Download presentation slides.

Trade between the EU and countries in Asia accounted for almost 60 per cent of total global trade in 2011. Meanwhile Asia accounted for 42.5 per cent of total EU trade. Strengthening the economic partnership the EU and Asia, using the tool of trade agreements, will only benefit the two regions.

Dr Cernat will begin by assessing the EU’s current “Trade, Growth and World Affairs” strategy, which has overseen a series of new bilateral free trade agreement negotiations with fast-growing and emerging market economies in Asia. The EU has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea and with Singapore, while negotiations are ongoing with Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and, most recently, Japan. He will also speak on how the EU is trying to forge stronger links with other strategic partners around the world (US, China, Russia) and the new efforts aimed at stronger trade policy enforcement.

About the speaker

On 9 May 2013, the EU Centre celebrated Europe Day with our annual open house.

Europe Day was celebrated to mark the day  the French Minister Robert Schuman unveiled his plan for the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community where sovereignty would be pooled on coal and steel production among its members to make war between historic rivals France and Germany “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”. A historic first step was taken on this day to build a European community living in peace.

The theme of peace in Europe was taken up by the EU Ambassador to Singapore, H.E Marc Ungeheuer, in his keynote speech. The 2012 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to the EU serves as a reminder of its achievements in the midst of economic and financial challenges, he noted. Dr Susanne Rentzow-Vasu, Regional Representative of EURAXESS Links ASEAN,  spoke on the network  for European and non-European for researchers, EURAXESS Links. The latter  also provides information about research in Europe, European research policy, opportunities for research funding, for international collaboration and for trans-national mobility.

Prof Cedomir Nestorovic noted at the outset of his lecture on “Economic and business potential of Muslim populations in Europe” that there is a tendency to tackle political and social issues first and foremost when it comes to speaking of the Muslim population in Europe. Much of this has got to do with the perceptions portrayed by the media in certain European countries.

But speaking from the perspective of a professor from a Business School, the economic aspects are important, not least when the number of Muslims in Europe is around 44 million, or 6% of Europe’s total population. Two European states seeking EU membership, Albania and Kosovo, have Muslim majorities, while a third, Bosnia-Herzegovina, almost 50% of its citizens are Muslims. While the overall population of Europe is expected to decrease over the next few decades, the Muslim population in 2030 would have doubled since 1990.  When considering the business potential, besides demographic trends as noted above, one should also consider their purchasing power...

The EU has been very much in the news because of the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone. Yet, the euro is not the only hallmark of the EU. The EU has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize as a timely reminder to those overwhelmed by the crisis in the Eurozone that the EU is fundamentally a peace project, and that for over six decades, the EU has contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”. As a matter of fact, Friedrich Hayek’s definition of political democracy as “a method for peaceful political change” has strikingly become true in the second half of the 20th century in a continent that previously in the same century was torn apart by two disastrous wars.

In this seminar, Prof Edgard Van de Velde, one of the co-authors of the recently published book “The Road to Political Democracy: From Plato to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union” will look at the development of the idea of EU citizenship, and discuss how the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union is a culmination of the long development of the path of democracy from Antiquity to the broad contemporary stream.  This discussion comes at a poignant time when the EU has designated 2013 as the European Year of Citizenship, dedicated to the rights that come with EU citizenship. 

How did the cross-fertilization between on the one hand a union that once started as a supranational management of industry and trade in energy and steel, and on the other hand the European Nation-States which as its Member-States had no other objectives than the promotion of a sector of their economic future, lead to a progressive evolution on the road from liberal to political democracy both in those Nation-States and the European Union?

Read the full event report

 In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty (signed between France and Germany on 22 Jan 1963) that brought about the historical reconciliation of France and Germany in Europe, the EU Centre would like to invite you to a special screening of  “Nous Nous sommes tant hais” (How we hated each other!)

You are cordially invited to the film screening and a dinner reception after the movie.

For details of the screening, click the icon of the movie still (top right corner of this event listing) for the event flyer.

 SYNOPSIS OF FILM

This film “Nous Nous sommes tant hais” (How we hated each other!) a love story between a French woman and German man, was set in the post-World War II period at a time when Jean Monnet, the architect of European integration was working with Robert Schuman to broker a deal to place the production of coal and steel under a common High Authority, as a first step towards elimination of the age-old rivalry of France and Germany, and create a de facto solidarity that will transform Europe. The story of the tumultuous origin of the European Coal and Steel Community (the predecessor of the EU) was told through the chance “reunion” of Marie and Jürgen, the two key characters in the film.

The launch of a global navigation satellite system like the European Union’s Galileo programme naturally attracts much interest not just because of its technological wonders but the strategic significance. Equally complex but easier to gloss over is the flurry of policy making activity typically accompanying the launch of a scientific project like Galileo.

In his policy briefing in Singapore, Edgar Thielmann, Advisor to the Galileo Programme, and placed within the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission, shared some of the promises of Galileo, as well as some of the challenges of realising a uniquely civilian purpose-built satellite system under civilian control...

Read the full event report

One of the impact of the euro zone crisis has been the onset of an identity crisis on the part of the citizens of the European Union. The idea that nation-states should fight for their own interest seemed to be increasingly resurgent among citizens of the EU countries. However, Prof Mach argued that paradoxically, the crisis actually revealed that Europeans need more solidarity and integration to prepare for any future crisis. . The question, therefore, is what sort of an identity can Europeans forge collectively, in order to buttress the European project of integration?

Among the rare instances in which Europeans have acted together on the larger canvas of history, they have often taken place against an ‘external Other’, Prof Mach noted. During the Cold War, it was easy to show the collective identity of the integration project by defining it against the ‘other Europe’ that was on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Today, a sense of European identity is sometimes moulded by populist and far right politicians through Islamophobia. Such ethnic constructions of identity will be very problematic with its element of exclusivity, Prof Mach warned...

Read the event report

The EU Centre launched its book ‘Changing Tides and Changing Ties – Anchoring Asia-Europe Relations in Challenging Times’ on 4 December 2012 at the Orchard Hotel.  Ms Grace Fu, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and for the Environment and Water Resources, was the guest-of-honour.

In her speech, the Minister reaffirmed the established relationship and close cooperation between Singapore and Europe, and the role played by organisations like the EU Centre in raising awareness of and interest in Europe among Singaporeans. She expressed her confidence that Europe would recover from the sovereign debt crises well, reminding the audience that Asia also went through a difficult period during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-8. She also said that Singapore looks forward to the successful conclusion of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and expressed her hopes that both sides would eventually be able to conclude a wider ASEAN-EU FTA.

The book is a collection of essays by academics, diplomats, journalists and young Asians and Europeans who have been supportive of the EU Centre’s efforts in bringing about more dialogue and exchange between Asia and Europe. Three contributors to the book - Assoc Prof Barnard Turner (EU Centre), Michael Matthiessen (Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy), Asad-ul Iqbal Latif (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies) – spoke at the launch event on a panel led by Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director of the EU Centre as well as co-editor of and a contributor to the book.  After the presentations, Dr Yeo also called on the other contributors to the book present at the launch to say a few words on their articles.

The relationship between the EU/Europe and Singapore was discussed from historical, cultural, institutional and economic angles, and as to how the regions could continue to learn from each other. In view of the award of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, the panellists and members of the audience noted how the lessons of European integration as a peace project is still very powerful and relevant in our current age.  The intervention from the audience by Prof Wang Gungwu on the rise of nationalism in Asia as a consequence of the spread and acceptance of the nation-states as the primary political unit in the global system now offered much food for thought.

Speech texts and photos: 

- Text of the speech by Minister Grace Fu at the book launch

- Text of presentation by Michael Matthiesen

- Photos of the book launch (link to the EU Centre’s Facebook page)

Ireland and Singapore are similar in several respects: scale, modest natural resources, commitment to science-based development, and dependence on foreign direct investment. Both have made rapid progress in the past decade to build a knowledge-based economy.

