Debate on the Future of the EU in an Uncertain World

June 19, 2018

On May 28 the LSE Alumni Association Belgium (LSE AAB)  hosted an exclusive debate on what role the EU will have in a world where the international order as we know it is being challenged and questioned. The event was held at the HQ offices of ING Belgium.

The event started with an introduction by the LSE AAB President, Maurice Fermont, who set the stage by mentioning the many recent global issues impacting the EU, like limitations to international trade and the migration crisis.

Following the opening words, our keynote speaker Christian Leffler, LSE alumnus and Deputy Secretary General for Economic and Global Issues at the European Union External Action Service, took the floor. Dr Leffler discussed the problems we face and what he considers the best approach to tackle them. He remined the audience that the current international order is built upon shared values, such as democracy and human rights, and that the European Union is the practical expression of a peaceful way to guarantee and protect such value-based vision. It is in time of crisis that Europeans must find, through the EU Institutions, new ways to cooperate and uphold their beliefs.

This means also highlighting on a global stage the importance of international order as we know it – as a way to deliver peace and prosperity to as many people as possible. It is important the EU stands behind its vision and protects it from actions that erode at its foundations, as convenient as they may seem on the short run.

The event was followed by a Q&A session chaired by Nikos Chrysoloras, LSE alumnus and Head of the Bloomberg Brussels office. The questions verged on the way in which European countries can stand united when faced with external challenges and on specific international issues, such as the relationship the EU should have with Iran, North Korea and Russia.

The event then concluded with a networking reception kindly offered by ING Belgium. Participants had occasion to network and to exchange views with the speakers and the other foreign policy experts who attended, such as H.E. Faruk Kaymakcı, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Turkey to the European Union.