21 September 2021 | 14.00 – 17.15 (CEST)  | Stanhope Hotel, Brussels & Online

CLOSED-DOOR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

Looking at the current state of the EU, one cannot help but realise that we are living in a multi-speed Europe. Starting from older ones like the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, the Eurozone and the Schengen Area and looking at the new ones in the form of PESCO, Frontex or the Banking Union, the EU member states already seem to be moving at different speeds and this is not a bad thing. If we start from this position, we can move past the current unproductive debates about the existence of this multi-speed Europe, and we can focus on how we can help member states catch up faster. Can we create fast lanes for socioeconomic development beyond the existing mechanisms? How can we help them become more effective and efficient so that they can integrate faster and better?

As the EU motto goes “United in diversity” we should embrace our differences and our different speeds and try to create a better European project through them not against them. Be it North / South or East / West there will always be some member states that will prefer (for one reason or another) to move at different speeds. We will come together to understand the driving factors and the necessary tools to steer the integration process both top-down and bottom-up.

ELF hopes to stimulate the debate on multi-speed Europe through two roundtables, and subsequently produce a policy paper that will address the main open questions and issues that will predominate these events whilst also providing policy recommendations on how to tackle these issues and ensure a smoother integration process for all EU member states.

Opening remarks by Daniel Kaddik, Executive Director, European Liberal Forum 

Speakers include:

• Barbara Kolm, PhD, Vice-President, General Council, Oesterreichische Nationalbank
• Ondřej Kovařík, Member of the European Parliament, Renew Europe Group
• Diane Fromage, PhD, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellow, Law School, Sciences Po Paris
• Sven Biscop, PhD, Professor, Ghent University and Director of Europe in the World Programme at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations
• Dick Zandee, Head Security Unit and Senior Research Fellow at Clingendael
• Emil Kirjas, Vice President, Liberal International and former State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Republic of North Macedonia
• Gergana Noutcheva, PhD, Jean Monet Chair, Associate Professor in Political Science at Maastricht University
• Carmen Descamps, Non-Resident Research Fellow, European Liberal Forum

Moderated by Chris Powers, Director of Communications, Euractiv.