In this lecture, Professor Cunningham will describe the rationale for the initiatives taken in Ireland, and explain in some detail the results achieved.

Comparisons are made with other countries in the 27-nation EU, and with Singapore. The metrics which can be used for international benchmarking are examined. Finally, this lecture will also address the issue of priority setting in national science investment in times of recession. 

The powerpoint slides for the lecture can be downloaded here.

About the speaker

Patrick Cunningham was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish Government from 2007 to August 2012. He is Professor of Animal Genetics at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and a partner of biotech company, IdentiGEN.

Professor Cunningham has a first class honours in Agricultural Science and MSc in Animal Nutrition from UCD, and a Ph.D in Animal Genetics from Cornell University. In 1962, he began a research career with An Foras Talúntais (now Teagasc), becoming Department Head in 1970 and Deputy Director (Research) in 1980. Professor Cunningham’s early work focused mainly on genetic improvement in the Irish cattle population. His research has been published in over 100 papers in refereed journals, and has twice been featured on the cover of Nature.

He was elected President of the Commission on Animal Genetics of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) in 1974, President of EAAP in 1978 and President of the World Association for Animal Production in 1984.. In 1988, he moved to the World Bank as visiting professor at the Economic Development Institute. From 1990 to 1993, he was Director of Animal Production and Health at the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the UN in Rome. During this period he also directed the Screwworm Eradication Programme for North Africa, the largest international campaign of biological control ever undertaken.

On his return from the World Bank in 1989, he initiated a new programme of research in TCD. This was based on the use of newly-developed methods of reading DNA to measure genetic diversity and plan livestock improvement in developing countries. The first results of this work, emerging in the early 1990s, rewrote the history of animal domestication, demonstrating for the first time the separate domestication of cattle in India on the one hand and in Africa and Europe on the other. This work has since been expanded by Professor Cunningham and his colleagues to other species including horses, salmon and humans, placing Irish research at the forefront of international work in this area. Following the BSE crisis in 1996, Professor Cunningham and his colleagues developed a system of DNA traceability for the meat industry. They went on to establish IdentiGEN, which deploys these technologies in Europe and North America.

When the current British government was formed after the 2010 general election, the presence of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats in the Conservative Party-led coalition made some observers assume that eurosceptics within the Conservative party would remain quiet. Yet the issue of the United Kingdom’s relations with the EU have begun to occupy centre-stage, even fuelling talk of the UK possibly exiting the EU altogether. All these issues have been manifested through the passing of the EU Act and the parliamentary debate on the so-called “in/out” referendum on the EU.

To frame an understanding of the current state of affairs characterised as ‘referendum lock’, Dr Wellings focused on the contradiction between the time-honoured British principle of parliamentary sovereignty versus that of “popular” sovereignty as borne out through the supposedly growing appetite for referendums in the UK. Such a contradiction is to be found in the EU Act of 2011...

Read the event report

At the beginning of his lecture, Mr Didier Chaudet set out by revisiting the more commonly used regional categorisations as they pertain to the area under discussion and noted that while these are  helpful for analysis, a simplistic definition of what entails ‘Central Asia’ belies the connections between its countries and those outside it. Therefore Mr Chaudet underscored that it was  necessary to understand the network of linkages between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Iran before one can discuss foreign policy towards any one of the three. Rather than to aggregate these countries into a nebulously defined Central Asia, a foreign policy actor like the EU needs a differentiated policy towards Iran and the region...

Read the event report

The EU and ASEAN have a longstanding partnership, and trade and investments between the two regions have grown steadily over the years. The three panelists elucidated on the trade and commercial links, aspects of developmental cooperation and the mutual benefits of moving towards greater strategic engagement and a deepening of the region-to-region dialogue...

Public talk - Snapshots and mandalas: Photography and modernity in Southeast Asia

The talk will share perspectives on photography as a practice and an art in Southeast Asia. The notion of modernity will be explored comparatively,     employing examples in the field of art history, and will illuminate some less well-known approaches to appreciating photography in the region.

Bridget Tracy Tan is Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Arts & Arts Galleries at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore.

This event will also feature an exhibition of a selection of works submitted to the EU Centre’s photography competition, as well as the prize presentation ceremony.

The EU has an ambitious emissions abatement plan; it has set targets of an 80% reduction of CO2 levels by 2050, and a 30% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2020, to 1990 levels. It relies on various financial programmes such as grants, tax incentives and also necessary legislations  to curb carbon emissions. A large proportion of emissions from cities can be traced to energy use in buildings. Therefore in the UK, incremental legislative steps have been taken to ensure that all residential buildings comply with ‘zero carbon’ targets by 2016. The target deadline for civic buildings is 2019...

View Location

Prof Turner will explore the meaning and significance of cultural heritage. Drawing from sociological theories to everyday examples, he will show how cultural heritage is omnipresent, with pertinence even for phenomena that are not typically considered ‘cultural’. Historical and contemporary examples from Europe will serve to provoke thought on what many may construe to be abstract theories.  

The euro crisis prompts the EU’s policy elite to push for further centralisation of policies. But others prefer more policy decentralisation. The central set of policy choices the EU faces today – to centralise or decentralise policy – harks back to a debate in the 1950s between “small Europe” and “big Europe” advocates. The former favoured policy centralisation among a small group of countries. The latter favoured a free-trade area with institution-light intergovernmental cooperation among as large a group as possible. A messy compromise between these two competing visions played out over the next half-century.

The euro project, Dr Sally argued, is a product of Small Europe; and the euro crisis has put Small Europe thinking in the driving seat. In the speaker’s view, the existing and proposed measures to save the euro are deeply flawed, on political and economic grounds; there is a high risk that the euro will break up. There should be a Plan B, and it should have Big Europe, not Small Europe, in mind. What might it look like?

Dr Sally has also written an article on the topic for The Straits Times published on 27 August 2012 - 'Saving Europe in a Big Way'.

The European Union (EU) has undertaken several actions towards developing a single market for media, yet this goal is far from being met. Media in the EU are still viewed within national perimeters and efforts toward joint collaborative, pan-European media projects have yet to bear fruit. Despite internal barriers, the EU is currently developing a Media Policy based on two key issues: digitization and creative industries.

This lecture will present an overview of the media landscape in the EU, explain why a single digital market is important, and analyze the EU’s actions in this field. Looking at media policy, Dr Crusafon will explain why EU policy-making is focused on the digital agenda and how it is trying to balance market and cultural considerations. Her analysis will also reveal the multi-level nature of media governance in the digital world.

About the speaker

Dr Carmina Crusafon is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Journalism and Communication Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain). She is a researcher in Media Systems (global and supranational) and in Media Policy (European Union and Latin America). She is deputy director of the Ibero-American Observatory of Communication and she is co-editor of the Spanish Journal “Conexiones. Revista Iberoamericana de Comunicación”. She is vice chair of the Communication Law and Policy section at the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA).

Read the event report

For many people in Singapore, the mention of Europe brings to mind museums, castles, cobble-stoned streets, culture and culinary pleasures. In contrast, Asia is often associated in the media with economic growth, potential markets, and sometimes poverty and political transition.

In the past two years in particular, Europe is perceived to be in decline and in trouble because of the financial and debt crisis in the Eurozone, while Asia is perceived to be on the rise and the engine of growth.

Taking a long view beyond the immediate crisis and commercial gain, this talk will look at both the rich exchanges and encounters between Europe and Asia over the years, and explore the rewards and potential of educational and people to people exchanges.

Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director of the European Union Centre in Singapore (EUC), sharedn overview of the longstanding relationship between Europe and Asia, while Loke Hoe Yeong, Policy and Programme Executive of the EUC, explored what constitutes the geographical extent of 'Europe' through a look at Turkey, the South Caucasus and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Event photos 

Before answering the question as to whether the EU is an actor in Asia, Dr Cameron examined how the EU is considered an actor in international relations theory. Indeed the EU portrays itself as one, evident through its Eastern Partnership and its strategic partnerships. The EU even has the power to fine multinational corporations like Honeywell. But it is clearly a sui generis actor, different from the United States or ASEAN.

