St Catharine's Political Economy Seminar Series on the Economics of Austerity

Wed 16 October 2013

St Catharine's College

Kostas Botopoulos, is the Chairman of the Hellenic Capital Markets Commission as of 2011 and of the Market Integrity Standing Committee. He has worked as a lawyer at the Athens Bar specializing in Public and Financial Law and legal Advisor, Bank of Greece (1994 - 2007, 2010-2011). Also General Secretary of Tourism (2003-2004), representative of Greece in various European Union Committees (data protection Committee, preparation of Greek entrance into the euro, counterfeit protection, collateral agreements within the ECB), MEP (2007-2009), member of the Budget and Budget Control, the Constitutional Affairs and the Legal Committees, member of the Market Integrity Standing Committee within the European Securities and Markets Authority as of 2012. He teaches European Constitutional Law at Panteion University, Greece, and Capital Market Law at ALBA College, Greece. He has published widely such as: Socialists in Power, The incompatibilities of members of Parliament in Greece, The trial of the big trial, Europe with open eyes, Obama and Europe, A guide to Lisbon, Greek Crisis and the Institutions.

The seminar will be about the new political and institutional environment in the countries under Memorandum (Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and to some extent Spain) and in the EU, as a consequence of the financial crisis. Main points to be analysed and debated: what are the legal and political bases of the Memoranda and how were they drawn up in the various countries - the issue of sovereignity in light of the Memoranda-particularities and differences between the countries involved - how were the Memoranda provisions enacted within the internal legal order - political and constitutional repercussions - the effects on the economies and on the societies of the countries involved - the political and intitutional march of the European Union - what can the next phase be and how durable the politics of austerity will turn out to be.

Cost: free