Public Lecture “European Union and Eastern Partnership: EU response to the new world order” by Richard Youngs

The “Office for a Democratic Belarus” in cooperation with the “Liberal Club” (Minsk) invite to the public lecture by Richard Youngs “European Union and Eastern Partnership: EU response to the new world order» that will take place on September 10, 2014 from 18.00 to 20.00 in Minsk (CECH, Niezaleznasci avenue, 58/6, 2nd floor, far entrance by Brouki street). Admission is free, but preliminary registration by e-mail info@odb-office.eu is required. Registration deadline is September, 8, 2014.

The open lecture by international expert and famous specialist in the field of European foreign policy is held in Belarus for the first time, within the framework of the “European Intercultural Festival”. During the lecture the participants will have a possibility to learn about the history of the Eastern partnership, EU policy towards Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, prospects for cooperation of EU with countries in neighbourhood  and current basic trends for  foreign services work. The main issues to be discussed: if the Ukrainian crisis determines the end of the epoch in international relations and security system in Europe, if this crisis is unique for European foreign policy as compared to the period of the “cold war”; if the response of the EU is adequate and sufficient for the new international order; long and short-term consequences of the Ukrainian crisis for EU and Russia; prospects for competitive regional integration projects (Eastern Partnership vs. Eurasian Union) etc.

Richard Youngs is a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program, based at Carnegie Europe and also a professor of international relations at Warwick University. Youngs is an expert on the foreign policy of the European Union, in particular on questions of democracy support. He has published widely on the Middle East, the European neighborhood, the current EU crisis, energy security and considered to be one of the leading academic specialists in this field. Youngs’s interests focus on the development of EU foreign policy, European responses to the Arab Spring, trends in international democracy, and current debates over democracy promotion strategies. His seventh book, The Uncertain Legacy of Crisis: European Foreign Policy Faces the Future, was published in January 2014.