The EU has a range of interests in Asia. The colonial past that links the two regions provides the historical backdrop. More recently this has been articulated in documents such as the 2001 'Europe and Asia ’Communication. The 2004 round of enlargement of the EU was seen by some as a setback for relations with Asia, as the EU became more preoccupied with its eastern neighbourhood. But things are changing due to the ongoing economic and financial crisis, which has had the effect of reigniting European interest in Asia again...

Read the full report  

Read the event report hereAbout the speaker

Dr Sebastian Krapohl is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Bamberg. He has studied, researched and taught Political Science at the Otto-Friedrich-University of Bamberg (Germany), the London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom), the European University Institute in Florence (Italy), the University of Tirana (Albania), the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen (Germany) and the University of Mannheim (Germany). He received his Master’s Degree in 2001 at the London School of Economics and was awarded his Doctoral Degree in 2008 at the University of Bamberg. He is author of the book Risk Regulation in the Single Market: The Governance of Pharmaceuticals and Foodstuffs in the European Union (Palgrave, 2008) and several academic articles, published among others in the Journal of European Public Policy, the European Journal of Political Research, the European Law Journal and the German Political Science Quarterly. His current research project deals with regional integration outside of Europe, comparing the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director of the EU Centre in Singapore, delivered the Special Lecture for the 2012 Model Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) held in Singapore from 2-7 July. Co-organised with the National University of Singapore Sociology Society (NUSSS), the ASEF University Alumni Network (ASEFUAN) and the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the theme of the Model ASEM Summit followed that of the 9th ASEM Summit to be held in Vientiane, Laos in November 2012 - "Friends for Peace, Partners for Prosperity".

In her lecture, Dr Yeo gave an overview of the history of ASEM, beginning from the rationale behind its conception in the mid-1990s, to the present day. As she pointed out, the most common criticism of the ASEM process is that it is nothing more than a ‘talk shop’ and the lack of visibility. However, supporters of ASEM cite the rapid enlargement of ASEM from 26 partners to 48 partners in less than two decades as a reflection of ASEM’s attractiveness. Come November 2012, ASEM will admit three more members – Norway, Switzerland and Bangladesh – bringing the membership to 51...

Read the full report 

Read the event report here

About the speaker

Dr. Ozgun Sarimehmet Duman studied political science at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. She received her MA in Comparative Politics from the University of York, with her dissertation on the role of international financial institutions in the integration of Turkish economy with global capitalism. While working as a research assistant first at Bilkent University and then at METU, she completed her PhD at Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences in 2010. In her PhD thesis, she analyzed the economic transition and labour market reforms in Greece and Turkey. Having obtained the Jean Monnet Scholarship of the European Commission for her postdoctoral research, Dr. Sarimehmet Duman conducted research at the University of Sheffield, Department of Politics, between February‐October 2011. Her research areas are international political economy, comparative politics, economic crises, Europeanisation, industrial relations, trade unions, and Greek and Turkish politics.

The EU’s Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) which operated from 2005 to 2006 was successful on many counts. The EU was instrumental in creating a sustainable peace in a conflict that had lasted for decades, if not centuries. The costs to the EU for that operation were relatively low. Why then was the AMM so under-reported, even in the Southeast Asian media, and so little known? Figures from media analyses show that coverage of EU missions is overwhelmingly behind that of missions like NATO’s in Afghanistan. Dr Stephanie Anderson sought to answer that question by first examining the motivation of the EU behind its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions like the AMM fell under...

Full report

Read the event report here

The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP, formerly the European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP) has been, for some, the pride of the EU since its establishment in 1999. In a 2008 book, Université de Montréal academic Frédéric Mérand said the Policy‘redefines the nature of European integration in the way we think about the state in the 21st century’. It has overseen successful missions in the Western Balkans to places further afield from Europe like Aceh. Yet as observers have pointed that, there have been no new CSDP missions since 2010. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton has said that there will be no more new missions until ‘we have solved the problems of the current missions’. In her lecture, Dr Stephanie Anderson sought to account for this apparent ‘withering’ of the CSDP...

The renowned historian Prof Norman Davies prefaced his lecture with references from William Golding’s Lord of the Fliesand Iqbal Ahmed’s Empire of the Mind. Starting from the premise that external perceptions tend to hinder a complete understanding of things, Prof Davies launched into an examination of the European history of colonialism, both within and without the continent...

Read full report

The lecture began with Prof Thomas Risse sketching out the contours of the contemporary global order.  He felt that the concept of multipolarity is an old 19th Century concept that does not quite capture the inter-connectedness and interdependence of the present world and ignores the impact of globalisation and transnationalism. Similarly the conceptualisation of the present order as a ‘world of regions or civilisations,” also does not fully reflect the extent of inter-connectedness and ignores mutual cultural influences.

A recipient of the EU Centre research grant, Dr Kera has been looking into alternative forms of knowledge production and dissemination, and the relationship they have with governance and policy. In her research seminar, she argued for different ways toward viewing governance and science, as they are not mutually exclusive. She used examples of research and development which may involve new actors and may occur in new and improvised places, known as ‘hackerspaces’ as an example of the convergence between science and policy, and the potential positive impact this can have on society.

During this research seminar, Dr Phua Kai Hong and Ms Marie Lamy gave an introduction to their research project, funded by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the EU Centre in Singapore, which looks at the potential for ASEAN-led regional collaboration in public health policy in light of a new framework for global health governance.

A public lecture on "Sharing Excellence in Science, Technology and Innovation between Europe, Singapore and the ASEAN Region" was given by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science.

In his second public lecture, EUC visiting fellow Professor Hubert Zimmermann shared his perspective on the European Union’s (EU) trade policy and its trade negotiation strategy and process. He argued that although the EU trade policy framework has been reformed in the past few years and is now more open to influence by civil society and the European Parliament (EP), the EU remains a very strategic actor.

The EU Centre is an associate partner in the EU-Asia Dialogue project, ‘Shaping a Common Future for Europe and Asia – Sharing Policy Innovation and Best Practices in Addressing Common Challenges’, a project coordinated by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and co-funded by the European Union.  

This is a three-year project that intends to build a platform for exchange among policy-makers and academia in Europe and Asia, to address common and emerging challenges, and enhance existing relations.

During times of crisis like the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe, there is usually a tendency to retreat from deeper regional integration and to cling on to the idea of the nation-state. But the need for European Union has not been written off, as EU member states continue to recognize its necessity. As relatively small, ageing countries with slowing economic growth, EU member states need to strengthen unity, improve governance, and competitiveness through more, not less, integration.

Working on this premise, Professor Jean-Claude Piris, the former Director-General of the Legal Service of the Council of the EU, presented four theoretical ways forward for the EU, as he presented them in his book The Future of Europe: Towards a Two Speed EU? that was launched at the event. He emphasized the need for a stronger, not weaker, EU to deal with the crisis for which it was not prepared in the first place....

Read the full report

To better understand the situation the euro zone finds itself in today, Prof Zimmermann spoke about the reasons behind the creation of the euro—a first conception of monetary union in today’s sense, made 1969 – and the problems it was supposed to solve. Monetary union has been pursued for several abiding reasons, among which are reducing transaction costs, achieving monetary independence, stabilising European cooperation and lessening German hegemony..

Helga Nowotny is President of the European Research Council (ERC) and Professor emeritus of Social Studies of Science, ETH Zurich. From 1998 on she was also Director of its Collegium Helveticum. She has been founding director of the post-graduate fellowship programme based at ETH “Society in science: the Branco Weiss Fellowship” until 2004, when she returned to her native Vienna. She received her doctorate in law at the University of Vienna and her Ph. D. in sociology at Columbia University, New York. She has held teaching and research positions at the Institute of Advanced Study in Vienna, King's College, Cambridge, UK, the   University of Bielefeld, the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

The three countries in Dr Treena Wu’s study on Older Women, Retirement and Income Adequacy – Belgium, Germany and Singapore – are comparable in that they are developed countries which face issues related to an ageing population, similar levels of overall female labour participation, and has a low fertility rate that is below the ‘replacement level’...

