Thread by @tepsaeu

"Forging the Future of Europe", our birthday party to ourselves, is starting‼️ Join us as we mark the 50th anniversaries of TEPSA and the #EuropeanCouncil

As always, we're collecting all the best bits here from our conference packed full of high-level speakers🧵

We're streaming live on our website so tune in if you are unable to join us for our #Brussels conference marking the 50th anniversaries of TEPSA and the #EuropeanCouncil

📺👉

/2tepsa.eu/events/public-…

In our first session we look back on 50 years of trans-European knowledge exchanges in a series of speeches by those who lives TEPSA's history first-hand

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But the 50 years of TEPSA and the #EUCO are not the only anniversaries we are marking today: in our final session later on we will reflect on the future of 🇪🇺 #enlargement on the 20th anniversary of the so-called 'Big Bang' enlargement

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"From the founding of TEPSA in 1974, we have grown to a network of 49 member institutes in 37 European countries: this bottom-up approach makes us well-placed to make a unique contribution to the European project" - fmr. Secretary-General Graham Avery's message to TEPSA

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Following @CloosJim's opening remarks and recitation of Graham Avery's tribute to TEPSA, the floor passes to Godelieve Westlake-Vandamme, here representing the family of a TEPSA founding father: Jacques Vandamme

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@CloosJim "My father was idealist, pragmatist, federalist. He loved ideas, and there was never anything better than a good exchange of views. Ideas and practice, concept and pragmatism were fundamental to him"

- Godelieve Westlake-Vandamme on TEPSA founding father Jacques Vandamme

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@CloosJim "TEPSA organised a consultation, helped to process the information, and helped to formulate political recommendations"

- Godelieve Westlake-Vandamme on the first edition of #TEPSArecommendations to incoming Council Presidencies with Jacques Vandamme

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@CloosJim We now turn to former TEPSA Chairperson, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wessels: "What kind of success stories do we have? TEPSA's enlargement to 49 members, our Pre-Presidency Conferences, and our many activities beyond these"

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@CloosJim "I remember our first Pre-Presidency Conference in December 1974, previewing the next semester even at the very beginning. I am happy that this tradition has continued for TEPSA's entire history"

- Wolfgang Wessels, fmr. TEPSA Chairperson

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@CloosJim We now move to our panel on the 50th anniversary of the #EuropeanCouncil, in which we will hear from former members of the EUCO and expert discussants

Watch LIVE on our website! 👉

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@CloosJim Our first guest is former Prime Minister of Belgium and the first permanent President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy: what was his experience of the #EuropeanCouncil

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@CloosJim "At that time, Belgian politics was in a turbulent stage, as was European politics. I was told that we had one year to solve the Greek crisis. In my first European Council, we decided the basis for all further actions in the Eurozone crisis"

- Herman Van Rompuy

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@CloosJim "Why was the EUCO so important in the Eurozone crisis: first, because the money had to come from national purses, so the leaders needed to agree; second, because this was an existential crisis. The end of the Eurozone would have been the end of the EU"

- Herman Van Rompuy

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@CloosJim "In a crisis, you automatically have a concentration of powers: somebody has to decide. This is why the European Council's role in crisis management is so important"

- Herman Van Rompuy

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@CloosJim On his experience as #EUCO President towards other institutions like the Commission: "I met with the Commission President weekly and built a relationship of trust. We were in the same boat, and fighting for the same European cause"

- Herman Van Rompuy

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@CloosJim "At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2012, we were all there. This is how I approached inter-institutional relations: we are on the same team"

- Herman Van Rompuy

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@CloosJim We now turn to @IlkeToygur for her views on the current status of the #EUCO: "At a time of extreme change and transition in many areas, how can we square the circle that the leaders in the EUCO are ultimately party politicians worried about re-election."

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur For a critique of the status of the EUCO in a time of permanent crisis, @spornschlegel: "There is space to grow: there is a lack of foresight and understanding of where we are heading, and the EUCO is functionally unable to deal with more than one crisis at the time."

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel "When you enter the room of the European Council, you transform yourself. You know that you have to compromise, you know that you have to make a deal. This is the essence of the European Union"

- Herman Van Rompuy on the experience of being a EUCO member

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel We are pleased to welcome now @EnricoLetta, former Prime Minister of Italy, for his experiences of the #EuropeanCouncil: "I was very impressed with how Herman Van Rompuy managed the EUCO during his tenure, coinciding with one of the most complicated times in European history"
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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta "After many decades without knowing very well what is in the rules of the European Council, landing with the Lisbon Treaty was a huge benefit: for so long before then, perhaps the most important body was the least defined"

- @EnricoLetta, fmr. Prime Minister of Italy

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta "In my view, the one-word definition of the European Council is 'ownership'. This is to say that at the end of the day, the leaders of national governments need to take collective responsibility on what we do together"

- @EnricoLetta, fmr. Prime Minister of Italy

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta "There is another important aspect: the PLACE where meetings takes place. I don't think it is a good choice to completely eliminate meetings in the countries. We need to avoid that people say 'Brussels decides', and to share ownership visibly"

