The EU is stepping up its strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. The region’s growing economic, demographic, and political weight makes it a vital player in shaping the rules-based international order, and in addressing global challenges. With this new strategy, the EU aims to contribute to the region’s stability, security, prosperity and sustainable development, in line with the principles of democracy, human rights, and international law.
Join the EU Delegation to the UK for a discussion on the need for closer cooperation among partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Our panel of experts will explore the recently announced strategy for regional collaboration and the challenges and opportunities it brings.
Moderated by:
Patrick Wintour – diplomatic editor for the Guardian.
On the panel:
Amb. Yasushi Masaki – Ambassador of Japan to the European Union. Ambassador Masaki has served various roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan since 1984, including in the Embassies of Japan in Iran and France, and as Deputy Director-General of the Economic Affairs Bureau. Prior to his current post, he was Assistant Minister to the Director General of the European Affairs Bureau.
Garima Mohan – Fellow in the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, where she leads the work on India and heads the India Trilateral Forum. Prior to joining GMF, she was the acting team leader and coordinator for the EU’s Asia-Pacific Research and Advice Network. She also led the Global Orders program at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. Garima holds a PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin and received her master’s degree from the London School of Economics. She is also a non-resident fellow at Carnegie India, an Asian Forum for Global Governance Fellow, and a 2017 Raisina Young Fellow. She has published widely on Indian foreign and security policy, EU-Asia relations, Germany-India ties, and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, and is a frequent commentator for European and Indian media including NZZ, The Hindu, The Wire and Deutsche Welle.
Veerle Nouwens – Senior Research Fellow at the International Security Studies Department of the Royal United Services Institute, where she leads the Navigating the Indo-Pacific Programme. Prior to joining RUSI, Veerle worked for the European External Action Service at the Delegation of the European Union to Singapore’s Political, Press and Information Section. In addition, she has experience of both bilateral and multilateral engagements through internships at the European Commission, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, in the Military Analysis Team of the Office of the Prosecutor. Veerle holds an MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford, an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University, and a BA in International Relations from Macquarie University.
Gabriele Visentin – EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific since September 2021. He has been an official of the European External Action Service since 2011, where he served as Head of the Parliamentary Affairs Division. Earlier in his career, Gabriele was an official of the European Commission and served in the Directorate General for External Relations, as the representative of the European Commission to the Committee for the civilian crisis management of the EU. Gabriele was also Head of Cabinet to the last President of the European Community for Steel and Coal and, during the Italian Presidency of the EU, he was detached to Rome as Advisor on European affairs to the Minister of Industry, Energy and International Trade. Gabriele holds a degree in law and is specialized in International and Community law.