The EU Centre presents a lecture, “Greece and the Euro-crisis – the end of sovereignty?” by Dr Spyros Economides from the London School of Economics, to be followed by the launch of a book, National and European Foreign Policies, co-edited by the EU Centre’s Associate Fellow, Dr Reuben Wong.

In this final EU Centre event for the year, the theme of cultural and identity was examined through folk, world and local music, as perceived in Europe and Singapore.

Ethnomusicologist Dr Tan Shzr Ee (Royal Holloway, University of London) revisited often-used labels in the music industry such as folk music and world music, finding that the former has its roots in the late-romantic era in Germany, while the latter can be traced to a precise moment in the year 1987 to a meeting of record company executives in London.  With the aid of music samples ranging from traditional Bulgarian folk music to the ‘Buddha Bar’ series of lounge music-type albums, Dr Tan questioned the usefulness of music labels like ‘world music’ or ‘local music’ where they defy geographical logic…

“There has been a rush to adopt anti-terror laws in the aftermath of 9/11, and this has undermined respect for human rights and the rule of law”, said a statement issued by 40 representatives of journalists, media, lawyers and civil rights organizations that met in a Forum on anti-terrorism legislation and its impact on freedom of expression and information, in preparation for the 1st Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and New Communications Services that took place in Reykjavik, Iceland in May 2009. They reiterated that these laws have resulted in censorship and self-censorship, to the detriment of society’s right to be informed. Be it the liberal democracies of the West or those in the East, anti-terror laws introduced since 9/11, or tightened in that atmosphere, seem to have impacted negatively on hard-won media freedoms in many countries. This book examines its impact in both Europe and Asia, particularly on the journalism profession.

Read the report of the workshop

In 2011 Singapore announced that it will be implementing laws for protecting personal data in 2012. On 13 September 2011, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) issued a Public Consultation on the Proposed Consumer Data Protection Regime for Singapore. During this EUC Research Seminar, Dr Lim presented her research on data protectionin the EU, which informed the Consulatation Paper she submitted to MICA.

Click here for more

The EU Centre held a public panel which concluded the two-day workshop Leadership, Decision-Making and Governance in the EU and East Asia: Crisis and Post-Crisis, organised in partnership with the Centre for European Studies, Chulalongkorn University and Chula Global Network..

At the launch of the publication ‘An ASEAN Community for All: Exploring the Scope for Civil Society Engagement’ by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia, jointly organised by the EU Centre,  the role of civil society organisations in Singapore and Europe was explored..

Pictures from the event

Dr Martonyi shared his thoughts on the unfolding of the eurozone crisis at the EUC’s Distinguished Speaker’s Lecture, held at Suntec City Convention Centre on 9 Oct. This Lecture was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.

He began by discussing the political and economic coordination of the eurozone, which he believes will be strengthened as a result of the financial crisis. Hungary held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union earlier this year. One of its successes during this time was the approval of the so-called ‘six pack’ legislation, a package of six legislative proposals aiming at improving economic coordination amongst members of the eurozone to prevent future debt crises..

full report &

pictures

Read the full report

In this second public talk in a joint EU Centre-National Library Board series on culture and identity in Europe and in Singapore, the theme of urban spaces and conservation was explored. Assoc Prof Victor Savage gave a presentation on Singapore’s experience in urban heritage conservation in which he elaborated on the perennial questions surrounding such conservation projects [...] The theme of land scarcity in contexts like Singapore’s was taken up in Prof Jason Pomeroy’s presentation on ‘greening’ the urban habitat. As cities increasingly tend to be built up vertically with ever taller buildings, this not only poses an environmental concern with the urban heat effect amplified by high density but this loss of open spaces also affects social and community life....

Click here for Dr. Flockhart's slides to the seminar,

Click here for the event report

Discussion of European integration is relatively widespread today, but Dr Dominic Eggel reminded us that such discussions have been circulating for many centuries, and there is much in them to inform contemporary policy debates. Dr Eggel made fascinating comparisons between the Enlightenment-era debates on the idea of Europe at the end of the 18^th century and  its modern day equivalent...

The symbiotic relationship between Europe and Southeast Asia was celebrated at an event jointly hosted by the National Library Board (NLB) and the EU Centre on 13 September. As the guest-of-honour, the EU ambassador H.E. Mr Marc Ungeheuer delivered a keynote speech. He also gave out prizes for the EU Centre’s video essay competition on the theme of ‘The EU in Southeast Asia’, in his additional capacity as chairman of the competition jury.

The event also featured a presentation by Sabina Santarossa, Director of Cultural Exchange at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), on cultural exchanges between the two regions. 

Read the full report

Click here for the event report

Click here for the event report

Click here for the event report

Co-organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the National Centre for Research on Europe – New Zealand (NCRE), and the EU Centre in Singapore

With the implementation of the 2009 Lisbon Treaty and the corresponding appointment of the first High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and launch of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU has embarked on a new phase of international diplomacy. The briefing will examine the external image of the EU across the Asia-Pacific and will assess the effectiveness of the newly created EEAS. This will be achieved by drawing on the interim research findings of a study examining the perceptions of the EU in 10 Asia-Pacific members of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), including Singapore. These interim findings include the results of 6 months of daily detailed analysis of EU related news featured in over 40 media outlets across the 10 locations

In addition to assessing the role of the EEAS in promoting the EUs image in the Asia-Pacific, the project offers important feedback for a variety of Asian and European interest groups. The research offers insights into the perceptions of the EU as a major actor in the region in terms of Business and Trade, Policy and Governance issues, Arts and Culture, and Environment and Development issues, to name but a few areas. The research findings can be utilised as an important source of information for Asian and European organisations such as business networks, the private sector (tourism and advertising), member state diplomatic corps, cultural houses and political foundations, NGOs and academic institutions.

The findings presented during the panel briefing will focus on the media imagery of the post-Lisbon EU across the 10 countries, with specific attention paid to the cases of Singapore and China. To date only the media research has been completed while the two remaining research components, opinion leader interviews and public opinion survey, will be completed by September 2011 and January 2012 respectively.

Speakers:
Prof. Martin Holland - National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Dr. Natalia Chaban - National Centre for Research on Europe, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Dr. Li Zhang –Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Nottingham
Mr. Loke Hoe Yeong – Researcher, EU Centre in Singapore

Discussion Moderator:
Dr. Yeo Lay Hwee – Director, EU Centre in Singapore

Please send your RSVP to ronan.lenihan@asef.org.

Location

Click here for the event report

Since European Commisioner Karel De Gucht’s assumption of the trade portfolio in 2010, the EU’s approach to commercial policy has been more pro-growth. The EU’s Commercial Policy has three intertwined components –  a World Trade Organization track (the Doha Round), preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with its neighbours (the ‘enlargement’ policy) and PTAs with countries in the rest of the world (as in the 2006 document on the ‘Global Europe’ trade strategy). Prof Messerlin’s presentation focused on the last of these components, which includes Singapore and the ASEAN countries...

Is the European Union (EU) really as unique as political scientists make it out to be? As Prof Zielonka argued, not when it is analysed in terms of power politics and empire. He compared the EU’s external policy with that of the United States, Russia and China..

Click here for the full report

Photos of the event can be found here.

The use of eGovernment has been in existence for some time in various countries. However its implementation is still largely restricted to the national level. In the European Union, the full implementation of e-Government across national borders – hitherto unrealised – would offer a huge potential for the EU’s Single Market. With greater ease of transactions, mobility and compliance, the European Commission would be to accomplish its goals more effectively and efficiently, in managing and delivering EU policies for the benefit of EU public administrations, citizens and business...

