The Jean Monnet Memorial Lecture
2009
Defending Europe needs a coordinated
approach – UK and France have a major responsibility
“ The European Union needs to
supplement its economic strength by more pooling of its defence,
security and foreign policy if it wishes to remain a powerful world
player. ”
This theme was developed at the Institute of
Contemporary Studies (iCES)1 at Regent’s College in
London today by Jean-Dominique Giulani, Chairman of the Robert
Schuman Foundation, the influential French think
tank.2
The European Union (EU), Giuliani argued, must
respond urgently to global threats to its security - terrorism,
large scale crime, drug trafficking, piracy and nuclear
proliferation. A coordinated European dialogue is
required with major players - the US, Russia, China, Japan and
India
This requires following the successful
economic development of the European internal market where goods,
services, people and capital flow freely with a concerted and
integrated series of policies on security. Defence, immigration,
combating of international crime and drugs, terrorism , arms
trafficking, nuclear disarmament, energy and a common foreign
policy are among the issues that need to be thought through
and agreed at European level
The UK and France being the only European
nuclear powers have a specific responsibility for taking European
Defence forward. Europe needs integrated and agreed policies
to contribute effectively to these urgent global issues
President Obama made his first three visits
outside the United States to Europe not to individual States but to
London for the G20, Strasbourg for NATO and Prague to meet the 27
European Union Heads of State. He has challenged Europe to get a
European act together and it is now for Europe to respond.
Closer relations between France and the UK are required on these
issues. The Lisbon Treaty provides some important first steps to
give Europe a higher profile in the world
Notes for
Editors
1. iCES is the Institute of
European Studies at the European Business School, Regent’s College,
London. iCES seeks to build on the existing pool of research,
expertise and contacts within the European Business Schools
International group in order to contribute to the debate on
contemporary Europe. iCES is organised as a network of activities
oriented towards publication in the iCES Annual Review,
Contemporary Europe, and the iCES Occasional
Paper series. The Director of iCES is Professor Michael
Scriven.
2. Jean-Dominique Giuliani, the
latest in a long line of prominent speakers at the Jean Monnet
Memorial Lecture over the past 20 years, directed from 1992 to 1998
the cabinet of M. René Monory, President of the French Senate and
is currently a special adviser to the European Commission.
Sir Brian Crowe, Deputy Chairman of Chatham House, John Peet,
Europe Editor of The Economist and Professor Martyn Bond,
former Director of the UK Office of the European Parliament
contributed to the discussion with Jean-Dominique Giuliani as part
of the iCES annual major lecture series at Regent’s College.
Further Information
Contact: Professor Michael
Scriven
Tel. 020 7487
7464 email: ices@regents.ac.uk
Page last updated 4/23/2009