Seminar: Hvordan skal EU forholde sig til de revolutionære bevægelser i Nordafrika?

Time: Thursday, February 10 at 14 – 16 hours

Venue: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, ground floor, Strandgade 71, Christianshavn, 1401 Kbn K

Background

The events in Tunisia and Egypt in the recent weeks have caught Europe off-guard.

Time: Thursday, February 10 at 14 – 16 hours

Venue: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, ground floor, Strandgade 71, Christianshavn, 1401 Kbn K

Background

The events in Tunisia and Egypt in the recent weeks have caught Europe off-guard.

European Union institutions, member states and influential southern European governments supported the Tunisian regime until the very day when President Ben Ali was forced to flee the country.

After years of preaching reforms and democratization through the Barcelona process and the European Neighbourhood Policy, while at the same time supporting undemocratic regimes in the name of regional stability, the EU is now faced with the consequence of this approach: a lack of influence in the region.

Why have the policies of the EU failed in the region? How should the EU relate to popular Islamist forces in the region? What role does the bilateral relationships between some EU member states like France and the North African countries play? And finally, where do the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt leave the EU’s Mediterranean policy?

SPEAKERS
* Fabrizio Tassinari, Senior Researcher, DIIS
* Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher, DIIS
* Rasmus Alenius Boserup, Postdoc. Researcher, DIIS, former director of the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute (DEDI)
* Ulla Holm, Senior Researcher, DIIS

PROGRAMME
14.00-14.05
Introduction by Fabrizio Tassinari, Senior Researcher, DIIS

14.05-14.20
What Went Wrong? EU Policies Towards North Africa and the Middle East – Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher, DIIS

14.20-14.35
The Islamist Challenge. Possible Scenarios for the Rise of Islamism in the Region – Rasmus Alenius Boserup, Postdoc. Researcher, DIIS

14.35-14.50
The Faut Pas of France: The Role of EU Member States in the Region – Ulla Holm, Senior Researcher, DIIS

14.50-15.00
Which Way Ahead? The Future of EU Policy Towards the Region – Fabrizio Tassinari, Senior Researcher, DIIS

15.00-15.15
Coffee Break

15.15-16.00
Open Discussion

Chair: Fabrizio Tassinari, Senior Researcher, DIIS

The seminar will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the online registration form.

And do so no later than Wednesday February 9 at 12.00 noon

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.

Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), The Conference Section, Strandgade 56, 1401 Kbn K, tlf. 32 69 87 51, e-mail: [email protected] og web: www.diis.dk