The countries of Eastern Europe were at the forefront of democratisation when the Soviet Union collapsed, and that culminated in their accession to the European Union in 2004. Why then, in the ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe that have joined the EU since 2004, has the media – frequently theorised to be an important ingredient for democracy – led citizens and observers to express dissatisfaction?  In his lecture, Prof Jan Zielonka tried to find the reasons and factors that explain the current media landscape in Central and Eastern Europe...

One of the biggest developments facing advanced economies in recent years is demographic change and the most pressing is the trend of population ageing. A low total fertility rate, combined with increased longevity which has been the trend in advanced economies has created this phenomenon. Global fertility has decreased by about 50% since the 1950s and while there are still huge differences even across the European Union, increased longevity of individuals due to better nutrition, health care and the provision of health services and social assistance is the general trend. Both Singapore and the European Union face the challenges of managing and adapting to an ageing population and are struggling to increase fertility rates and hence, there are many opportunities for the exchange of expertise and mutual learning..

Speaking at a workshop jointly organized with the Ministry of Education for teachers of economics, Prof Kurt Huebner delivered a lively lecture in which the evocation of time-honoured economic theories was liberally sprinkled with illustrations from the current global financial situation.

Since the end of World War II, the United States has dominated the setting of conventions and norms of the international currency regime. The US dollar has long been the international reserve currency. But with the financial difficulties the US has faced since 2008, are we now indeed in the era of the leaderless global currency regime? Does the euro – given the extent of its usage – stand a chance to become the next international reserve currency? How about the renminbi?

While the European Parliament (EP) is one of the most widely studied legislative assemblies in political science, little research has been done on individual behaviour and patterns of voting amongst the MEPs. Addressing this, the lecture by Dr. Nils Ringe focused on the individual legislators in the European Parliament to address the issues related to the frequency with which members of the EP vote with their parties. MEPs are faced with a multitude of policy proposals spanning a wide range of policy fields and are expected to make decisions despite a lack of knowledge in many of these areas. Furthermore, the dimensions of conflict in the EP are different from those in national assemblies and parties are not divided nationally..

Click here for the full report 

  Discuss with us on twitter @EUCentreSG

Power, Interest and Norms: Competing Visions of EU-Asia Partnership

Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director of EU Centre, has written an article on "Power, Interest and Norms: Competing Visions of EU-Asia Partnership", published on Public Service Europe, an online journal on European politics, public administration, management issues and key developments in the business world.

Click here to read the article.

The article came in the light of Dr Yeo's visit to the Australian National University (ANU) on 4 April 2011, where she delivered a public lecture on "Power, Interest and Norms: Competing Visions of EU-Asia Partnership".  Dr Yeo was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the Australian National University's Centre for European Studies (ANUCES).

Read more at the ANUCES website.

Download the slides for this presentation here.

Since the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union has a legal “personality” and, arguably, a greater will to soft power and sense of actorhood on the world stage. Through some twenty propositions and related excursi, this paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to the current state of the European Union, its persistence and ongoing transformation which have reached a summation and new stage with the coming-into-being of the Treaty, a Constitution manquée. Yet figuratively and in some oblique sense literally, the EU is still in its infancy and a reflection on the coming-to-be of that great analogue, the United States, after the Revolutionary but before the Civil War (through writings of the Anti-Federalists, Tocqueville and Thoreau) is yet instructive and somewhat underplayed in the attempt to cast the EU as an “actor” exclusively sui generis. There has now arisen a contestable category shift in defining of the Union as the sum of its parts, or (the same thing expressed deductively), in adducing the restrained but still active competencies of the member states from those left over, not assumed by the Union in the Lisbon Treaty.

Click here for the slides to the lecture

Discuss with us on twitter @EUCentreSG

Mr Seifert’s talk was based on his paper presented at the Feb 2011 conference The Future of European Integration and EU-Asia Relations, held at the National Taiwan University. His lecture centred on the questions of when and how changes occur in the EU budget, and of particular interest to the audience, the implications such changes may have for Asia.

In a nutshell, the puzzle was what determines change? Measuring budget change entailed looking at the number, type and frequency of changes in budgetary formations, alongside power shifts between institutions and the shift of funds between programmes. Budgetary developments since 2005, under the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), as well as policy/programme level changes were used as case studies, alongside constitutional changes..

Click here to read the full report

Mr. Lodhi’s overarching argument is that while the Lisbon Treaty may contribute to a more coherent European Union, the impact the Lisbon Treaty has on overall EU-Asia relations is limited.  This is partly because of the fundamentally different strategic worldviews of the EU and Asia, but also because of Lodhi’s view that EU remained essentially as an inter-governmental entity as opposed to a supranational sovereign actor. 

Encouraged by the economic dynamism in Asia, the EU has illustrated its newfound desire to play a leading role, with increased interregional activities in the last decade. Mr. Lodhi stressed that because of EU’s increased interest in Asia, there is heightened expectations from both within the EU and from EU’s external partners for EU to play a larger role in Asia’s security.   

Click here to read the full report

Introduction

The presentation aims to give a brief introduction to the work of the Research Group on 'Regional Integration outside of Europe', located at the University of Bamberg, Germany.

Among academics and practitioners alike, the European Union is seen as the 'gold standard' of regional integration. Hence it is not surprising that scholars of regional integration draw their insights heavily from the European model. Yet, and as a consequence, regional integration theories seem to be eurocentric and biased in favor of conditions to be found in Europe - in particular a high level of intra-regional economic interdependence as necessary condition for successful integration.

However, regional integration projects outside of Europe usually lack high levels of intra-regional economic interdependence. Therefore,  to be successful, these integration projects need to be more outward oriented.  Generating positive feedbacks from benevolent external actors can have a positive impact on deeper and wider regional integration.

Empirically, by deploying network analysis, we can show that the variation in integration dynamics between ASEAN, Mercosur and the Southern African Development Community seems to be a function of "actions" of external actors and low intraregional asymmetries. We conclude that international political economy and cooperation theory seem to be more promising in making sense of regional integration outside of Europe and that the European Union should be treated as the exception rather than the rule.

About the speaker

Axel Obermeier is a visiting researcher at the European Union Centre in Singapore. He holds a PhD Scholarship from the German Research Foundation and is a member of the Graduate School 'Markets and Social Systems in Europe' at the University of Bamberg, Germany. In Bamberg, he is also a member of the research group on 'Regional Integration outside of Europe'. In his doctoral thesis he deals with the dynamics of international institution building in Southeast Asia, with a focus on the impact of external actors. His research interests include comparative regionalism, international relations theories and comparative methodology. He interned in the Korean National Assembly and for the UNHCR.designer replica handbags

Professor Verhoeven’s lecture on the success of the European integration story centred not around society and community, but on integration driven by the legal process, and he argued that central to this has been the European Court of Justice (ECJ). His lecture charted the trajectory of European Union integration as a process that went beyond coexistence. Thanks to the tools and means adopted by the ECJ. Amidst the many complexities in Europe following the wars, the decision to form a Union was made. While the role of the Commission, with its power of initiation was central in pushing towards integration, the ECJ was crucial in helping avoid difficulties that might have stalled the process. Hence, he opined that without the ECJ, integration would not have progressed so deeply and rapidly...

Click here to read the full report

Many observers have lamented the fact the European Union, while economically strong, lacks an equally strong or coherent voice in international affairs because of the large number of member states and a lack of coherence in views. Furthermore, the Union has different competencies in different policy fields, many of which with an external dimension. Prof. Piris’ lecture provided much clarification to the often misunderstood field of European Union foreign policy, and how competing and overlapping competencies can be managed. He also elaborated on the changes that have followed as a result of the Lisbon Treaty and the prospects of the EU’s role in reshaping global governance...

Click here to read the full report

The media around the world has painted a mixed picture of the EU’s debt crises and recovery. Readers, even the more economically-oriented ones, may be forgiven for being confused at times. It was therefore timely for Dr Steinbock, an economics expert highly attuned to the current situation in Europe and Asia, to deliver his analysis.

