On the 23rd May E3G held the last in its Spring series of Thinking Events, this time in Szentendre, Hungary in association with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe.
Discussion Overview
The discussions at the roundtable revealed a shared sense that:
- There is a clear need for a rejuvenated European project that can gather member states and citizens around a sense of common identity that confers legitimacy to Europe as an actor. Only then will Europe be able to lead by example on the global stage in ways that promote security and prosperity for all and which safeguard Europe’s values.
- Europe’s lack of confidence in its economic situation is sapping its ability to act. The Lisbon Agenda discourse of competitiveness is misleading as to Europe’s economic strengths. Europe has a window of opportunity to shape global interdependence, for example in its relations with China.
- The task of making such a shift is fundamentally a political one, yet one that will not be able to happen through the conventional political party system. A new platform where the political choices Europeans want can be offered is still to be identified
The event report and participants list are attached.
