Room for Discussion

Room for Discussion was excited to host Eugene Rhuggenaath, the former prime minister of Curaçao. In his term, Rhuggenaath was faced with various challenges which arose from the ‘independence’ of Curaçao from the Netherlands, along with difficulties brought on by the Covid-19 Pandemic. His government was the first to complete the entire term since Curaçao’s ‘independence’ in 2010. Nevertheless, he was faced with major protests which arose during the pandemic ignited by controversies surrounding financial mismanagement and saturated government salaries. We will look back on 4 years in office, explore the relationship between Curaçao and the Netherlands and investigate the major problems Curaçao faces today.

Hoe sexy kunnen wij pensioenenpraat maken? Kom er achter bij ons interview met Harmen van Wijnen, Algemeen Bestuursvoorzitter van Nederlands grootste pensioenfonds ABP. Harmen van Wijnen staat aan het hoofd van een fonds ter waarde van ruim €500 miljard dat misschien wel voor jouw oude dag moet gaan zorgen.
Met een pensioenvermogen van meer dan 1,5 biljoen (!) euro heeft Nederland (percentueel) het allergrootste pensioenvermogen ter wereld. Maar de afgelopen jaren lijkt er minder vertrouwen dan ooit te zijn in de pensioenen voor de oude dag. In een vergrijzende wereld, tijden van inflatie en een veranderende arbeidsmarkt is het nog niet zo zeker dat wij net zo veel terug krijgen als onze ouders zullen krijgen. En we horen je denken: een leven lang betalen voor een onzeker pensioen is een slechte deal. Daarom bespreken we hoe onzeker onze pensioenen nou echt zijn en hoe het nieuwe pensioenakkoord onze generatie gaat beïnvloeden.
Laat ons je overtuigen dat je pensioen een belangrijk thema is; zelfs voor ons studenten! We kunnen niet alleen toekijken hoe belangrijke beslissingen over ons gemaakt worden. Stel je vragen zelf bij het interview!

Room for Discussion hosted one of the EU's top diplomats, Roland Kobia! He is a true EU guru; he started working for the European Commission 30 years ago and now works for the EU's diplomatic service, the EEAS. He is now EU Ambassador to Ethiopia, a country currently in the throes of civil war. Mr Kobia previously served as EU Ambassador to Myanmar and EU Special Envoy to Afghanistan, where he was appointed to negotiate with the Taliban.
If you are interested in EU foreign policy, peace processes, political mediation, state-building and regional security, you cannot miss this interview

Room for Discussion is elated to welcome Sir Paul Collier - development economist turned knight turned political advisor and commentator. This renowned political economist currently serves as an Economics professor at Oxford and is the director of the International Growth Centre in London. He’s written nine bestselling and award-winning books, with topics ranging from greed to refugees to the environment.
In short, Sir Paul Collier knows a lot about a lot, and we look forward to discussing societal tensions and reciprocity with him.
What role does reciprocity play in our societies, and how important is it really? Should identical people with canal apartments pay more taxes than people with suburbian villas? Is giving aid an act of charity or repayment of a debt? This and more will be discussed in our interview.

We are truly excited to welcome Luis de Guindos, vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB) to our stage. This seasoned economist has had an impressive career. De Guindos took office as head of the Spanish and Portuguese department of Lehman Brothers before the fall. He served as Spanish Minister of Economy and Competitiveness, where he became credited with steering Spain to economic recovery after the euro crisis. Since 2018, he takes the prestigious position of vice-president of the ECB, the most important financial institution of Europe.
There is no better time to interview this leading economist. The Ukrainian war has increased tensions for the entire continent including the financial sector and the energy uncertainty will increase inflation rates even further. What role does the ECB play and what steps will they take given the rising inflation and potential recession? What impact do the sanctions have on us and on the war? What happens to the interest rate and the economy as a whole? What impact will it have on the North South divide within the EU? And what will happen to greening of monetary policy? This and much more will be discussed.

Virologist Marion Koopmans joins Room for Discussion in an unprecedented mystery event. The world renowned infectious disease expert has managed outbreaks of ebola, MERs, and H7N7, but faced her biggest challenge as an advisor to the WHO throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Her outspoken disease activism has made her one of the most famous scientists in Netherlands, and a target of COVID deniers and conspiracy theorists across the world.

As the confidential Guest X, she appeared wrapped in intense security measures to discuss the current state of the pandemic, and what we can all learn from 2 years of COVID.
---------------------------------

Do you want to see more interviews and be the first to hear about upcoming guests?

Follow us here:
* Website: http://roomfordiscussion.com
* Facebook: http://facebook.com/RoomforDiscussion
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roomfordisc...
* Twitter: http://twitter.com/Room4Discussion

More than half of the Dutch population has a Rabobank account. It is the second largest bank in the Netherlands and among the top 30 banks in the world, and we have the honour to discuss the Rabobank, banking and greening in general with their CEO Wiebe Draijer. If you have any questions regarding the role banks play in the Ukraine conflict, the impact of the conflict on the banking sector and on the financial markets, come to our interview. This and more will be discussed.

Room for Discussion’s last big guest has authored two international bestsellers, has gone viral after taking on the wealthy at Davos and has been hailed as the “Dutch Wunderkind of new ideas” by the Guardian.

Bastian Obermayer, one of Europe's most successful investigative journalists who was one of the leading author behind the Panama Papers, on his investigative research, meeting Edward Snowden and speaking truth to power.

Room for Discussion’s last big guest has authored two international bestsellers, has gone viral after taking on the wealthy at Davos and has been hailed as the “Dutch Wunderkind of new ideas” by the Guardian.

We have invited him to Room for Discussion to discuss ideas from his newest book, “Humankind”, a New York Times Bestseller. Using scientific evidence from many fields, Bregman argues that at the end of the day, most people are decent.
We discussed with him whether that is really true. We looked at whether there is any decency in the current war in Ukraine, and how the bloodshed can be explained if we're supposedly all decent. We also discussed the dividing lines that cut our society into camps of “good” and “bad”, “us” and “them” during the pandemic, and considered ways to overcome these differences. At the end, we addressed the most existential challenges we face as a generation, from climate change to extreme poverty and the question: what will life be like in 50 years?