Conferences

The organisation of conferences and workshops is one of EMN's main activities. These events are an excellent occasion to discuss challenges in the microfinance sector in Western Europe and meet people involved in the field.

EMN views conferences and workshops as a concrete way to share practical experience, compare practices, better understand problemes encountered by members and bring such topics into a wider European perspective.

Up to the date, EMN has organised the following Conferences:

• 1st EMN Annual Conference (September 2004 - Brussels, Belgium): co-organised in partnership with the European Commission

• 2nd EMN Annual Conference (October 2005 - Barcelona, Spain) - "Microfinance for financial and social inclusion": co-organised with Fundació Un Sol Món de Caixa Catalunya (today Obra Social de Caixa Catalunya - Inclusió Social) and Obra Social »la Caixa» (today MicroBank), and with the support of the European Commission and the Levi Strauss Foundation 

• 3rd EMN Annual Conference (June 2006 - Budapest, Hungary) - "Microfinance with a Mission: Learning Together": organised in partnerhip with the MFC and with the support of the Hungarian Microfinance Network and the European Commission

• Conference on “Microfinance and the Added Value of Multiculturality”(November 2006 - Oslo, Norway): conference organised within the framework of the Inti Project, in partnership with NCN and with the support of the European Commission 

4th EMN Annual Conference (April 2007 - Berlin, Germany) - "Microfinance in a Banking Environment: Models, Experiences, the Way Forward":  organised in partnership with EVERS&JUNG and DMI, and with the support of the European Commission, the Levi Strauss Foundation,  the  KfW Bankengruppe,  the  Compagnia di San Paolo and Crédit Coopératif Conference on "Fostering Gender Equality: Meeting the Entrepreneurship and Microfinance Challenge" (December 2007 - Madrid, Spain): organised within the framework of the project "Fostering Gender Equality: Meeting the Entrepreneurship and Microfinance Challenge", in partnership with Banco Mundial de la Mujer and with the support of the European Commission

• 5th EMN Annual Conference (September 2008 - Nice, France) - "Microfinance: A tool for growth and employment in Europe": under the label of the French Presidency of the European Union, this conference was organised with the support of Adie, the European Commission, the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the Levi Strauss Foundation, the Paca Region, the City of Nice, Crédit Coopératif, BNP Paribas and MicroBank

• 6th EMN Annual Conference (June 2009 - Milan, Italy) - "Microfinance and its Growth in Europe: consequences, challenges opportunities": organised in partnership with Giordano Dell'Amore Foundation and with the support of the European Commission, the Levi Strauss Foundation, MicroBank, Crédit Coopératif, Intesa San Paolo, Compagnia di San Paolo, Ubi Banca, Fondazione Cariplo and Fondazione CRT.

• 7th EMN Annual Conference (June 2010 - London, UK) - "2010: A Changing Europe - combatting poverty, supporting enterprise": co-organised with the cdfa (Community Development Financial Association) and with the support of the European Commission, the Levi Strauss Foundation and BIS (Department for Business Innovation & Skills).