The new EU-UK relationship is an opportunity to move forward collectively and tackle some of the biggest global issues of our time. The EU and the UK share common goals in tackling the climate crisis, countering global threats to democracy, and strengthening transatlantic relations with the Biden administration.
Join the EU Delegation to the UK for an illuminating conversation with foreign policy experts Tom Tugendhat MP and David McAllister MEP, moderated by The Times’ Catherine Philp. This free, public event will address the fundamental driving forces behind EU and UK foreign policy cohesion.
This event will explore avenues for strengthening transatlantic dialogue, in light of US priorities and the UK’s proposal of a new ‘D10’. Our experts will discuss Britain’s shift in emphasis to the Indo-Pacific region, and the challenges this poses to cooperation with the EU. They will be delving into the prospect of a mutual stance on the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, and China, on the Iran talks, and on global climate action.
Moderated by:
Catherine Philp – Diplomatic Correspondent and Foreign Policy Leader Writer for The Times. Catherine has reported for The Times from five continents, and has been based in Jakarta, Delhi, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Beirut, and Washington.
Speakers:
David McAllister MEP – Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parliament. He has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2014 and is a Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP), and Chair of the UK Coordination group. His political career began in 1998, when he was elected as a member of the State Parliament of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony). From 2003 till 2010 he served as Chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Group and from 2010 until 2013 as Prime Minister of Niedersachsen. Prior to this, he served in the German military for two years, and has been a lawyer since 1998.
Tom Tugendhat MP – Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the UK Government. He has been a Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015. Tom left the British Army in July 2013 after a career in which he served on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and, most recently, as the military assistant to the Chief of the Defence Staff. Tom also worked for the Foreign Office and helped set up the National Security Council of Afghanistan and the government in Helmand Province.
Ambassador João Vale de Almeida – Ambassador of the European Union to the United Kingdom. Prior to his current role, Ambassador Vale de Almeida served as EU Ambassador to the United Nations (from 2015 to 2019). In New York, he coordinated the EU’s presence in all UN bodies, working closely with the Permanent Representatives of the EU Member States. Ambassador Vale de Almeida previously served as the first EU Ambassador to the United States of America, from 2010 to 2014.