The next ambassador lecture is on ‘Brexit and a New European Order: The Security Perspective‘ with ambassador Dirk Brengelmann, Ambassador of Germany to the Netherlands, and Luis Vassy, Ambassador of France to the Netherlands.
When: Tuesday 12 November, 18.30 – 20.00
Where: Aula, Minderbroedersberg 4-6
Entrance: Free, but; first come, first served basis!
Ambassador Brengelmann is a career diplomat who has previously served as Special Representative for Cyber Foreign Policy at the Federal Foreign Office in Germany, and as Germany’s ambassador to Brazil. During his three-year tenure as NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Foreign and Security Affairs from 2010-13, Mr Brengelmann advised the Secretary General on numerous political and security issues, particularly on NATO’s partnership relations.
In addition to serving as the Ambassador to the Netherlands, Ambassador Vassy also represents the French Republic at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. His diplomatic career began in 2004, and he has held numerous portfolios under the French Foreign Ministry since then, from being responsible for French-Indian relations to nuclear non-proliferation. He has been posted in the French embassy in Washington and has worked for different French ministries as cabinet director.
The uncertainty of a post-Brexit Europe looms on the horizon, with multiple extensions and now the promise of a new British general election. The economic, political and socio-cultural implications are overwhelming as it is, but what does the exit of the UK mean for the European Common Foreign and Security Policy? Will a no-deal Brexit, and a non-porous British-Irish border also impact the joint security mechanisms for combating global terrorism? Will the UK’s absence finally provide enough momentum to realise the creation of an EU security architecture, that was promised with the signing of the 2019 Franco-German treaty? Is the UK also headed towards the same isolationist path that has been followed by the Trump administration?
On 12 November, Ambassadors Brengelmann and Vassy will engage in a joint discussion on the post-Brexit future of Europe, particularly from a security perspective. The lecture will focus on a multitude of issues, from a Franco-German cooperation for the EU, to underlying security concerns like shifting security alliances within NATO.
