Panel Discussion
European Union: Integration vs. Disintegration
9:00 – 10:30, Hotel Golf, Jupiter Hall
Speakers:
- H. E. Mr Lazăr Comănescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania
- Mr Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of the French Republic
- Mr Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow at The Hague Institute for Global Justice, The Netherlands
- Mrs Reva Goujon, Vice President of Global Analysis at Stratfor, United States of America
- Dr Sabina Lange, Senior Associate Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies
- Mr Vijay Rangarajan, Europe Director in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom
- Dr Žiga Turk, Professor at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Mr Nikolaos Xydakis, Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic
Moderated by: Mr Thomas Kirchner, Correspondent for Süddeutsche Zeitung, Belgium
The European Union found itself amidst the centre of geostrategic shifts, which considerably undermined faith in its structures and decision-making processes, as well as the weakening trust and solidarity among its member states, particularly with regard to ensuring safety and effective protection of its external borders. The increasing migration wave, terrorist attacks, instability in our immediate neighbourhood and internal tensions pose new challenges, which will require clear solutions based on European values, norms and past achievements. In this context, the main emphasis is on the economic stability of the EU, which in the last few years has been severely tested, while an effectively functioning EMU is still a long way off. The process of creating an ever closer Union is no longer a self-evident response to these challenges, and some member states demands for a redefinition of its relations with the Union might put the debate about its future in a completely different context.
To download the panel discussion backgrounder and guiding questions click here.