Strategy group on rethinking Europe’s near abroad

Strategic reflection on the assets a more active European policy should prioritize in a changing and challenging regional environment

Guests

Guests:

Irena Krasnicka, Special Envoy on Migration, Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Robert Dieter, European Correspondent, German Federal Foreign Office

Torbjörn Sohlström, Advisor, Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Jozef Waanders, Strategic Policy Advisor, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Chaired by

Alba Lamberti, Senior Director for Advocacy, ECFR

Mark Leonard, Director, ECFR

In it's first session of 2016 Rethink: Europe's Foreign Policy Strategy group discussed new approaches to Europe's changing and challenging regional environment. With crisis as the new normal, the problems of Europe’s neighbourhood will become more convoluted before they get better. A changing environment with deepening rivalries in the arc spanning from Morocco to Iran and the Caucasus forces Europe to reconfigure its approach towards the entire region. This requires a strategic reflection on the assets of a more active European regional policy. For this meeting we invited participants to engage in a rethinking of European foreign policy priorities to feed into forthcoming ECFR work on the neighbourhood.

Learn more about the Rethink: Europe project here.