The first conference of the AMeN network was organized jointly with Universitat Pompeu Fabra and hosted by CREI. AMeN is a joint project of UPF, University of Toulouse and IGIER, Bocconi that brings together applied macroeconomists from different institutions with similar research interests and use possible different methodologies to address similar problems. The task of the network is to provide a forum for discussions and interactions exchanging papers, computer codes, ideas and research projects. The first conference brought together academics from the Barcelona area, from the three participating institutions and a few Central Bankers and assessed the progress made in the last 5 years in this field in Europe.