The conference topics relate to the current situation of banks in the EU and the efforts to make the financial system more resilient. Eight years after the financial crisis the banking sector remains in part fragile. Moreover, one crucial aim of last years regulatory reforms has not been reached: To clean-up and achieve a level playing field. In particular, the hazardous interdependency between states and banks is not solved. One central question is therefore how we shall practice financial reforms and fix deficiencies in the regulatory framework.