“A World Without Walls:” Strategic Adviser, the Public Diplomacy Division of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel an International Congress on Soft Power

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

“A World Without Walls:” Strategic Adviser, the Public Diplomacy Division of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel an International Congress on Soft Power icd - institute for cultural diplomacy “A World Without Walls“ “A World Without Walls“ Congress Speakers Congress Speakers Ségolène Royal Zlatko Lagumdžija Dr. Vasile Puşcaş Anthony Suau President of the Poitou-Charentes Former Chairman of the Council Romanian Minister for European Photographer, 1984 Pulitzer Prize Regional Council; of Ministers and Former Foreign Affairs Winner Former Presidential Candidate for Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina the Socialist Party of France President President Sir James Dr. Erkki Tuomioja Dr. András Simonyi Dr. Alfredo Palacio Richard Marie Mancham Member of Finnish Parliament, Hungarian Ambassador to the Former Vice President of Founding President of the Republic Former Finnish Foreign Minister United States from 2002-2007 Ecuador; Former President of of Seychelles (2000 - 2007) Ecuador President Luc Van den Brande Delia Domingo-Albert Dr. Benjamin Barber Emil Constantinescu Former Minister-President of Ambassador of the Philippines to Professor of Civil Society and Dis- Former President of Romania Flanders the Federal Republic of Germany, tinguished University Professor at Former Foreign Minister of the the University of Maryland, Author Philippines of bestseller, Jihad vs. McWorld Janez Janša Radmila Sekerinska Ioannis Kasoulides Merethe Stagetorn Former Prime Minister of Slovenia; Former Prime Minister of the Re- MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chairman, Defense Lawyer for the Danish Su- President of the Slovenian Demo- public of Macedonia Former Foreign Minister of Cyprus preme Court cratic Party Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Mirko Tomassoni H.E. Yasar Yakis Amb. Carlo Ungaro Former Prime Minister of Poland; Member of the San Marino Grand Turkish MP, Former Foreign Minis- Former Italian Ambassador, adviser Former Foreign Minister of Poland and Central Council; Former Cap- ter of Turkey and Chairman of the to the Italian contingent of the tain Regent of San Marino European Union Harmonization NATO-led International Security Commission of the Grand National Assistance Force in Herat, Afghani- Assembly of Turkey stan David Trimble Senator the Hon. Solomon Isaac Passy Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Former First Minister of Northern Alan Baird Ferguson Former Foreign Minister of Bul- Croatian Ambassador to the United Ireland; Nobel Peace Prize Laure- The 22nd President of the Austra- garia, and the Chairman-in-Office States ate in 1998 lian Senate of the OSCE Mike Kenneth Moore László Kovács Jytte Hilden Marina Pendes Former Prime Minister of New Zea- European Commissioner for Taxa- Former Minister of Culture of Deputy Minister of Defense of Bosnia-Herzegov- land; Former Director General of the tion and Customs Union Denmark ina World Trade Organization Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary. Ana Trisic Babic Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia & Herzegovina Alfred Sant Minister Dr. Igor Lukšič Gerassimos D. Arsenis Former Prime Minister of Malta; Cur- Minister of Education and Sport Greek Former Minister of Defense rently Member of Malta’s Parliament of Slovenia Meir Shlomo “A World Without Walls:” Strategic Adviser, the Public Diplomacy Division of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel An International Congress on Soft Power, Jack McConnell Ivaylo Kalfin Dr. Jo Ritzen Ilan Sztulman Interdependence and Cultural Diplomacy Deputy Director Public Affairs Department , Com- MSP; Former First Minister of Scot- MEP; Former Bulgarian Minister of Former Dutch Minister of Educa- munications Division , Ministry of Foreign Affairs land Foreign Affairs tion, Culture, and Science; Former Vice-President of the World Bank Martin Hope November 6th – 9th 2009, Berlin Director Benelux and EU office at British Council Currently; Former Director British Council Mos- cow Anneli Jäätteenmäki Nouzha Skalli Erna Hennicot Schoepges Moroccan Minister of MEP, Former Prime Minister of European MP; Former Luxem- Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Finland Social Development, Family, and Mark Donfried bourgian Minister of Culture and Kurfürstendamm 207/208, 10719 Berlin, Germany Solidarity Director & Founder, the Institute for Cultural Di- Religious Affairs Tel.: +49 (0) 30 2360 768 0 plomacy icd - institute for cultural diplomacy E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.world-without-walls.org Institute for Cultural Diplomacy “A World Without Walls“ November 6th - 9th 2009 “A World Without Walls:“ “A World without Walls” will pursue the following Celebrating the Fall of the Berlin Wall An International Congress on Soft Power, specific aims: On November 9th, the final day of the program and exactly 20 years Cultural Diplomacy and Interdependence following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the participants will join in the To explore the development of international relations since celebrations and experience this historic occasion together with the November 6th - 9th 2009, Berlin the fall of the Berlin Wall. citizens of Berlin. Participants will have the opportunity to attend nu- merous events taking place across the city during the day and will be The ICD House of Arts & Culture: Kurfürstendamm 207-208, To analyze the interdependent nature of today’s world and Berlin, Germany at the Brandenburg Gate for the Festival of Freedom in the evening. the challenges and opportunities this brings. On the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as To evaluate the growing importance of Cultural Diplomacy Congress Participants the eyes of the world fall upon Germany’s capital once again, and “soft power” in contemporary international politics. The program will bring young leaders from across the world together the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and CivWorld/Demos will To discuss the salient political of contention in today’s in- with an interdisciplinary, international group of leading figures from bring together an international group of participants for a terdependent world and to examine the mediating role of politics, academia, civil society, and the private sector. four day program of lectures, panel discussions, and seminars soft power. lead by renowned figures from international politics and aca- Sustainable Network demia. The following issues will be mentioned and explored: Participants of the Congress will become part of a growing interna- “A World Without Walls: An International Congress on Soft Power, tional network of people from across the world with different fields Cultural Diplomacy, and Interdependence” (Berlin, 6th – 9th Novem- Cyprus (Focus: Turkish-Greek Relations) of interest and levels of experience who share a commitment to ber 200) represents a unique opportunity to reflect on the develop- Turkey (Focus: Turkey-EU Relations) intercultural exchange. Participants will be able to remain in touch ment of international relations since 1989, the challenges faced with each other through the ICD Online Network. This network rep- by the leaders of the future, and the growing influence of cultural Israel-Palestine (Focus: Israeli-Palestinian conflict) resents a medium through which members can exchange informa- diplomacy and “soft power” in the contemporary political interna- Northern Ireland (Focus: inter-religious conflict and the tion on research, job opportunities, related events, and coordinate tional environment. Northern Ireland Peace Process) their own cultural exchange initiatives. The ICD will help to support The participants will include scholars and academics, political and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Focus: Forging a multi-ethnic, the Congress participants in their future activities by providing guid- diplomatic representatives, civil society practitioners, and individu- multi-religious state identity) ance and advice on possible research topics and helping to support members who plan to organize their own cultural exchange initia- als from the private sector and the media. The speakers during the Scandinavia (Focus: The freedom of the press) program will consist of renowned figures from international politics tives. and distinguished professors in the field, including former Heads of Belgium (Focus: Intra-national relations between the State, former Foreign Ministers, and other European Ministers. Flemish, French, & German Communities) Certificate of Attendance In addition to the academic components, participants will have the Afghanistan (Focus: Reconstructing civil society and en- The participants of the Congress will be awarded an official certifi- opportunity to experience the city’s vibrant cultural landscape at a suring stability) cate of attendance at the end of the program. This certificate will historic moment in the city’s history. The Historic Soviet-West Relationship confirm attendance and provide details of the speakers who took part during the week and the topics discussed. February 6th May 2nd August 23rd September 10th October 7th October 28th November 9th November 10th December 17th Solidarity negotiates Hungary opens border Baltic Unity East Germans free to leave Gorbachev visits East Czech protests erupt The Berlin Wall is No More Bulgarian‘s hard liner relents Chaos Reigns in Romania Germany 1989.
