You are cordially invited to our conference entitled The Arctic: Belgium’s role in shaping its future organised by the Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations.

The focus of the conference will be on the role and strong engagement of Belgium in and on the Arctic, and its contribution in shaping the future of the region, from a national, European and international context. It aims to draw the attention of the upcoming Belgian Government on the strategic importance of the Arctic for Belgium and suggest key topics to be addressed by Belgium’s first Arctic Policy.

The conference will bring together European and national experts and policy makers from the scientific, economic and policy spheres, with keynote speeches and two panel discussions, one on Climate, Research and Innovation, and one on Economic Interests, International Cooperation and Security. The conference will be opened by the Director General of the Egmont Institute, Mr Pol De Witte, and concluded with closing remarks by Belgian Ambassador Patrick Renault, Senior Coordinator for the Arctic and Antarctica, followed by a networking reception.

Programme:

13:30 – 14:00             Registration

14:00 – 14:05              Welcome by Mr. Pol De Witte (Director General of Egmont – Royal Institute for International Relations)

14:05 – 15:00              Keynote speeches

Speakers:

• Jasper Pillen (Member of the Flemish Parliament)
• Ambassador Véronique Petit (Director-General Multilateral Affairs and Globalisation, FPS Foreign Affairs, International Trade & Development Cooperation)
• Jean-Pascal van Ypersele (Former IPCC Vice-Chair, Université Catholique de Louvain and Université de Liège)
• (TBC) Ms. Charlina Vitcheva (Director-General DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission)

15:00 – 16:15              Panel 1: Climate, Research and Innovation

Moderator: Ms. Karen van Loon (Associate Fellow, Egmont Institute)

Speakers:

• Frank Pattyn (President of the Belgian National Committee on Antarctic Research – BNCAR)
• Wieter Boone (Research Engineer and Head of Marine Robotics Centre – Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ))
• François Massonnet (F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate, Université Catholique de Louvain)
• Jill De Visscher (PhD Researcher in soil and lake microbiome diversity and functioning in the Arctic and Antarctica, Universiteit Gent)
• (TBC) Ms. Tina Schoolmeester (Head of Programme, Polar and Climate – GRID Arendal)

16:15 – 16:35             Break

16:35 – 17:50             Panel 2: Economic Interests, International Cooperation & Security

Moderator: Ms. Marie-Anne Coninsx (Senior Associate Fellow, Egmont Institute, Former EU Ambassador at Large for the Arctic)

Speakers:

• Bernard Gilliot (Honorary President FEB and President of the FEB Energy & Climate Commission)
• Pieter-Jan Provoost (Director Energy Technology Club – Agoria)
• Claude Véron-Réville (EU Special Envoy for Arctic Matters)
• Geneviève Brisson (Delegate General of Québec in Brussels)
• Kurt Engelen (Belgian Navy Captain and Senior Researcher, Centre for Security and Defence Studies at the Belgian Royal Military Academy)

17:50 – 18:00              Closing remarks by Ambassador Patrick Renault, newly appointed Belgian Senior Coordinator for the Arctic and Antarctic

18:00 – 19:00              Reception

(Photo credit: Pexels )