IEP Lunch Debate with Hans-Dieter Lucas, German and European Foreign Policy in Times of the Crisis, on 27 May 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 27 May 2014, Hans-Dieter Lucas, Political Director at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, held a lecture as part of the IEP Lunch Debate series (see LINK for the full report). Lucas highlighted the new threat emerging due to the crisis in Ukraine, during which borders were called into question, which had to lead to a more active and effective Common Foreign Security Policy. He commended the united reaction of the EU so far but also mentioned the weaknesses of current policies: a “pooling” of resources would be future to act more effectively. Challenges abroad could be addressed by the EU’s “comprehensive approach” including civil and military support as well as development aid. Lucas commented on the European Neighbourhood Policy as a decisive tool, but not without also referring to the need to reform it. In the future, crisis management in the South, particularly in Syria and its neighboring countries, as well as a co-operative partnership with Russia and a further de-escalation of the crisis in Ukraine would be the main challenges for the EU’s foreign policy.
You can find a report here.
IEP Lunch Debate with Jo Leinen, The Meaning of the European Elections for the Future of the EU, on 13 May 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 13 May 2014, Jo Leinen, MEP and President of the European Movement International (EMI), held an IEP Lunch Debate series lecture prior to the EP elections. Leinen emphasized that this year’s elections were different due to the nomination of top candidates of the European parties. He hoped the Parliament would then be confident enough to only vote for one of the top candidates as President of the Commission, highlighting the growing power of the EP also in other areas. Leinen said the elections should lead to more Europe, mentioning the possibility of a new convent on the future of Europe, but only after the United Kingdom national elections next year. In this context, he opposed a possible fragmentation of the EP while advocating an euro budget with a budgetary authority. Other points on the agenda of the EP would be a Growth Pact, an industrial policy, a digital agenda and the energy policies of the Union, especially in the light of the crisis in Ukraine.
You can find a report here.
IEP Lunch Debate with Rainer Wieland, Europe Before the Elections, on 23 April 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 23 April 2014, Rainer Wieland, Vice President of the European Parliament, held a lecture as part of the IEP Lunch Debate series. Wieland highlighted the ongoing democratization process of the European Union (EU) fostered by the nomination of top candidates prior to the elections. The nomination process had also offered chances for more intra-party democracy. He was critical towards the abolition of the three percent threshold in Germany for the EP election, fearing a fragmentation and diversification of the Parliament. Furthermore, he pointed out that many citizens still know little about the EU. Wieland criticized that societal elites are unaware of current developments and accordingly have difficulties with explaining them. Especially considering the current Eurosceptic movement, he emphasized the importance of well-informed elites to spread fact-based information about the EU.
You can find a report here.
Meeting of the IEP Study Group ‘Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy’, European Neighborhood Policy and Russia – Rivals or partners in the post-Soviet space? on 11 April 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 11 April 2014, the IEP Study Group “Enlargement / Neighbourhood Policy” met as part of the project funded by the Otto Wolff Foundation at the European House in Berlin to discuss the topic “The European Neighbourhood Policy and Russia – rivals or partners in the post-Soviet region?” in light of the current developments in Ukraine following the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November 2013. The study group is chaired by Elmar Brok, MEP and Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. Following a brief thematic introduction by Dr. Katrin Böttger, Deputy Director of the Institut für Europäische Politik, the five guest speakers Dr. h.c. Gernot Erler, MP (Coordinator for the inter-societal cooperation with Russia, Central Asia and the countries of the Eastern Partnership), Karl-Georg Wellmann, MP (Member of the German-Russian Parliamentary Group of the German Bundestag), Prof. Dr. Rainer Lindner (Executive Director, Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations), Dr. Marzenna Guz-Vetter (External Relations, Enlargement, European Commission, Berlin) and Dr. Susan Stewart (Deputy Head, Research Division Eastern Europe and Eurasia, German Institute for International and Security Affairs) presented their respective views on the topic of discussion.Main discussion points were first lessons from the Crimean crisis, perspectives for the development in Ukraine, the assessment of the European foreign policy vis-à-vis Ukraine and Russia as well as the discussion of compatibilities between the Eastern Partnership and the Eurasian Union proposed by Russia. The 40 participants could not agree on a conclusive answer to the question at hand but emphasized that cooperation between the EU and Russia is in the interest of both parties, both in the short term to resolve the crisis in Ukraine and in the longer term.
You can find a report here.
IEP Lunch Debate with Michael Roth, After the Elections is Before the Elections: Perspectives of European Integration 2014-2019, on 10 April 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 10 April 2014, Michael Roth, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, held a lecture as part of the IEP Lunch debate series. On the occasion of the presentation of the “Yearbook of European Integration 2013” and the reference book “Europe from A to Z. Handbook on European Integration” he stressed the importance of the publications as an “important and necessary contribution” to the European debate, offering comprehensible information. Wolfgang Wessels, one of the publishers, dared taking a look into the possible future of the EU, differentiating between four scenarios: one leading to less integration, one to a more federal Union, a third scenario being the “business as usual” and, as a last possibility, a differentiated integration, leading to a more complex Union.
You can find a report here.
Book presentation with Wilfried Loth and Prof. Günter Verheugen on 12 March 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP)
On 12 March 2014, the IEP hosted the presentation of the book „Europe’s unification/An unfinished tale” by Wilfried Loth. The introduction was held by Prof. Günter Verheugen on the topic “History and future of the European Union”. Verheugen stressed that the usual answer in dealing with previous crises – “more Europe” – no longer works. Rather, democracy and flexibility must play a decisive role in the answer to the EU’s current predicament. Thus, in the longer term, the EU must dare to take the step towards becoming a parliamentary democracy similar to the US, in which the European executive emerges from a bicameral parliament (a house of representatives and a senate) with legislative powers. Furthermore, the EU must promote greater flexibility particularly in its enlargement policy but also in the development of the acquis. The condition for such reform, however, is the people’s desire for further integration, which is currently lacking mainly because of an insufficient public discourse on Europe.
You can find a report here.
2nd Annual Conference of the German-Portuguese Forum, 10-11 March 2014, Institut für Europäische Politik Berlin (IEP).
On 10 and 11 March 2014, the 2nd Annual Conference of the German-Portuguese Forum was held in the German Federal Foreign Office, attended by about 200 participants. The Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) organized the conference in cooperation with the Instituto Português de Relações Internacionais (IPRI-UNL) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his Portuguese colleague, Rui Machete, held the opening speeches. The four panels dealt with the topics reform policies and competitiveness, the constitutional courts in Germany and Portugal and European integration, as well as with German and Portuguese perspectives on the new transatlantic partnership and on the future of Europe and policy and institutional reforms. Overall, the Forum was seen by all involved as a positive and important contribution to a better understanding and a more lively communication in the bilateral relations of both countries.
You can find a report here.