The Belgian Presidency: From Dawn till Dusk

Date: Thursday 27 June 2024 

Time: 9.15 to 13.00 

Venue: Fondation Universitaire (Rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels) 

Over the past months, holding the last Presidency of the Council of the EU before the European elections, Belgium has been working to tackle key challenges and harness opportunities to navigate the path forward for Europe. Amidst converging challenges within and around the EU, Belgium’s input has been crucial in shaping the European Council’s Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029. 

As Belgium’s presidency comes to an end, the Egmont Institute is organising a closing conference, “Belgian Presidency: From Dawn till Dusk”, to mark the end of the Egmont Belgian Presidency Programme. The event will be an opportunity to bring together experts, officials, and policymakers who have worked closely with the Egmont Institute throughout the presidency. In this two-session conference, panelists will reflect upon Belgium’s achievements and deliverables over the past semester and discuss the policy areas which require further attention in the future.  

The conference will take place in-person on Thursday 27 June from 9.15 to 13.00 at the Fondation Universitaire. 

Program:

9.15 – 9.30

Introduction by Pol de Witte (Director General, Egmont Institute)
Welcome word by Hadja Lahbib (Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs)

9.30 – 11.00

PANEL 1: The Achievements of the Presidency: Evaluating Belgium’s Deliverables

Speakers

Stefaan De Rynck (Head of European Commission Representation in Belgium)
Wouter Detavernier (Deputy Director General European Affairs and Coordination, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Belgium)
Erik Jones (Director Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, EUI)

Other speakers to be confirmed

Moderator: Mariam Khotenashvili (Executive Director, TEPSA)

11.00 – 11.15

COFFEE BREAK

11.15 – 12.45

PANEL 2: The Wish List: Lessons Learned and Visions for the Future

Speakers

Frank Arnauts (Ambassador – Senior Coordinator for the Future of Europe, EU Strategic Foresight and Open Strategic Autonomy)
Christiane Höhn (Head of Unit – Analysis and Research Team, Council of the EU)
Zsuzsanna Végh (Program Officer, German Marshall Fund, Hungary)
Other speakers to be confirmed

Moderator: François Roux (Senior Associate Fellow, Egmont Institute)

12.45 – 13.00

Concluding remarks by Janis Emmanouilidis (Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Studies, European Policy Centre)

13.00 – 14:00

LUNCH RECEPTION

(Photo credit: www.flickr.com)