The current predicament of Europe could well be part and parcel of a cyclical boom and bust phenomenon in the global economic system. While growth rates are low, EU countries remain competitive. Germany has been right to pay attention to ensuring European competitiveness, while also moving fast to invest in less advanced economies around the world, whose markets are less saturated. Dr Steinbock reminded the audience that the German economy has been doing rather well, and indeed, its growth rate in the past year has been the best since reunification in 1990. But Germany’s current fortunes may be hard to replicate, either for other EU countries, or even for its own future...  

On 1 January 2011, Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for the first time since it joined the EU in 2004. This comes at a challenging time for the EU, in which economic conditions are still a little uncertain, and when issues of social exclusion have been brought to the fore. 

On 21 – 22 January 2011, distinguished academics, policymakers and experts from around the region and Europe gathered in Singapore for a roundtable meeting to take stock of EU-Asia relations. Through presentations and discussions on diplomacy to free trade agreements to education exchanges, the roundtable participants aimed to envisage what an EU-Asia strategic partnership should look like in form and substance. 

Turkey’s application and candidature for accession to the EU have attracted controversy unlike any other case. On the one hand, it has been a question of geography. French President Nicholas Sarkozy once declared that Turkey is not in Europe but in ‘Asia Minor’, so where do the borders of the EU really end? This has prompted a more fundamental question – is the EU an economic bloc, a political union, or more vaguely a ‘civilization’? Many suspect the real reason that Turkey’s EU membership has been put on hold is due to fears that its Islamic heritage will alter the EU’s characteristics. 

Despite these purported ambiguities in Turkey’s identity, Prof Kastoryano pointed out that Turkey’s foreign policy since its modern formation as a nation-state in 1923 has been consistently Western- and Europe-oriented...

Is ‘Islamophobia’ – the prejudice against Muslims – on the rise in Europe? The media’s portrayal of the rise of extreme right politics in Europe has certainly lent credence to that impression, as do the demonstrations of French republican fervour in the various burqa-banning episodes. Prof Kastoryano started by tracing the origins of 20^th century Muslim immigrants in Europe...

Click here to read the full report 

Dr Bo Zhiyue outlined the significant institutional changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty and their impact on the EU foreign policy: the new mechanisms of foreign policy making, the new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service (EEAS). The central question is whether the institutional changes will make the EU more coherent in its relations with third countries. Ms Frauke Austermann stressed that for the EU to be more coherent there should be more coordination and centralization at the EU level...

In a research seminar held at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), EU Centre’s Visiting Fellow Dr Katja Weber elucidated on the constantly changing nature of sovereignty norms, and how this in turn impact the development of preventive diplomacy in the EU and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Click here to read the report.

Dr Boshyk’s lecture was woven around the theme of the “Action Learning” dimension of European business – in all senses of the word, not limited to the purely economic sphere. For him, “Action Learning” is “not a method, but a way of life”. In pursuing this broadly cultural line of enquiry, Dr Boshyk delved into a fascinating examination of the many facets of European integration and how Europe works...

The salience of information and communications technology (ICT) to the deepening of ASEAN integration was recently highlighted at the ASEAN summit in Hanoi, where government leaders adopted the Masterplan for ASEAN Connectivity, in a bid to realize the ASEAN Community by 2015. It was thus timely to have this panel discussion looking at how ICT can drive regional integration and competitiveness...

Click here to read the full report

Presenting research findings from her recently-published book “European Union Sanctions and Foreign Policy”, Dr Clara Portela undertook to determine the circumstances in which EU sanctions achieve or do not achieve their stated aims. As she noted, the question is warranted by charges that sanctions actually hurt the vulnerable man-on-the-street more than the regime of the targeted state. There has also been scepticism expressed about the efficacy of sanctions aside from the purpose of ‘political grand-standing’ on the part of its enforcers. More generally, while the EU has often been lauded for its ‘soft power’ in international relations, its coercive power remains to be probed...

Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director, EU Centre in Singapore (Panel Moderator)

With the tremendous growth of regional organizations, a systematic analysis of this regional integration processes seems to be more and more important. In the particular case of ASEAN and the EU the current dominant approach in the research field of Comparative Regionalism is to view them as entirely different and independent in terms of their institutional design and their evolution.

Dr. Jetschke set two goals of her presentation: 1) to show that transfers between regions are a regular pattern in the evolution of regional organizations and 2) to discuss the implications of this pattern, which differ in terms of institutional effectiveness...

Venue Map

The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) is a forum for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Asia. It was established in 1996 with an inaugural leaders’ summit in Bangkok and has since developed into a main multilateral channel for communication, with regular meetings between senior officials and ministers from different ministries, and a biennial summit involving heads of states and heads of governments.  Membership of ASEM has grown from 26 to 48 members with Russia, Australia and New Zealand looking set to join in 2010 at the 8th ASEM Summit to be held in Brussels on 4-5 October.

With this latest enlargement of ASEM, and with members including major emerging powers, China, India and Russia, expectations on what could and should be achieved by ASEM inevitably differ.  The engagement within and among such a diverse group of nation-states and regional groupings (EU and ASEAN), and also other actors such as the business community and civil society also means that there is a need to rethink the working methods and the coordination process in order to preserve and further enhance the ASEM forum. 

In the public lecture on 6th August, Mr Thomas Roe, the Asia Adviser and ASEM Counsellor from the European Commission, responsible for coordinating the ASEM process would share with us his personal insights and perspectives on the challenges and expectations that come with the enlargement of ASEM.

About the speaker
Mr Thomas Roe has been a full-time official of the European Commission, since September 1980 working on Europe’s external relations in a wide variety of roles. He is now Asia Adviser and ASEM Counsellor in the Directorate General for External Relations of the European Commission based in Brussels. Other previous roles have included Head of Delegation of the European Union Office in Hong Kong and Macao (Hong Kong 2004-2008), Desk Officer for Indonesia and East Timor, EU Fellow and Visiting Professor in Globalisation Studies at George Mason University USA Washington DC 2000-2001, Head of the European Community Investment Partners scheme for promoting European direct investment throughout the developing world 1992-1999, Head of the EC Food and Emergency Aid mobilization and delivery service 1989-1992, political desk officer for Southern Africa especially Zambia and Malawi 1984-1988, EC aid co-financing with international  financial institutions 1982-1983, and Deputy Head of the Contracts, Accounting and Payments unit for the European Development Fund 1980-1982.

Click Here to Read Event Report

Abstract
There are some European scholars and politicians who concur in asserting that human rights are or should be in the centre of European foreign policy. They are thus gratified that the new Treaty of Lisbon provides an enhanced legal framework, stressing the value-based approach of the EU's foreign policy which provides the potential for rhetoric to become reality.

How would the EU foreign policy makers make use of the changes provided by the Lisbon Treaty to establish human rights as a constitutive element of the EU foreign policy and realise the Union’s goals as a normative power? And how would this value-based approach in foreign policy be viewed by other emerging actors in the international arena? In the lecture, Dr Reiterer plans also to address the concern with regards to the implementation of the European Security Strategy, particularly in tackling challenges such as terrorism, there is a need to be mindful of the possible transgressions on human rights issues. 

Speaker
Michael Reiterer, appointed in 2005 as Adjunct Professor of International Politics at the University of Innsbruck, Austria,  specializes in EU-Asia relations in general and EU-Japan in particular, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), inter-regionalism, EU foreign and foreign trade policy. He is author of two books (The Diplomatic Protection of Refugees by Their State of Asylum and Asia – Europe: Do They Meet?) and has also published extensively in international journals.