- @EnricoLetta, fmr. Italian PM
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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta In the last portion of our panel on the #EuropeanCouncil we turn to our audience in the room for a Q&A session with our panellists

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta In the third and final session of our conference we are looking forward at "The Future of EU Enlargement", moderated by our Executive Director @MariamKhote and featuring the expert views of Anna Jarosz-Friis, Maryem van den Heuvel, Jean-Louis de Brouwer, and Giselle Bosse

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote This panel takes place in the context of TEPSA's latest book "Enlargement and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals", which you can learn more about here 👉

/27tepsa.eu/book-on-the-fu…

@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote ...and you can still follow along from home via the livestream of this conference on our website!

👉

/28tepsa.eu/events/public-…

@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote Our moderator @MariamKhote begins by asking Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council): "How would you assess Members' enthusiasm for #enlargement?"

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote "'When you go together, you can go far.' This philosophy is guiding our enlargement process. And if you look at our previous enlargements, we have been successful in the past"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote "Membership is a significant responsibility for the candidate in question and also for the EU. Legitimacy and ownership of such a decision are key, which is why QMV cannot be applied to enlargement"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote "The Member States really insist on having a merits-based approach, and that approach has been strengthened: there is no sugar-coating. It's important to do it step-by-step to avoid problems later on"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote "We will make sure that our candidate countries continue to advance on the European path"

Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council) concludes her first intervention

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote We now turn to Anna Jarosz-Friis, Director of Ukraine Service and Acting Head of Unit of Secretariat of the Donor Coordination Platform @eu_near

The question from @MariamKhote: "How does a geopolitical Commission navigate negative external factors in enlargement?"

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near "The EU is fundamentally about peace, democracy, security, and prosperity. This is our appeal to the candidate countries and we cannot ignore it. This is why we can't afford to compromise on the merits-based approach"

- Anna Jarosz-Friis (@eu_near)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near "The economic challenge of this enlargement is much more manageable than it was in 2004. Geo-strategically, there is also a value proposition for the security and competitiveness of the internal market"

- Anna Jarosz-Friis (@eu_near) on the prospect of enlargement

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near .@MariamKhote now turns to @EgmontInstitute's Jean-Louis de Brouwer: "What lessons would you draw from the 2004 enlargement, and what can be done better this time around?"

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute "At the time of the 2004 enlargement, things were simpler: none of those countries were at war, they all came from a shared past, and in this sense were quite homogenous."

- Jean-Louis de Brouwer (@EgmontInstitute)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute "We don't think we are moving towards another 'Big Bang'-style enlargement, rather to more of a 'regatta' approach"

- Jean-Louis de Brouwer (@EgmontInstitute) on what the next EU enlargement might look like

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute We now turn to Giselle Bosse for her view on the prospect of enlargement in a geopolitical context: "We have a Russian state which is determined to avoid an EU enlargement and it is clear that the EU cannot through enlargement alone ensure security and stability"

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute "The remains a fundamental security issue: Russia cares a lot more about winning in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova, than does the West - is NATO really willing to trigger Article 5 and act upon it?"

- Giselle Bosse (@MaastrichtU)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU "'Enlargement makes no sense if it can be denied by a foreign actor using military force': is it sufficiently acknowledged that the candidates and the EU itself are facing a very serious adversary?"

- @MariamKhote with a crucial question to Maryem van den Heuvel

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU "We must be vigilant and aware of what is happening. The EU continues to prepare itself, recently activating the 'IPCR' to share information on foreign interference in the run-up to the #EUelections2024"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU "Moscow believes that it is entitled to spheres of influence, and if they cannot exert control, they push for chaos. We see it in our neighbourhood, we see it farther afield."
- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council) on the threat posed by Russia
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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU "Hopefully in July we will be able to sign the EU-Ukraine security guarantees. This does not seek to oppose NATO, rather, both go hand in hand. It is a question of ' and-and', not ' and-or'"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX, General Secretariat of the Council)

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU What about the place of enlargement in the next MFF? "Enlargement, both in terms of financing the candidates, and of the internal impact, is one of the drivers. The question is what can be financed better at the EU level than the national?"

- Maryem van den Heuvel (DG RELEX)
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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU We're currently enjoying a dynamic Q&A with our audience members in the room 👉 join us on our website for the livestream!

➡️

/47tepsa.eu/events/public-…

@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU Following our Q&A in this third panel, @MariamKhote brings the discussion on the future of #enlargement to a close, along with our anniversary conference "Forging the Future of Europe"

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@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU We would like to thank our expert speakers and special guests, as well as everyone who has contributed to TEPSA over the last fifty years - and stay tuned for more coming from our network very soon!

/ENDS

@CloosJim @IlkeToygur @spornschlegel @EnricoLetta @MariamKhote @eu_near @EgmontInstitute @MaastrichtU @threadreaderapp please unroll