Thread by @tepsaeu

We are continuing and concluding the #SwedishPPC today, starting with a plenary session: "Europe in a Competitive World", in which @JessikaRoswall, @MalmstromEU, @IlkeToygur & @FabianZuleeg will speak

Highlights below⤵️

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.@JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, begins by thanking TEPSA for its #TEPSArecommendations to the incoming Swedish Presidency of the Council of the Euroepan Union

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"We must aid Ukraine's resistance for Russia in a unified manner across a number of areas, and in cooperation with international allies [...] I thank TEPSA for its Recommendations in this area"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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"During the Swedish Presidency we want to put competitiveness issues front and center: competitive companies will bring growth, accelerate the green transition, and increase the EU's capacity to be a geopolitical actor"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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Following introductory remarks from @JessikaRoswall on the priorities of the Swedish Presidency, we turn to @MalmstromEU to ponder the dillemma of unity: keeping everyone on board, but also doing enough to address challenges

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"What we see with 8 big packages of sanctions and the further EU response to Russia's war is a striking example of EU unity, but there are challenges: forces in Italy with strong Russia relations, Orbán threatening the unified position from Hungary, and more"

- @MalmstromEU

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"These challenges must be faced head on, because this war risks lasting a long time - there are also other issues such as post-COVID recovery, which has yet to be dealt with"

@MalmstromEU

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"We see a securitisation of trade and supply chains, involving geopolitical considerations in these processes in a new way - combined with the trade distortions left after COVID, the EU faces a significant challenge"

- @MalmstromEU

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"We need to expand Europe's circle of friends, especially in expanding trade relations; to make sure the digital transition is successful by engaging with Asian partners; to integrate more with Africa; to modernise international institutions"

- @MalmstromEU

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"The EU's relations in the continent and beyond are extremely important in the context of discussing what the EU should do in a competitive world: continental and international relations are of paramount importance"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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"Most of the threats today are threats with our borders, competition today is most based on resilience. These are the main considerations to make when thinking of the EU in a competitive world"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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"Connectivity in the European neighbourhood and beyond will in future become increasingly important when tackling borderless threats"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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"When it comes to the European continent, we have enlargement, we have the neighbourhood, we have EFTA countries + Swizterland"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS) on the complexity of EU action on the continent

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"We need to invest in transatlantic relations, but invest smartly: even though we have coordination on sanctions for Russia and aid for Ukraine, the EU has a different role to play in the future to come dealing between China and the USA"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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Following the initial remarks from @JessikaRoswall, @MalmstromEU & @IlkeToygur, our moderator @FabianZuleeg begins a discussion with a question on the extent to which Europe is capable of being proactive when it comes to real challenges on the world stage

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"The intensity of contact between Brussels and Washington is higher than it has been for years as a result of the war in Ukraine, but there are more issues to discuss with the USA and there are challenges here"

- @MalmstromEU

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"The Trade & Tech Council between the EU and USA works well, and will soon come with some conclusions on cooperation in global trade, but it needs to go much deeper than it currently does"

- @MalmstromEU

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"If Europe also engaged in a 'Made in Europe' race, it would damage US relations and would risk discord in the internal market with Member States going in a 'Country First' direction"

- @MalmstromEU

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"One of the questions this raises is how far the EU is ready to cooperate on these particular challenges - if Europe does not cooperate, we do risk 'Country First' approaches"

- @FabianZuleeg passes the floor to @JessikaRoswall to ask the role of the Swedish Presidency

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"We cannot be in a mode of perpetual crisis: since the pandemic & war in Ukraine we find ourselves reacting to crises - we must also think in the long term: this is where the EU can do a lot"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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How should the EU invest in soft power? Is it realistic for the EU to be a broker in the USA-China relations?

"We are witnessing a very good relation between the US State Department and the @EU_Commission, this is something we should use"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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"The European Union functions best in a world where there are rules, where there are international institutions and norms. The EU is involved with international partners to keep institutions like the WTO functioning and relevant"

- @MalmstromEU

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.@FabianZuleeg brings the conversation to the EU's influence in the neighbourhood: "#Zelenskyy has stated that EU accession talks should begin immediately, and that he expects Ukraine to be a Member State within 5 years" - the EU is good at talking, but what can it do?