In addition to a doctor iuris of the University of Innsbruck, Michael Reiterer holds diplomas in international relations of the Johns Hopkins University, Bologna Center, and the Graduate Institute for International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. He has lectured at various universities and participated in academic conferences in Europe, USA, China, Singapore, South Korea, Philippines and Japan. Furthermore, he was invited guest professor at Keio University, Tokyo (2008) and the Università Italiana, Lugano (2010). He is also an official of the European Union, serving presently as the EU Ambassador to Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Click Here to Read Event Report

About the Lecture
The 33rd Asia-Europe Lecture Tour will bring Prof Dr Luk Van Langenhove to Singapore, Manila (TBC), Bangkok, Seoul, and Shanghai. In his lecture, he will examine the relations between sovereign states and regional institutions as well as the role of the state in driving region-building process. The lecture will discuss the subsequent impact regional organisations have on the Westphalian World Order. While the main discussion will concentrate on Europe, Prof Dr Van Langenhove will encourage dialogue on the comparisons with Asian regional integration and its implication for Europe and the rest of the world.

About the Speaker
Prof Dr Luk Van Langenhove is Director of the Comparative Regional Integration Studies Institute of the United Nations University (UNU-CRIS) in Bruges and Representative of the UNU Rector at UNESCO in Paris. Prior to these appointments, he was Deputy Secretary-General of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Science Policy, Deputy Chief of Cabinet of the Belgian Federal Minister of Science Policy as well as a researcher and lecturer at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). Since 2006, he is the Vice-President of the International Social Sciences Council. He currently teaches at the VUB, ULB and the College of Europe.

Location Map

Click Here For Full Event Report

The main objective of the seminar is to question the hypothesis of the role of transport infrastructures in regional economic growth by comparing Central and Eastern Europe (supported by the EU structural and cohesion funds) and the Greater Mekong subregion (mainly supported by the “economic corridors” of the Asia Development Bank). Three main components of trade efficiency are scrutinised and compared: (1) the historical development of trade agreements, (2) the supra-national (regional) capacity of trade regulation, and (3) the micro level of governance between the different actors involved in trade. The comparison between CEE and the GMS is interesting because of two paradoxes observed that need to be explained. The first one results from the existing link between transport and growth in the case of the GMS, and the lack of this link in the CEE case. The second paradox is the fact that despite their very different institutional frameworks, both subregions continue to face similar challenges concerning the implementation of trade agreements and exchange of facilities at the local level – pointing towards the issue of governance. The speaker will draw interesting comparisons on the two sub-regions which can provide useful insights to current Asian efforts to focus on transport linkages as a way to foster regional integration.

Click Here For Full Event Report

After almost two decades of systemic transformation in Central and Eastern Europe it is timely to raise some questions about the lessons learned,on what have been learned particularly in the implementation of various development policies during the transition stages.  What are the changes have occurred since that are different from the initial approaches towards development?

The aim of the presentation is to examine some of the problems and solutions facing the design and implementation of development policies through EU founded projects in Central and Eastern Europe.  Through the examination of some of these development policies, it has become was clear that there were often risks of well-intentioned and theoretically sound development strategies not delivering on the expected results . By identifying the problems in policy design, project design, evaluation and implementation, this may help bridge the divide between theory and practice and be a potential useful experience for the development policies applied among the ASEAN countries.

The speaker, who will speak from his personal experiences in programming, evaluation and implementation of various EU-financed projects for Human Resources Development in Romania, will share with the audience his views of how the EU could become more effective at promoting development in other parts of the world and what is the potential place and role of Singapore as a strategic partner of the EU for development in the ASEAN region.

This comprehensive workshop provides an overview of research funding opportunities and possibilities for collaboration in humanities and social sciences in Europe, and between scholars of these fields in Europe and in Asia. You will get to learn about research funding schemes available in Europe, including from the European Union, European Science Foundation, and agencies such as research councils, academies and universities:

- Find out how successful research collaborations and networking activities are set up from examples and case studies.
- Be provided with valuable information and knowledge on setting up networks and linking-up with research teams in Europe and beyond.
- Be coached on best practices for writing proposals for research funding and responding to calls for proposals, again with real-life examples.
- Have ample opportunities for networking and ‘match-making’ with other researchers to exchange interests and explore collaborative possibilities.

The workshop was well attended by 60 participants at the NTU@one-north campus (off North Buona Vista Road).

Click Here For Full Event Report

In the coming decades, it is said Asia will no longer be a recipient but a driver of a new global order- one that is multi-polar, where political and economic power will shift from the trans-atlantic to the trans-pacific, but within which the European Union (EU) will still be a major player, together with the US and China.  What kind of role can the EU play and what does EU need to do to prevent being marginalized in the future?  Prof Richard Higgott, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick and Professor of Politics & International Studies, in his lecture will challenge assumptions that the world will be multipolar in the first place. He will reveal what can take the shape of incomplete and even failed multilateralism, how the US and EU reassert global leadership, as well as elaborate on how other key actors think about the evolving new order and the EU’s role in this.

The event was attended by over 30 participants at NTU@one-north campus.

This presentation gives an overview of decision-making in the European Union, with a particular focus on how the EU resolves political controversy during the decision-making process. The diverse political actors involved in EU decision-making - the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the member states - frequently have different interests and make competing policy demands on controversial issues. The following two important questions will be addressed: what types of controversies arise, and how are these controversies resolved? In answering these questions, Dr Thomson will consider some key findings from his recent research on EU decision-making, including research that focuses on the effects of the recent enlargements of the EU, an enlargement which in turn has an effect on the wider external presence of the Union.

Dr Robert Thomson is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He has published extensively on many aspects of decision-making in the European Union as well as national politics and policy-making in Europe. He is co-editor of The European Union Decides (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and has published articles in leading political science journals, including the British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, the European Journal of Political Research, European Union Politics and the Journal of European Public Policy.

Listen to Speaker 1
Listen to Speaker 2
Listen to Speaker 3

The Lisbon Treaty, signed in December 2007, took two years to be ratified by all Member States and finally entered into force on 1 December 2009.  The Treaty aims to improve democracy, transparency and to make the Charter of Fundamental Rights binding. But it is in the area of external relations and foreign policy that some of the more profound institutional changes are put in place.  For example, instead of a 6-months rotating presidency, the European Council will be represented by a full-time President. In another newly created role, the appointment of Baroness Catherine Ashton as Vice President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the creation of an European External Action Service, in effect merges the roles of the External Relations Commission with that of the Common Foreign and Security Policy High Representative. The European Parliament will also share more areas of co-decision with the Council.

These changes are meant to bring about a more coherent and coordinated voice by the EU on the world stage and even out the powers of the Council, Commission and Parliament. Yet there are already murmurings of a lack of administrative and policy clarity over the new roles. Commentators have mooted that at worst it may mute extended debate and strengthen the inter-governmental influence over the Union.

This talk will discuss the construction of the Baltic Sea as a region, analyzing existing choices of values in the framework of the search for regional cooperation and identities in the EU. Also foregrounded will be the newly adopted EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region and the changes in the EU institutions. Since 1990 the construction of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) as a new “soft security power” has been one of the most important questions for the region’s countries and has impacted the EU also. As the image of the BSR was constructed as an area of peace, linked towards cooperation in economics, environment, and energy supply fields, difficulties needed to be overcome which appeared after the collapse of “the iron curtain” and the Soviet Union. But have the goals been achieved? EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region seems to be starting the final phase of Baltic regionalism. But still some open spaces are left, mainly related to Russia which is not involved in this project and this fact raises new questions and discussions. How should a dialogue between the EU and Russia be created which might span the Baltic? Approaching such a complex of issues has implications not only for the region and the EU, but for the wider scheme of regionalism,replica handbags which is turn has implications for cooperation in other regions.

Download Public Lecture

The global financial crisis that began in 2008 has been the most severe of the post-World War II era and very possibly the worst in modern history. A collapse of the global financial system was avoided because of determined responses by policymakers around the world.  Nevertheless the crisis was intense enough to trigger a deep global recession and the eclipse of export-led growth.  Beyond its immediate economic impact, this crisis has also led to changing relations between the pillars of the world economy, the European Union (EU), the United States and East Asia, specifically, China.  The process and outcome of the Copenhagen climate conference reflects the shifting patterns of power relations. 

