Candidate Countries: With or Without You?

Annual Conference of the Master in European Affairs, Sciences Po.

13:00 – 13:15 Welcome speeches
– Mr. Florent Parmentier, Scientific Advisor, Master in European Affairs, Sciences Po
– Mr. Renaud Soufflot de Magny, Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in France

13:15 – 13:50 Opening Speech by Keynote Speaker
– Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, EEAS Managing Director for Europe and Central Asia

13:50 – 15:20 PANEL I: PERCEPTIONS OF EUROPE
What do the citizens of EU member states think about the candidates for EU membership? What do the non-EU Europeans think about the EU? Is Turkey doomed to receive negative polls forever? How can be Europeans convinced about the benefits of enlargement? What role does “European identity” play in the process of EU enlargement?
Moderator: Mr. Christian Lequesne, Director, CERI, Sciences Po
– H.E. Ms. Berglind Asgeirsdottir, Appointed Ambassador of Iceland to France, Spain, Italy and Andorra; Permanent Representative of Iceland to the OECD, UNESCO and the Council of Europe (TBC)
– Ms. Sylvie Goulard, Member of the European Parliament (ALDE, FR), former advisor to the President of the European Commission
– Mr. Jean Dominique Guiliani, Chairman, Robert Schuman Foundation
– Mr. Goran Štefanić, Deputy Head of Mission, Croatian Embassy in Paris
Discussion

15:30 – 17:00 PANEL II: FILLING THE GAP? A STRATEGY FOR THE BALKANS
Does the EU want to democratize or only stabilize the Western Balkans? Are the EU’s individual and regional approaches towards the ex-Yugoslav countries balanced in the right way? Is the carrotand-stick strategy applied in Central Europe effective in the Western Balkans? Would the enlargement still be interesting for the EU if Greece was bordering Slovenia?
Moderator: Ms. Olga Spaiser, PhD Candidate, CEE, Sciences Po
– Mr. Zoltán Fejes, First Counsellor – European Affairs, Hungarian Embassy in Paris
– Ms. Gaëlle Pério, journalist, author, Robert Schuman Foundation
– Mr. Vincent Rey, European Commission, DG Enlargement, Deputy Head of Unit A2 – Information and Communication
– Ms. Natasha Wunsch, Research Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations
Discussion

17:10 – 18:40 PANEL III: ALTERNATIVES TO ENLARGEMENT
Are there any viable alternatives to EU enlargement and full membership in the EU? What are the other possibilities and platforms of cooperation? What can the EU offer to the North African countries attempting democratization?
Moderator: Mr. Philippe Perchoc, President, Nouvelle Europe
– Ms. Heather Grabbe, Director, Open Society Institute – Brussels, Former Advisor to the Commissioner for Enlargement
– Mr. Sylvain Kahn, Senior Researcher, Sciences Po Centre d’histoire, Producer and Moderator, France Culture
– Mr. Gerald Knaus, Director, European Stability Initiative
– Mr. Mongi Bousnina, Professor of Geopolitics – University of Tunis, Former Minister of Culture of Tunisia, Former Ambassador of Tunisia to France, Former Representative of Tunisia to UNESCO and the International Organisation of La Francophonie
Discussion
18:40 – 19:00 Final Remarks and Conclusions
Mr. Florent Parmentier, Scientific Advisor, Master in European Affairs, Sciences Po
19:00 Reception