Νeaptolemaidas: End of the 3rd ECB Simulation Conference

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ith more than 120 participants aspiring – even for a short while – to act as central bankers of a Eurozone country, the ECB Simulation Conference successfully concluded on Monday for the third consecutive year. The event took place from December 13 to 16.

On Friday, the Training Day of the Conference was held at the Central Office of the Bank of Greece, attended by the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Mr. Yannis Stournaras; the President and CEO of Nomiki Bibliothiki, Mr. Antonis Karatzas; and the CEO of JA Greece, Mr. Argyris Tzikopoulos.

Speakers on the first day included Stavros Konstantas, Dimitris Malliaropoulos, Theodoros Stamatiou, Gikas Hardouvelis, Christos Gortsos, Efstathios Potamitis, Lida Kontogianni, and Emilia Varfi, who shared their insights with the participants.

During the 3rd ECB Simulation Conference, organized by Get Involved, members of the Constitutional Review Committee discussed issues concerning bank mergers and acquisitions. Central bankers proposed amendments to reorganize the agenda items to:

  1. Strengthen the ECB’s role in the mergers and acquisitions process.
  2. Create a regulatory framework resembling that of the United States.

Through targeted interventions, country representatives successfully restructured the old regulatory framework, facilitating cooperation between the European Commission and the ECB to streamline mergers and acquisitions.

On the other hand, members of the Economic Committee were tasked with reviewing five articles of the agenda related to interest rates and reinvestments. For each article, they proposed and analyzed amendments. Their goal was to:

  1. Adjust the articles to align with national interests.
  2. Establish a common “code” for these articles to operate constructively for most EU countries.

Amendments were submitted to the committee following discussions and collaboration among the Central Bankers of European countries.

Conference Awards

In addition to the uniqueness of the ECB Simulation Conference, the following initiatives were introduced:

Participants attended two career counseling workshops focused on their next career steps. Organized in collaboration with Ms. Kalogera, Narrative Career Coach and Admissions Consultant at MKCareer Choices (website), the workshops provided valuable insights:

    1. Postgraduate Law Studies (LLM) in Europe and the U.S. (December 14, 2019)
    2. Postgraduate Finance Studies in Europe and the U.S. (December 15, 2019)

According to Ms. Kalogera, the workshops aimed to help participants:

  • Learn how to choose the right programs based on their career goals and academic achievements.
  • Understand the structure of programs in Europe and the U.S. and prepare competitive applications.
  • Craft an effective CV and personal statement.

A scholarship was announced for the innovative e-learning program “Simple Finance for Everyone”. This three-month course, organized by the Scientific Team of the Institute in collaboration with the University of Piraeus, is designed for students and citizens interested in acquiring essential financial knowledge in a simple and accessible manner.

To reward student efforts during the Conference, the following prizes were awarded to outstanding participants:

  1. Two scholarships worth €700 each for distinguished students to attend the second cycle of studies starting in January 2020. More details at: link.
  2. Workshops of your choice worth €200 and a 6-month digital subscription to the monthly magazine “Business and Company Law” by Nomiki Bibliothiki.

For more information, click here.