken by the emerging economies in Central and Eastern Europe will determine


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Participants


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w h e t h e r t h e r e g i o n relapses into socialism or continues on the path to freedom and prosperity. The FMRS articulates a robust message in favour o f s o u n d e c o n o m i c policies, liberalization,

decentralization, protection of property rights, and individual freedom. Philosophically, the FMRS identifies itself with the main tenets of the Austrian School of Economics but its approach includes other traditions such as Public Choice, the Chicago School, Supply Side Economics and all the trends within Classical Liberalism.

The Free Market R o a d S h o w targets speakers specialized in the economic, geopolitical and scientific fields. C o n f e r e n c e s

generally have three panels that consist of one keynote speaker and up to five panel members and are moderated by journalists.


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Speakers


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Media Coverage



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The Free Market Diaries

For the 2015 edition of the Free Market Road Show, Federico N. Fernández –the S e n i o r R e s e a r c h Fellow of the Austrian Economics Center– decided to register

his impressions and ideas throughout the journey of the Free Market Road Show. Under the title of “Free Market Diaries”, the travel log recorded some of the most intense moments of the FMRS in an affable and modern way.

On his first post, Mr. Fernández explained the title of his blog:

“In the early 1950s, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and his friend and colleague Alberto Granado had an initiatory journey across South America. Guevara’s travel log was later published to much fanfare, resulting in the Hollywood hit ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’, starring Latin sensation Gael García

Bernal. The movie portrays a young “Che” witnessing the inequalities and, in some cases, the harsh exploitation that was occurring within the


https://medium.com/@FreeMarketDiaries


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subcontinent. His conclusion? That Western capitalism was to blame and a violent revolution was needed to so lve Lat in America’s problems.

“I happen to be born in the same city as ‘Che’ — Rosario (Argentina… Yes, he came from Argentina!) . What’s more, I lived many years a couple of blocks from his family house. And last but not least, I also took an initiatory journey of sorts… In 2014 I had the privilege of touring Europe and the Caucasus with the Free Market Road Show, organized by the Austrian Economics Center in cooperation with international leading institutions. Unlike Guevara’s motorcycle trip which stopped at mines and leper hospitals, the Free Market Road Show visits Europe, Israel, and the Caucasus’ most dynamic cities, from Seville to Munich, and from Zagreb to Stockholm. Believe me that the tour itself is a lot of hard work and much less glamorous than it seems, though. Nonetheless, it is indeed a life changing experience.

“From now on, I’d like to use this small parcel of cyberspace to share with you about the experiences, the people and the topics that will be unveiled along of the fantastic journey of the Free Market Road Show.”

The most celebrated of his blog posts was “Airlines against free markets” in which he tells the small odyssey the FMRS team


https://medium.com/@FreeMarketDiaries/airlines-against-free-markets-75a2c04a83df


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had to go through when trying unsuccessfully to make it from Spain to Sweden.

The blog also featured an “emergency post” written on site from Thessaloniki – where almost one thousand people showed up for the Free Market Road Show event there and interviews to some of the international speakers.

The “Free Market Diaries” are published on Medium.com, which is the most innovative platform for writers and bloggers available.



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Praise for the Free Market Road Show

Terry Anker - Chairman, The Anker Consulting Group, USA



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John Fund - Columnist Wall Street Journal



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John E. Charalambakis – BlackSummit Financial Group



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Peter Cleppe - Open Europe



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Cooperation: Liberty Fund

Liberty Fund has been a partner of the Free Market Road Show for the past five years.

One goal of our cooperation is to make sure that individuals and groups across Europe, Israel, and the Caucasus who have not been exposed to Liberty Fund and its books and c o n f e r e n c e s a r e m a d e

acquainted with the work and publications of Liberty Fund. In order to achieve this goal, Liberty Fund’s books were displayed in each and every stops of the 2015 Free Market Road Show.

What is more, Liberty Fund catalogues were handed to many participants of the Free Market Road Show, people could sign up for the email list and order books with special discounts.



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Sponsors/Partners

The Free market Road Show® 2015 was possible thanks to the generous support of :


KRIERIEBLEBLEFOUNUNDADATIONTION


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Sponsors/Partners

The Austrian Economics Center (AEC), in cooperation with the ninety local partners and in association with international partners and sponsors, such as Global Philanthropic Trust, Liberty Fund, Krieble Foundation, F.A. v. Hayek Institut, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Americans for Tax Reform, Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University, Atlas Leadership Academy, CapX, Geopolitical Information Service, World Tax Payers Association, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and European Students for Liberty proudly organized the 8th Annual Free Market Road Show® which toured Europe, the Caucasus, and Israel from April 13th to May 27th. 35 cities, four hundred speakers, thousands of attendees and one message: Freedom.



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Debriefing meeting, Vienna 2015.

Free Market Road Show 2015®

Organized by the Austrian Economics Center

Jasomitgottstaße 3/11 A-1010 Vienna Austria www.austriancenter.com [email protected] Tel: (+43) 15 05 13 49 32 Fax: (+43) 15 05 13 49 99


See you in 2016

http://www.austriancenter.com

mailto:[email protected]

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