'Lack of strategy' on Syria worsening migrant crisis says Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Another keynote speaker, Zoe Konstantopoulou, former speaker of the Greek Parliament said: “For Europe to regain public trust, it has to regain its demographic soul."

She added: “To regain the trust of the people, it should go back to trusting its people and to respecting them.”

Themes recurring throughout the day-long conference included Europe’s struggle to respond to the surge in refugees, the lingering impact of the economic crisis, unrest on the EU’s southern and eastern flanks, and the shift of global economic power towards Asia.

“We are certainly dwarfed by some of the challenges around us, but so is everyone,” commented Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues at the European External Action Service.

Concern that Asia and the United States are leaving Europe behind in the race to develop the digital economy was another theme. Speakers stressed the need to boost technology investments and build a digital single market in Europe.

Further comment came from Marietje Schaake MEP, commissioner of the Global Commission on Internet Governance.

She told the summit: “Europe has not quite made a real choice yet to develop a vision of where it wants to be

“I still feel that a real sense of urgency to make Europe the smartest continent on Earth is lacking.”

Turning to social and economic issues, Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg’s Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, said widespread feelings that Europe no longer cares about social equality are fuelling euroscepticism.

“It looks now like a Europe that puts markets above people, and populist parties want to use this,” he said.

Participants debated European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s plan to boost the economy by seeking €315 billion in funding for infrastructure projects.

“There is a common narrative that public finances are tight, so we need private investment,” said Jan Mischke, a Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute. “But public finances are not tight if you look at interest rates. When will public accounting systems differentiate types of spending?”