Debates

As Greece teeters and economists worry about contagion, this year's annual debate for Europaeum students is on theme of Do we still need the € ? Four Europaeum graduates are invited to take part in the debate in front of 200 participants attending the Political Forum on Open Societies, Open Economies and Common Identities at the Institute of Political Studies at the Catholica University of Portugal (IEP-UCP). The Forum brings together distinguished speakers, scholars, policy-makers, businessmen, opinion leaders, journalists and a multi-national collection of students to engage in the most topical issues of the day. This year the Europaeum will also hold its annual Academic Council during the event so that more Europaeum academics can also take part. As usual it is chaired by Dr Paul Flather, the Secretary-General, who is also speaking at the Forum.

Click here for the Debate Poster. For the full conference programme please click here.

The Europaeum organised a highly successful, special international debate as part of an international conference on the future of the Free World. The motion on the table was The Free World should allow Iran to develop nuclear technology ? and it will be part of the Institute for Political Studies, Catholic University of Portugal (IEP-UCP) annual conference and summer school taking place in Lisbon from 27-29th June 2011. Graduate students from the Europaeum, IEP-UCP, College of Europe, Natolin, and the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, took part in the debate.

As part of its 2011 Annual Meeting, the Europaeum organised a special international panel debate on Europe and the Arab Spring: What should we be doing? hosted at the University of Bonn on June 9th. The panel, which included Professor Christian Hacke (Bonn), Professor Pierre Beckouche (Paris 1), and Dr. Adeel Malik (Oxford) explored questions such as Should Europe be doing more ? Are all European nations doing enough ? Why is the EU itself so quiet ? Is NATO being effective enough ? What are the likely outcomes? How should Europe cope with the influx of new immigrants ? What are likely the consequences for the EU, for the Middle East Crisis, and for future oil supplies ? The debate was chaired by Dr. Andrew Graham, Master of Balliol College, Oxford. Please download the event Poster for more information.

Does the Lisbon Treaty raise more problems than it solves?
Daubeny Room, Magdalene College
11.00 – 12.30
Tuesday, 25th May

Does the long-heralded Lisbon Treaty pose fresh questions rather than solve older problems? Which way is Europe going? Is the European political class up to the job of embedding a new European citizenry? Is our triumvirate up to the job? What is the role for national leaders and presidents? Who leads Europe forward in this new Global era? Is Europe prepared for challenges from the East? Where is the Europe of our dreams?

Where are today's good Europeans ?

Mansfield MCR & Jenkins Scholars Debate
Thursday, 20th May, 2010 at   19.45
Seminar Room (East), Mansfield College

Which way is Europe going ? Where is the Europe of our dreams ? Has the long-heralded Lisbon Treaty posed fresh questions rather solving older problems ? Is the European political class up to the job of embedding a new European citizenry ? Who is there to lead Europe forward in the new Global order ? Who is helping Europe prepare for the great challenges from the East? Are our new triumvirate up to the job ? What is the new role for  national leaders and presidents ?

The 2009 theme of the IEP-UCP Estoril Political Forum was on NATO at 60 and included speakers such as João Carlos Espada (Director, IEP-UCP and Editor, Nova Cidadania, Lisbon), Anthony O’Hear (Director, Royal Institute Of Philosophy and Editor, Philosophy, London), Raymond Plant (King’s College, House of Lords, London), Marc F. Plattner (Editor, Journal of Democracy, Director,IFDS, Washington, D.C.), and Susan Shell (Boston College, Boston), among many others. Click here to download the final Programme

The conference included a special debate on Do we need a global alliance of democracies? with students from the Europaeum, IEP-UCP, Nowy Sacz, Brown University, Georgetown University, and the LSE. The debate was chaired by Dr Paul Flather (Secretary General, Europaeum), with expert moderators Dr Michael Pinto-Duschinsky (Member of the Board, IFES, Oxford) and Professor Eusebio Mujal-Leon (Georgetown University, Washington DC).

The Oxford University Society organised a debate in Oxford, with support from the Europaeum, as part of its special Alumni Weekend, on Europe in the New World Order: Challenges for the Future? with Lord (Chris) Patten, and Peter Mandelson, on September 19th.

This debate set out to chart Europe's role in a changing, globalised, world, with questions including: Will the West be back on track after Bush? Is Europe ready for the rising East? How should Europe manage its new East? Can Europe face down a growling Russian bear? How divided is Europe over Turkey?

The 2008 theme of the IEP-UCP Estoril Political Forum was on Human Rights Today: 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and included speakers such as João Carlos Espada (Director, IEP-UCP and Editor, Nova Cidadania, Lisbon), Anthony O’Hear (Director, Royal Institute Of Philosophy and Editor, Philosophy, London), Raymond Plant (King’s College, House of Lords, London), Marc F. Plattner (Editor, Journal of Democracy, Director, IFDS, Washington, D.C.), and Susan Shell (Boston College, Boston), among many others. Click here to download the final Programme

The conference included a special debate on Should Human Rights play a major role in international affairs ? with students from the Europaeum, IEP-UCP, Georgetown University, and the National--Louis University, Poland. The debate was chaired by Dr Paul Flather (Secretary General, Europaeum), with expert moderators Dr Michael Pinto-Duschinsky (Member of the Board, IFES, Oxford) and Professor Eusebio Mujal-Leon (Georgetown University, Washington DC).

The University of Oxford hosted a special Europaeum Debate on Challenge from the East: Is the West Ready for China? This lecture is tied to 2007 Europaeum Annual Council and Academic Meetings, held on the 15th anniversary of the creation of the Europaeum.

2007 Europaeum Conference: Is there still a West

Fissures in the TransAtlantic alliance – which has dominated world affairs for the past 60 years – following the end of the Cold War, the 9/11 attack, and the Iraq invasion, were under the spotlight at events organised under the Europaeum’s TransAtlantic Dialogue Programme.

The conference in Washington DC, set out to investigate if solidarity of the West was cracking – and featured key contributions from Henry Kissinger, Lord (Chris) Patten, former EU Commissioner, Richard Haass, Chair of the Council for Foreign Relations, Lee Hamilton, former chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joschka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister, Nicholas R Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Professor Joe Nye, Kennedy School, Harvard University, among many others.