International Conference – Brussels, December 4-5, 2018
The Aspen Institute Romania, in the framework of AIfE, and in partnership with the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Bucharest office, and the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union, organized the conference The Europe NEXT Project – Cores and Peripheries in Europe?, held in Brussels on December 4-5, 2018.
The event benefited from the partnership of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) as knowledge partners.
The goal of this first edition of The Europe NEXT Project was to identify fresh arguments in defense of a united Europe and to outline an impetus for a new stage in the European Union’s journey, with a renewed emphasis on respecting and reflecting the different views, interests, and ambitions of the member states, as well as those of the potential new members.
The future of the Union will depend on an ambitious political vision and the full deployment of its budgetary and investment capacities, but also on an indispensable reconnect with its multiple constituencies and public opinions. The Aspen Institutes in Europe are uniquely positioned in terms of network, programs, reputation, and geography to spearhead and sustain such a complex and multifaceted debate.
The Europe NEXT Project envisages a 3-year endeavor, with a series of conferences and policy papers in each of the country holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and the Aspen Institutes host countries.
The conference gathered high-level officials and individuals with extensive experience in policymaking, political analysis and business, with the aim to map concrete and innovative outcomes for the topics approached.