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"What can Sweden do during its Presidency? We have put it on the agenda, to figure out how to actively support Ukraine through the accession process - there is a timeline in the Commission"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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What about relations with the Western Balkans, including via #enlargement? Moderator @FabianZuleeg poses the question to the panel

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"We are in a two-track conversation: one which talks about aligning with the Acquis via formal enlargement processes, one which talks about connecting these countries to the EU - there should be a smart way to integrate these and facilitate enlargement"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)
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"Enlargement is about credibility for the EU itself: we worked hard on conditionality and should invest in making sure it works to facilitate enlargement, but we must recognise that this will not be easy"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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.@FabianZuleeg: "How can we tackle the problem of individual countries like Hungary having the power to hold up the rest of the Union?"

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"As the incoming Presidency it is good to have this discussion, but it will not be easy for us to resolve issues of Member States blocking EU decisions"

- @JessikaRoswall in response to @FabianZuleeg's question on Hungary blocking EU decisions

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We now move on to a dynamic Q&A session between the audience and our panellists @JessikaRoswall (Swedish Minister for EU Affairs), @MalmstromEU (@PIIE), @IlkeToygur (@CSIS), and moderator @FabianZuleeg (@epc_eu)

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"For security guarantees to Ukraine we need a true international consortium, led by the EU but in a more international setting"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS) on operationalising security guarantees to Ukraine

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"On the Trade & Tech Council with the USA: it is a talking shop, but it is good to talk - we need more institutional organisations or platforms where we can discuss matters of common concern. Efforts here should be deepened"

- @MalmstromEU

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"We are three pro-European parties in this government, aiming to have a stronger place within the EU. I don't think federalism will solve some of these questions"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs, on different approaches to the Future of Europe

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A final question from @FabianZuleeg: "What would be your political emphasis for the Swedish Presidency?"

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"We need a wider Europe: this is an area where we have to progress for the reasons I have mentioned today - we need a smart, sustainable, green wider Europe"

- @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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"There are lots of things on the agenda - most challenging will be to keep Europe united vis-a-vis Ukraine and Russia, transatlantic relations, and China"

- @MalmstromEU

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"We should move forward as much as possible, continue the support to Ukraine, and put competitiveness truly on the agenda - this is my goal for the Swedish Presidency"

- @JessikaRoswall, Swedish Minister for EU Affairs

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"We have a number of immediate issues coming together, we have ongoing transitions which need to be addressed, and we have also increasingly seen a question of economic security - the great challenge is to find new answers to these issues"

- @FabianZuleeg closes the panel

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Thank you to our speakers in this first panel: @FabianZuleeg (@epc_eu), @JessikaRoswall (Swedish Minister for EU Affairs), @MalmstromEU (@PIIE), and @IlkeToygur (@CSIS)

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Up next, and as a final session for the #SwedishPPC, Chair of the TEPSA Board Lucia Mokrá and Director of @ResearchUI, @HallgrenJakob, give their concluding remarks

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"Security, competitiveness, the green transition, and the rule of law are key priorities for the incoming Swedish Presidency, as we have heard today and yesterday - this is a good basis for the next six months"

- @HallgrenJakob, Director of @ResearchUI

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"We understand the severity and bleakness of the current challenges facing Europe: the biggest war in Europe since WWII, an uncertain energy crisis, a galloping economic crisis"
- @HallgrenJakob, Director of @ResearchUI on the challenges facing the Swedish Presidency's agenda
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"It is always challenging to summarise two days of interesting and important insights from leading European experts on the challenges facing Europe"

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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"Russia's war in Ukraine cause a unique solidarity in Europe, and is a catalyst for bringing Europe forward, not only in sanctioning Russia for its actions and supporting Ukraine, but in accelerating energy transition and more"

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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"The European Union needs to rely on its Member States. The role of the Rotating Presidency plays the crucial role of addressing both the European unity and the national support which is needed"

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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"We have to stay united, to stick with our fundamental values, to move forward together into the Future of Europe: the EU can only be as strong as it is able to address the needs of those who are in need"

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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On these final remarks from @HallgrenJakob and Lucia Mokrá, the #SwedishPPC comes to a close

Thank you to all our speakers, to all conference sponsors, and to the team at @ResearchUI for their collaboration in organising this conference

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Be sure to stay tuned to our channels for the next steps in previewing the incoming Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

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