Global Challenges and European Politics: New Wines in Old Bottles?

In cooperation with the Amsterdam Centre for Contemporary European Studies (ACCESS EUROPE)

Event

Europe is facing a wide range of external challenges, from climate change to energy dependency to the rising multipolar world. This autumn a new European Commission will be inaugurated and successors of Herman van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton appointed. How will the new players in Europe cope with these substantial external challenges? What continuities or changes can we expect?

Three distinguished guests will address these important questions. Keynote speaker is Stephan Keukeleire, Jean Monnet Professor of Leuven University. He just published the second edition of his book The Foreign Policy of the European Union. This authoritative text deals with the many aspects and dimensions of the EU’s external relations. How do member states and European institutions formulate different policies  to promote trade, development, security and stability elsewhere in the world? How do EU institutions address the many problems the world is facing today?

These ‘external’ problems ask for common action, yet common action is hindered by rising euroscepticism.This is the dilemma newly elected and appointed politicians are confronted with since the European elections of last May. A new parliament, a new commission and the successors of Herman van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton are facing a difficult job. Do they have the right (institutional) capacity and sufficient popular support?  And what reforms do they have to push for in order to increase Europe’s capacity to act in a multipolar world? After setting out the terrain of  Europe’s external challenges, professor Keukeleire will enter into debate with Adrianus Koetsenruijter of the European External Action Service and Arjan Vliegenthart,  a Dutch politician and scholar specialised in European foreign policy. Moderator: Otto Holman.

About the speakers

Stephan Keukeleire is Jean Monnet Professor at the Leuven International and European Studies (LINES) Institute of the University of Leuven, member of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges.

Arjan Vliegenthart taught European integration studies at both UvA and VU. He was member of the Dutch Senate for the Socialist Party and director of this party’s scientific bureau. He was recently appointed alderman of the city of Amsterdam.

Adrianus Koetsenruijter is Head of the Division for the Relations with countries in South America of the European External Action Service. Before that he worked for the European Commission, inter alia as Head of Delegation / Ambassador accredited to Tunisia, Lybia and the African Development Bank.

Otto Holman is reader in International Relations and European Politics in the Department of Political Science and member of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Amsterdam. Since 2009, he is visiting professor at the University of Lausanne. 

Published by  Spui25