Europe's "Values-Based" Foreign Policy and the Need for Civil Society Involvement

A more values-based foreign policy - as is currently being discussed in Brussels, Berlin and beyond - requires a renewed examination of economic and political dependencies, trade policy instruments and agreements. One related question that has not yet received sufficient attention is how civil society can be given a more central role in shaping international (trade) relations in this (re)calibration of values in the future. In order to find answers to this question, we want to take a comparative look at past experiences in the involvement of civil society actors in European trade and foreign policy, and then discuss what conclusions can be drawn from this for the shaping of the proclaimed “Zeitenwende” (turning point) - and where, in particular as a result of Russia's attack on Ukraine, entirely new approaches must now be considered.

Panelists:

• Kathleen van Hove, Senior Policy Officer, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ecdpm) and member of the Joint EU-CARIFORUM Consultative Committee.
• Anna Sevortian, Executive Director of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, https://eu-russia-csf.org/, former Russia Director at Human Rights Watch.
• Bertram Lang, University of Frankfurt, Political Scientist specialising in China's non-profit sector and Europe-China relations, academic coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Centre for East Asian Studies (IZO) at Goethe University Frankfurt, most recently: Study (for the European Greens) on the Civil Society Blind Spot in European China Policy.

Chaired by: Christina Gels, Policy Adviser to Boris Mijatovic, MP, Speaker for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen

Venue:
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Schumannstr. 8
10117 Berlin
Kleiner Saal 1-2
 

Contact:
Ella Soesanto, Asia Division
E soesanto@boell.de

Please bring an FFP2 mask