Economic growth is vital to lift the remaining billions out of poverty; addressing climate change is critical to sustain that growth. The two are not mutually exclusive and with technology and innovation, the twin objectives of sustaining economic growth and addressing climate change can be achieved. 

Dr Steinbock in this lecture gave a broad overview of the current issues – from the economic crisis to the climate change, and sketch out the links between development and innovation.  He also addressed the shifting patterns of interactions between the EU, US and China and look at how innovation will become a crucial factor for sustainable economic recovery and continued growth of these three economic giants.

This event was jointly organised by EU Centre in Singapore, Embassy of Finland and Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Singapore Management University. It was attended by 110 participants.

Download video of public talk

The public talk on "Europe and the world: Economic Crisis and Institutional Choices" by Prof Dr Ben Knapen Prof Dr Ben Knapen, Member of the Scientific Council for Government Policy, The Netherlands, on 14 January 2010 was organised by EU Centre in Singapore at the NUS CIT Auditorium. The event was attended by 60 participants.

Deep economic crises are moments of truth and moments of change. Institutional transformations happened after the Great Depression in the 1930s of last century, and in the eighties and nineties after the oil shocks and the end of ‘post war growth’.

After decades of institutional transformations itself, today the European Union is again at crossroads. The world is still suffering from the aftershocks of the September 2008 financial crisis and facing uncertain consequences. The European Union’s institutions acted decisively amid the aftershocks and managed to save its own systems. Yet at the same time, after years of deeper and wider consolidation, Europeans are said to be in a general state of ‘integration-fatigue’ and reluctant to integrate further.

In his lecture, Prof Dr Ben Knapen will examine the push and pull forces at work to assess if European integration will be further strengthened. Specifically, he will also look at the impact of Lisbon Treaty, which recently came into force in December 2009, as well as the rise of fast growing BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India And China) on regional integration in Europe.

These and other topics are being discussed in “Aftershocks, Economic crisis and Institutional choice”, published by the Scientific Council, edited by Prof  Dr Knapen.

The first public talk of the year by Mr Alain Ruche (Dy Director, European Commission) on “Does EU need a new Asia Strategy” is co-organised with ASEF, on 12 January 2010.  Held at the ASEF conference room, the event was attended by over 60 participants.

The EU’s external relations with Asia are still underpinned by the 2001 European Commission Communication “Europe and Asia: a strategic framework for enhanced partnership”.  This Communication was released just before the events of September 11.   With the tremendous changes that have taken place both in Europe and Asia, and globally, and with the passage of the Lisbon Treaty aimed at shoring up the EU’s identity and capacity to act on the world stage,  this lecture will ask if a more coherent EU strategy towards the Asia region, particularly the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, is feasible and opportune. At the same time, the presentation will review the EU’s engagement of Asia in the past, the broadening scope of EU instruments and policies towards Asia, and sketch possible outlines of future EU-Asia strategy in the new, multi-polar world.

The European Union is arguably the biggest democratic success story in history. It is often held up as a source of inspiration for achieving peace and prosperity through its approach towards region-building and development.

 Should the European Union then step up its efforts to translate its own experiences of integration, democracy and development to support sustainable democracy in other regions? Can the European Union be an effective global player and assume leadership role in supporting democracy building around the world?

 With the support of the Swedish government, International IDEA embarked on a project to gather the views and perspectives of partners of the European Union across different regions on the role of the European Union in democracy building. After a series of consultations and feedback, International IDEA has produced report entitled “Democracy in Development: Global Consultations on the EU’s role in Democracy Building”. The report documents the findings on the perceptions of the European Union’s external policies and partnership, as well as recommendations on strengthening the European Union’s policies and practices on supporting democracy and development.

 The Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) and the European Union Centre in Singapore are pleased to jointly organise the launch of this report by International IDEA and a panel discussion with three distinguished panellists Ms Ingrid Wetterqvist (Director, International IDEA, Sweden), Professor S. D. Muni (Visiting Senior Research Fellow, ISAS, Singapore) and Ambassador Rodolfo Severino (Head, ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore).

The EU Centre in Singapore with the support of Asia-Europe Foundation succesfully organised the conference on "Networked Regionalism versus Institutional Regionalism: Managing Complexities in Regional Cooperation and Global Governance" at the Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre Hotel in Singapore from 6 to 8 December 2009. The event was attended by some 60 registered participants from 20 countries including Singapore.

Regionalism is becoming an important feature of the contemporary international system. Accentuated by the forces of globalisation, the “region” is increasingly turned to by states wishing to address issues that reach beyond national boundaries. Effects of regional integration hence hold equal interest for both policy makers and researchers, and studies on region-building and regionalism could also contribute to the effort in building a multi-level governance structure to manage complexities in regional and international cooperation.

Click here to read the full conference report.

Singapore and Denmark are two small states heavily dependent on the international economy and surrounded by larger nation-states. While they have so far been successful in using globalization and regional groupings (ASEAN and European Union respectively) to their advantage and ensuring that their interests have been protected, key challenges in the face of current crisis lie in how they, and small states generally, can achieve their political goals within regional frameworks, as well as in keeping larger nation-states committed to multilateralism and rules-based international cooperation in the face of growing domestic pressure for nationalistic policies.

The European Union is ASEAN’s first overall trading partner and biggest source of foreign direct investments. In 2008, the total trade between EU and ASEAN amounted to € 134.6 billion, and investments from EU to ASEAN have also seen strong growth. With the growing economic partnership, EU and ASEAN have entered into negotiations for an FTA in 2007.Eco-tourism, as a niche sector of Tourism, has been identified as one of the key areas for deeper cooperation.

Thailand, who is eyeing the conclusion of an EU-Thailand FTA, has been sold on the beneficial spillover effects of the FTA on tourism. She is gearing up to explore ways and opportunities for developing sustainable and community-based tourism. As one of the efforts towards developing sustainable eco-tourism, the Thai authorities with the support of UNEP and Greenpeace have commissioned the production of the first guidebook on Ecotourism entitled “Travel Green Thailand”. Besides giving foreign visitors plenty of useful travel advice and tips, the guidebook also highlights the benefits of a stronger EU-ASEAN cooperation in this field of sustainable tourism, importing some of the standards, norms and good practices developed within the European Union. Examples range from "Homestay" accommodation to national parks management.

"Travel Green Thailand" is viewed as a first step of a future Southeast Asian collection of Eco-tourism guidebooks and manuals, making itself a platform for future cooperation between the various stakeholders in the development of a more sustainable, low carbon emissions Tourism. Mr Richard Werly, the main author of “Travel Green Thailand”, will be sharing his insights and perspectives on an area of cooperation that the EU and ASEAN could potentially develop and deepen for sustainable development of the Southeast Asian region.

The event was co-organised by EU Centre with Asia-Europe Foundation and Singapore Institute of International Affairs. It was held at ASEF conference room and was attended by 30 participants.

The annual European cultural and business fair returned on 13 Oct 2009, this year to be held at the Nanyang Auditorium, with a twist. The Business Schools of three leading universities in Singapore: NUS, NTU and SMU will gather for a debate on a motion of particular relevance after the global financial crisis.

The debate was judged by a distinguished panel with representatives from the European Commission, City Developments Limited and ING, the Dutch Financial conglomerate, and, moderated by Ms Claire Chiang, former NMP and Chairperson of Banyan Tree Global Foundation. The event was attended by approximately 300 guests.

Regionalism has become a perennial feature of the world order, which has concurrently given rise to a new phenomenon in international relations: the relationships between regional groupings such as the EU and ASEAN. The interregional relationship between the blocs since the early 1970s is among the oldest of its kind. Beyond fostering mutual cooperation und understanding, these relations have also served to share experiences of regional integration. The EU has become one of the most active promoters of ASEAN’s cooperative efforts, through financial and technical assistance. But what have been the real results of these interactions? How has EU-ASEAN interregionalism asserted itself into ASEAN regional cooperation and integration? In this research seminar, