Ideas for Europe

29 March 2011

Europe is fascinating. It is everywhere, in the political sphere, in our economic life, as a cultural reference and as part of what it means to be a citizen. But what is Europe? Is it an idea, an entity, an area, a project, a process? What are the original roots of the European construction and what are its ultimate objectives? Are the latter static or dynamic, defined once and for all or redefined along the way? How does this bear on its identity? Is Europe - as "formatted" in the European Union - a rule-based organization, or a value-based undertaking? Does it have borders, can a process have borders? These and many other questions will be addressed in a seminar jointly organized by the Embassy of Belgium and the European Institute of University College London. Prominent speakers will introduce a debate that promises to be lively and thought-provoking.

Speakers:

• Justine Lacroix, Professor at the Department of Political Science, Université Libre de Bruxelles
• Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Professor of International Relations, University of Oxford
• Simon Glendinning, Reader in European Philosophy, LSE
• Richard Bellamy, Professor of Political Science and Director of the European Institute, UCL

This event is by invitation only.

Residence of the Belgian Ambassador, Johan Verbeke
36 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8QB

This event, jointly organized by the UCL European Institute and the Belgian Embassy in London, forms part of a series of events organized by the Belgian Embassy addressing issues of common interest in an innovative and critical perspective.