This event was the culmination of two years of research on the future of Europe, and convened scholars, experts, and practitioners to discuss the safety of the eurozone, potential divergence in UK and EU interests after Brexit, and the resulting shifts in the global order. Participants included Quentin Peel, Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Enrico Letta, Sophie Vanhoonacker, and others.
PROGRAMME
09:15 – 09:45 Arrival and registration
09:45 – 10:00 Welcome from the Academic Co-Directors, Iain Begg and Helmut K Anheier, and Michael Cox, Director of LSE IDEAS
10:00 – 11:15 Panel 1: Europe in the world after Brexit
Europe is facing a host of challenges with significant implications for foreign and security policy. The rise of a more-plural international order where democratic governance is no longer the unquestioned norm, the detachment of the United States, and fragmentation in Europe have undermined faith in multilateralism. New global challenges, including cyber security, migration, demographic change, and environmental degradation are shifting Europe’s strategic priorities in complex and ever-changing ways. Panellists will discuss whether Brexit will undermine the EU’s standing in the world, the EU’s major foreign and security priorities in the coming years, and what challenges and opportunities will arise in a more diffuse international order.
Moderator: Quentin Peel, Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chatham House
Panellists:
- Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby, Director General for EU Exit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, President, International Affairs Institute
- Benjamin Martill, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dahrendorf Forum, LSE IDEAS
- Sophie Vanhoonacker, Jean Monnet Professor and Chair in Administrative Governance, Maastricht University
Discussant: Baroness Falkner of Margravine, Chairman of the EU Sub-Committee on Financial Services and Member of the EU Select Committee, House of Lords
11:15 – 11:45 Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:30 Debate —‘Oxbridge’ style
After the turmoil and extensive reform of the last decade, the architecture and governance of the Euro have evolved substantially. Yet doubts persist about its resilience and the ability of the EU’s leaders to agree the further reforms needed to strengthen the Eurozone. Some critics even predict its demise. To shed light on this, a debate will be held on the motion: “The eurozone is now safe”
In favour of the motion:
- Holger Schmieding, Chief Economist, Berenberg Bank
- Sonja Puntscher-Riekmann, Professor of Political Theory and European Politics at University of Salzburg and Director of the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies
Against the motion:
- Anne-Laure Delatte, Deputy Director, CEPII, Centre d’Etudes Prospectives et d’Informations Internationales
- Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Co-Chair of the Dahrendorf Forum working group on governance, institutions, and policy
12:30 – 13:00 Whither Europe’s sharp and soft power?
Why is the EU less able than the US or China to utilise its sharp and soft power in global affairs? Presentation of a foresight exercise by Helmut K. Anheier and Iain Begg
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Panel 2: Mobilising against mobility – who is controlling the narrative on migration?
In recent years, political and media campaigns have played an important role in politicising the issue of migration, not least in connection with the ‘populist wave’ in Europe. Such campaigns—whether led by governments, advocacy groups, or protest movements—can have far-reaching consequences. Electoral campaigns, negotiations for a new EU asylum system, and the derailment of the European position on the ‘Global Compact for Migration’ are recent examples, touching on fundamental questions concerning national sovereignty, democratic self-determination, and human rights. This panel reflects on these dynamics by exploring how different stakeholders mobilise the issue of migration, what tools they use, and with what effect.
Moderator: Sasha Jesperson Migration policy consultant, Iteru Consulting
Panellists:
- Kata Fuege,Social Media Analyst, Bakamo, Budapest
- Julia Himmrich, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dahrendorf Forum, LSE IDEAS
- Kadri Soova, Deputy Director, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
- Manes Weisskircher, Researcher, Mercator Forum Migration and Democracy
Discussant: Paul Whittingham, Head of Migration and Modern Slavery Department, Department for International Development
15:00 – 15:30 In conversation
Enrico Letta, Dean of the Paris School of International Relations (Sciences-Po) and former prime minister of Italy in conversation with Anne-Sylvaine Chassany, World News Editor of the Financial Times.
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:15 Panel 3: What next for Europe?
Following the election of a new European Parliament and the leaders’ meeting in Sibiu, the EU will have to work out its priorities for the next institutional cycle. Key appointments, the plans for the next multi-annual budgetary framework, and unfinished reforms are all on the agenda. This concluding panel will explore how old and new challenges can be resolved. These are likely to include economic governance, populism and democracy, foreign affairs, migration, and institutional developments.
Moderator: Prof Dame Helen Wallace, Honorary Professor at the Sussex European Institute, University of Sussex
Panellists:
- Anna Diamantopoulou, President and Founder, DIKTIO, Network for Reforms in Greece and Europe, and former European Commissioner and Greek Minister
- Carlo Monticelli, Vice-Governor, Council of Europe Development Bank
- Sir Ivan Rogers, Former UK Ambassador to the EU
- Pete Wishart, Member of Parliament for Perth and North Perthshire, SNP Shadow Leader of the House and Chair of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee
17:15 – 17:30 Closing remarks from the Directors
17:30 – 19:00 Reception