Recommended publications
  • Call from Members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre to the United Nations Security Council to Support the UN Secretary
    Call from Members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre to the United Nations Security Council to Support the UN Secretary-General’s Urgent Call for an Immediate Global Ceasefire amid the COVID-19 Pandemic We are deeply alarmed that the United Nations Security Council has not been able to reach agreement on a draft resolution put before it on COVID-19. This draft resolution called for an end to hostilities worldwide so that there could be a full focus on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. If passed it would have given powerful backing to the call made earlier by the Secretary-General. Yet, agreement could not be reached on the resolution in the Security Council because of its reference to “the urgent need to support…. all relevant entities of the United Nations system, including specialized health agencies” in the fight against the pandemic. The failure to reach agreement saddens us at this time when our world is in crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about immense human suffering and is having a devastating impact on economies and societies. It is exactly at times like this that the leadership of the Security Council is needed. It should not be silent in the face of the serious threat to global peace and security which Covid-19 represents. Global action and partnership are vital now to deal with the global pandemic and its aftermath. This is the time for the premier institution responsible for leading on global security to show strength, not weakness. We support UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his call for an immediate global ceasefire, in all corners of the world, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • LETTER to G20, IMF, WORLD BANK, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS and NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS
    LETTER TO G20, IMF, WORLD BANK, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS and NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS We write to call for urgent action to address the global education emergency triggered by Covid-19. With over 1 billion children still out of school because of the lockdown, there is now a real and present danger that the public health crisis will create a COVID generation who lose out on schooling and whose opportunities are permanently damaged. While the more fortunate have had access to alternatives, the world’s poorest children have been locked out of learning, denied internet access, and with the loss of free school meals - once a lifeline for 300 million boys and girls – hunger has grown. An immediate concern, as we bring the lockdown to an end, is the fate of an estimated 30 million children who according to UNESCO may never return to school. For these, the world’s least advantaged children, education is often the only escape from poverty - a route that is in danger of closing. Many of these children are adolescent girls for whom being in school is the best defence against forced marriage and the best hope for a life of expanded opportunity. Many more are young children who risk being forced into exploitative and dangerous labour. And because education is linked to progress in virtually every area of human development – from child survival to maternal health, gender equality, job creation and inclusive economic growth – the education emergency will undermine the prospects for achieving all our 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and potentially set back progress on gender equity by years.
    [Show full text]
  • Belgian Identity Politics: at a Crossroad Between Nationalism and Regionalism
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2014 Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism Jose Manuel Izquierdo University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Human Geography Commons Recommended Citation Izquierdo, Jose Manuel, "Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2014. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2871 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Jose Manuel Izquierdo entitled "Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Geography. Micheline van Riemsdijk, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Derek H. Alderman, Monica Black Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Belgian identity politics: At a crossroad between nationalism and regionalism A Thesis Presented for the Master of Science Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Jose Manuel Izquierdo August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Jose Manuel Izquierdo All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Page 1 of 3 Address Delivered by Her Excellency, Marie-Louise Coleiro
    Page 1 of 3 Address delivered by Her Excellency, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, at the Parliament in Palermo, following the conferment of Honorary Membership to the Societa' Italiana di Storia della Medicina, 11 June 2018 Honourable Gianfranco Miccichè, President of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Honourable Members of the Sicilian Regional Assembly Distinguished guests Dear friends I feel truly honoured to be welcomed to the prestigious parliament of Palermo, which was once also historically, so connected to my country. I would like to show my deep appreciation to all of you for attending this memorable occasion. Be- ing a parliamentarian myself for many years, I know how much your time is precious, and hence, I really appreciate the time you are sparing to welcome me to your parliamentary chambers. I also feel a deep of sense of connection with all of you and all the people of Sicily. The Sicilians and the Maltese share the same sea, share the same climate, share the same challenges and share the same successes. This has been our story since our formation. Our history is interlinked. Our human stories have brought us many a time together. Above all, nature made us so near to each other, in a most geostrategic position in the midst of our Mediterranean Sea. Together we form this natural bridge that brings together two most important continents. Both of our countries played important roles in the history of the diverse civilisations and cultures which made the Mediterranean Sea such an enriched region in the world. At a time when unfortunately the world seems so uncertain, when many of us feel suspicious and wary of one another, we have a most important role to play.
