W

ith more than 170 participants who aspired – even for a short while – to act as central bankers of a Eurozone country, the 3rd ECB Simulation Conference successfully concluded on Monday for the third consecutive year. The Conference was scheduled to take place from December 13 to 16.

Specifically, on Friday, the Training Day of the Conference was held at the Bank of Greece’s Central Office, featuring welcome addresses from 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.

On the first day, the following speakers addressed the participants: Dimitris Malliaropoulos, Theodoros Stamatiou, Gikas Hardouvelis, Christos Gortsos, Efstathios Potamitis, Lida Kontogianni, and Emilia Varfi.

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

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

Through targeted interventions, the country representatives successfully reshaped the existing 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 on interest rates and reinvestments. For each article, they proposed and analyzed amendments. Their aim was to:

1. Adjust the articles to align with their national interests.
2. Develop a shared “code” to ensure these articles would function constructively for most EU countries.

Conference Awards

In addition to the unique experience of the ECB Simulation, the following initiatives were introduced:

1. Participants attended two career counseling workshops organized in collaboration with Ms. Kalogera, Narrative Career Coach and Admissions Consultant at MKCareer Choices. These workshops were:
   • Postgraduate Law Studies (LLM) in Europe and the U.S. (December 14, 2019)
   • Postgraduate Finance Studies in Europe and the U.S. (December 15, 2019)

2. According to Ms. Kalogera, the objectives of these workshops were:

• To learn how to select the right programs based on your career goals and academic achievements.
• To understand the structure of programs in Europe and the U.S. and prepare competitive applications.
• To craft an effective CV and personal statement.

3. A scholarship for the innovative e-learning program “Simple Finance for Everyone”, a three-month course organized by the Scientific Team of the Institute in collaboration with the University of Piraeus. This program targets students and citizens seeking to acquire essential financial knowledge in an accessible way.

As part of recognizing student efforts during the Conference, awards include:

1. Two scholarships worth €700 each for distinguished students, covering 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 further details, click here.