Wider Europe Conference at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Integrating the Wider Europe After the Lisbon Treaty: 3 – 4 February 2011

The participants reviewed the development of the European Union's external policy following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and analysed how those changes affect enlargement policy and relations with the EU's neighbourhood.

The European Parliament President, Jerzy Buzek, opened the conference with a wide-ranging keynote speech on EU foreign policy. This was followed by a panel of Members of the European Parliament from different political families, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Kristian Vigenin and Adrian Severin, who discussed the development of EU external relations from the point of view of the European Parliament.

In the final session on February 3. three eminent specialists, Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the EEAS, Antonio Missiroli from BEPA and Pawel Swieboda from demosEuropa,  discussed the future of the EU's external policy following the changes produced by the Lisbon Treaty and the creation of the European External Action Service.

The first session on February 4. analysed the future of enlargement policy. This session was introduced by a general analysis of EU enlargement policy given by Commission Director Pierre Mirel, followed by papers on the ‘nationalisation’ of enlargement policy by Christophe Hillion and on public opinion on enlargement in the member states by Nat Copsey.

The two final sessions were devoted to the European Union's Neighbourhood Policy and particularly to the Association Agreements currently being negotiated with several East European countries.

This session was introduced by EEAS director, Gunnar Wiegand. These treaties contain deep and comprehensive free trade area agreements, which were dealt with by Philippe Cuisson from the European Commission's Trade Directorate General. Alan Mayhew gave a paper on the economics of DCFTAs.  This session was chaired by Heather Grabbe Director OSI Brussels.

In the final session the Ambassadors of Ukraine and Georgia to the European Union and Susan Stewart, a senior researcher from the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin, discussed how EU integration is viewed in the countries of Eastern Europe. This session was chaired by Olga Shumylo-Tapiola, from the Carnegie Europe Centre. 

(more on www.wider-europe.org)