    [Show full text]
  • How Poland's EU Membership Helped Transform Its Economy Occasional
    How Poland’s EU Membership Helped Transform its Economy Marek Belka Occasional Paper 88 Group of Thirty, Washington, D.C. About the Author Marek Belka is the President of the National Bank of Poland. After completing economic studies at the University of Łódź in 1972, Professor Belka worked in the university’s Institute of Economics. He earned a PhD in 1978 and a postdoctoral degree in economics in 1986. Since 1986, he has been associated with the Polish Academy of Sciences. During 1978–79 and 1985–86, he was a research fellow at Columbia University and the University of Chicago, respectively, and in 1990, at the London School of Economics. He received the title of Professor of Economics in 1994. Since the 1990s, Professor Belka has held important public positions both in Poland and abroad. In 1990, he became consultant and adviser at Poland’s Ministry of Finance, then at the Ministry of Ownership Transformations and the Central Planning Office. In 1996, he became consultant to the World Bank. During 1994–96, he was Vice-Chairman of the Council of Socio-Economic Strategy at Poland’s Council of Ministers, and later economic adviser to the President of the Republic of Poland. Professor Belka served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on two occasions—in 1997, in the government of Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, and during 2001–02, in the government of Leszek Miller. During 2004–05, he was Prime Minister of Poland. Since 2006, Professor Belka has been Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and since January 2009, he has been Director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
    [Show full text]
  • RJEA Vol19 No2 December2019.Cdr
    Title: Common Interests and the Most Important Areas of Political Cooperation between Poland and Romania in the Context of the European Union Author: Justyna Łapaj-Kucharska Citation style: Łapaj-Kucharska Justyna. (2019). Common Interests and the Most Important Areas of Political Cooperation between Poland and Romania in the Context of the European Union. "Romanian Journal of European Affairs" (2019, vol. 19, no. 2, p. 63-86). ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS Vol. 19, No. 2, December 2019 Common Interests and the Most Important Areas of Political Cooperation between Poland and Romania in the Context of the European Union Justyna Łapaj-Kucharska1 Abstract: The article addresses several issues that constitute the main areas of Polish-Romanian relations in the 21st century in the political dimension and in the broad sense of security. Relations between Poland and Romania have been characterized in the context of the membership of both countries in the European Union. Particular emphasis was placed on the period of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of EU, which lasted from January to the end of June 2019. The article indicates the most important common interests of both countries, the ways for their implementation, as well as potential opportunities for the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The article also takes into account the key challenges that Poland and Romania must face in connection with EU membership. Keywords: Romania, Poland, European Union, Three Seas Initiative, multilateral cooperation. Introduction Polish-Romanian relations were particularly close in 1921-1939, when Romania was the only neighbour, apart from Latvia, who was Poland's ally.
    [Show full text]
  • Carmelo Abela Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Malta
    Carmelo Abela Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Malta A social democrat by conviction, Malta’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, Carmelo Abela (born 10th February 1972, Żejtun, Malta), is a strong believer in the capacity of the individual to make a positive difference. Standing out as a soft-spoken, driven politician, he has always led by example and conscientiously progressed through political circles. Before being first named to Cabinet, Mr Abela was employed with Mid-Med Bank Ltd, today HSBC Bank Malta plc, where he worked as a Manager. He was first elected to parliament in 1996, having served as a local councillor in his hometown of Żejtun, a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta, between 1994 and 1996. He has been returned to Parliament in all subsequent legislations. Over the years he has grown into increasingly senior roles within the Maltese Labour Party as well as Government, serving as Assistant Whip, Opposition Spokesperson for Youth and Sport and, later, Opposition Spokesperson for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture. In 2008, he was unanimously appointed Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative as well as Opposition Main Spokesperson for Industry, Foreign Investment, and Social Policy. As a Member of Parliament, Mr Abela also served as Regional Representative on the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Head of the Maltese Delegation of the Inter Parliamentary Union, and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Following his re-election in 2013, he was appointed Whip for the Government Parliamentary Group and, later, Government Spokesperson.
    [Show full text]
  • Statement by H.E. Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta at the High
    Statement by H.E. Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta at the High-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations Item 128(a) 21 September 2020 “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism” Secretary General, President of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen It is highly significant that at the moment the world is gripped by a global pandemic, we come together through virtual means, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations. In a matter of weeks, the pandemic manifested itself as the largest global challenge in the history of the United Nations. As the Final Declaration, which we endorse today, rightly states, ‘There is no other global organization with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact as the United Nations. No other global organization gives hope to so many people for a better world and can deliver the future we want. The urgency for all countries to come together, to fulfill the promise of the nations united, has rarely been greater.’ Mr President, Today, the 21st September, Malta celebrates 56 years of Independence, but what is also noteworthy is that Malta became the 114th member of the United Nations Organisation on the 1st December 1964, only a few weeks after gaining Independence. On the raising of the flag the then Maltese Prime Minister, Dr George Borg Olivier, emphasized Malta’s position between East and West, Europe and Africa, and spoke of Malta’s aspirations for peaceful development. Now that Malta had taken her place among the free nations, the Prime Minister pledged Malta’s contribution towards world peace in that, ‘spirit of heroic determination, in defence of traditional concepts of freedom and civilisation’, which have characterized Malta’s long history.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 H.E. Mr Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland H.E. Mr
    H.E. Mr Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland H.E. Mr Tomasz Grodzki, Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland H.E. Ms Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland H.E. Mr Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland 8 June 2020 Excellencies, On 19 March 2020 the Bar Council of England and Wales (Bar Council) and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) wrote to you to express grave concern as to the motion filed by the National Prosecution Office to the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court (Disciplinary Chamber) to waive the immunity of Judge Igor Tuleya. We called upon the relevant Polish authorities to respect their obligations under the Polish Constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights, and European Union law; to comply with the judgment of the Supreme Court of 5 December 2019; to respect the resolution of the Polish Supreme Court of 23 January 2020; to refrain from actions and statements attacking and vilifying judges and prosecutors; and to take all necessary measures to suspend the operation of the Disciplinary Chamber and end the politicisation of the new National Council of the Judiciary. We called for the arbitrary motion against Judge Igor Tuleya to be withdrawn without delay. We understand that there is to be a hearing of the motion on 9 June 2020. Since 19 March there have been important developments. On 8 April 2020 the Court of Justice of European Union specified in Case C-791/19 R (Commission v Poland) that Poland must immediately suspend the application of the national provisions on the powers of the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court with regard to disciplinary cases concerning judges.
