ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��

As the last members of the audience were carefully directed to their scattered seats, two formally dressed men positioned themselves on the stage of Tivoli Vredenburg’s Hertz hall. German ambassador Dirk Brengelmann and his French colleague Luis Vassy came to address the night’s central question ‘’How can Europe recover after Covid?”. Welcomed in their own languages by prof. Jacco Pekelder and dr. Marloes Beers, the ambassadors found themselves speaking from a podium transformed into a comfortable household.

Presenting themselves as a team, the ambassadors took turns in analysing the current state of Europe. As Mr. Brengelmann pointed out that making Europe fit for the future is an eternal mission, Mr. Vassy added Europeans have shown their resilience and adaptability in the Covid crisis. He argued that open institutions and cooperation have always been at the heart of European accomplishments. A recurring concurrence between the two was that European cooperation is vital to address challenges that countries cannot deal with individually. The climate crisis, a more assertive China and a less predictable USA are all named as issues that call for an organised response. If Europeans want to maintain control over themselves, (named ‘European Sovereignty’ by the French), strengthening ties is imperative. The question about how to actually realise this common response sparked the first major discussion of the night.

Historical realism

Mr. Brengelmann concluded his introduction with the acknowledgement that the EU needs a stronger foreign policy, but that the required agreement from within can pose challenges. In an attempt to concretise this discussion, prof. Beatrice de Graaf infused the discussion with what she called ‘’historical realism’’. She pointed out there are criteria to successful cooperation, amongst which limited group size and agreement enforcement. The ambassadors diplomatically replied to pursue big scale cooperation based on strong European values, while acknowledging that sometimes clusters within the EU are indeed inevitable. In a hopeful spirit, Mr. Brengelmann pointed out that trust amongst countries is expected, enabling Europeans to bind themselves to effective enforcement.

A European North-South divide?

In light of European cooperation on Covid-19, the negotiations on the EU rescue package could not remain undiscussed. Many Europeans will recall the near-toxic atmosphere between the so-called ‘frugal four’ and the southern Member States in need of financial aid. A question from the audience addressed this by asking how Germany and France feel about the alterations to their initial, more generous rescue package proposal. In line with the European spirit of the night, Mr. Vassy answered that the final rescue package was an outstanding compromise. Addressing the concerns of the more financially conservative Member States, Mr. Brengelmann argued that everyone profits from the EU tremendously. Although some states are net contributors to the EU, open trade and close cooperation bring about benefits that are sometimes hard to calculate.

Populism in Europe

Having addressed political organisation and financial cooperation, the discussion moved into a more personal and cultural direction. Mr. Brengelmann analysed the rise of populism fuelled by questions on national identity and a fear of globalisation. In the same spirit, Mr. Vassy addressed Euroscepticism, outlining the self-contradicting sentiment that the EU is controlling too much and achieving too little. Whereas they agreed that public engagement and support is essential to the EU as a democratic system, they realise inviting opposers of transnational cooperation to a discussion like this is difficult.

Taking back control

Cognizant of the danger of well-known cultural caricatures, both ambassadors agreed that Europeans should cherish what they have in common. Both beneficial and indispensable to Europeans’ futures, European cooperation should be strengthened democratically. Mr. Vassy pointed out that not everyone sees the benefits of this cooperation as directly as a diplomat. However, he expressed his hope that Europeans will become more aware that a stronger ‘European Sovereignty’ is the only way to stand ground at global negotiation tables. A witty observation by prof. Pekelder formed the conclusion of the evening. He noted that the ambassadors had turned the previously pro-Brexit sentiment of ‘take back control’ into one of the strongest pro-European arguments yet.

Interested to (re)watch the lecture? Please find it on .