In post-communist countries property rights have been, and still are, a controversial social and political issue. After the political upheavals and during thetransition process, property rights had to be redefi ned and new mechanisms of protection had to be institutionalised. Nearly two decades after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, it is time to evaluate the progresses made and identify what needs to be done to speed up the drive towards more liberty and prosperityin Central and Eastern Europe. How is the liberalisation of goods and capital markets proceeding? Are property rights now effectively and equitably protected? Is there still a wide gap between the legal and real exercise of property rights? How efficient is the protection of property today? And what isthe liberal stand on these issues?
09.30
Registration
10.00
Welcome Address
Annemie Neyts, MEP
Vice-president of the European Liberal Forum
Wolf-Dieter Zumpfort
Vice-chairman of the board of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom
10.20
Keynote Speech
David Schmidtz
Professor of Philosophy and Economics, University of Arizona
10.50
Property Rights as Freedom Rights
Moderation: Oliviero Angeli
Research scholar, University of Dresden
David Schmidtz
Professor of Philosophy and Economics, University of Arizona
Michael Georg Link, MdB
Member of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union
Hartmut Kliemt
Professor of Philosophy and Economics, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
12.00
Lunch
13.30
Panel II Property Rights in the Transformation Process: Successful Completion?
Chair:Ulrich NiemannHead of Regional Office (Central, East and Southeast Europe/South Caucasus and Central Asia), FriedrichNaumann Foundation for Freedom
Grzegorz W. Kołodko
Director of TIGERProfesssor of Economics and Head of TIGER (Transforamtion, Integration andGlobalization Economic Research),Kozminski University, Warsaw
Alina Mungiu-Pippidi
Professor für Demokratisierungsstudien, Hertie School of Governance
Oleh Havrylyshyn
Gastwissenschaftler, Universität von Toronto und ehemaliger stellvertretender Finanzminister der Ukraine
Wolfram Schrettl
Professor für Ökonomie, Freie Universität Berlin
15.00
Coffe Break