    [Show full text]
  • ZAPA's Position on Chapter 1 and 2
    Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich ZAPA – Związek Autorów i Producentów Audiowizualnych Polish Filmmakers Association ZAPA – Union of Audiovisual Authors and Producers Warsaw, 17 February 2021 Mr Mateusz Morawiecki Prime Minister, Minister of Digitisation ul. Królewska 27 00-060 Warsaw Re: Proposal for a regulation on digital services COM (2020) 825 – Digital Services Act Dear Mr Prime Minister, Acting on behalf of the Polish Filmmakers Association – Union of Audiovisual Authors and Producers (hereinafter: “SFP-ZAPA”) we would like to thank you for the consultation meeting to discuss the proposal for a regulation on digital services COM (2020) 825 (hereinafter: “Regulation” or “Digital Services Act”), where its participants were asked to present their opinions on three questions, considered by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland (KPRM) to be of paramount importance, and to provide their comments on the provisions of Chapters I and II of the Digital Services Act. However, we would like to start by emphasizing that authors and the audiovisual sector have identified different top priority issues that should be discussed and modified at the stage of works carried out by the Council of the European Union. The basis of the Digital Services Act are the principles of exemption of service providers from liability for the provision of services by electronic means, which have been transferred almost unchanged from Directive 2000/31/EC of 8 June 2000 on certain legal aspects of information society services, in particular electronic commerce, in the Internal Market (hereinafter: “e- Commerce Directive”). However, the regulatory environment created in 2000 was responding to completely different needs and problems than those we are facing today.
    [Show full text]
  • Letter from 55 Civil Society Organisations to EU Heads Of
    To: Federal Chancellor of Austria, Sebastian Kurz; Prime Minister of Belgium, Charles Michel; Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borissov; Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic; President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades; Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babis; Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen; Prime Minister of Estonia, Juri Ratas; Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipila; President of the Republic of France, Emmanuel Macron; Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel; Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras; Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban; Taoiseach of Ireland, Leo Varadkar; Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte; Prime Minister of Latvia, Krisjanis Karins; President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite; Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel; Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat; Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte; Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki; Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Costa; President of Romania, Klaus Werner Iohannis; Prime Minister of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini; Prime Minister of Slovenia, Marjan Sarec; President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez; Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lofven. 7th May 2019 Dear Federal Chancellor/President/Prime Minister/Taoiseach, On behalf of 55 civil society organisations from across Europe, we are writing to you to urge you to nominate European commissioners who will support and serve present and future generations, and prioritise environment, quality of life and decent work. Every day, people across Europe struggle with growing poverty and inequality, deteriorating access to healthcare and worrying levels of youth unemployment. Meanwhile, many large companies pollute the environment, refuse to pay their fair share of taxes and wield disproportionate political influence.
    [Show full text]
  • The World After Brexit
    The world after Brexit The crucial variable is not British power but the weakness of Europe. By Brendan Simms, NEW STATESMAN, March 1, 2017 The challenges facing the United Kingdom over the next two years are numerous and increasing by the day: how to negotiate with the European Union, how to manage trade access after leaving the single market and customs union, how to deal with the rights of EU residents in Britain, how to sort out the Irish border, how to maintain the integrity of the United Kingdom and how to deal with an increasingly belligerent US president with a dwindling interest in the defence of Europe. This list is far from exhaustive. All of these issues are hugely important and they are closely interconnected. At root, however, they are a question of order, not so much of the “rules-based” global international community, significant though that is, but of the European order around which the world system was originally constructed and that remains – for the UK, at least – the primary pivot. To most eurozoners and many British Remainers, the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU, the principal political ordering mechanism of our continent, was a tragic act of self-indulgence based on a risible overestimation of the country’s current significance and bargaining power. In this narrative, particular emphasis is placed on the role of England and the English, who are quixotically defying the march of history. The Irish commentator Fintan O’Toole summed up this sentiment when he wrote, “The English are no longer dominant and powerful.
    [Show full text]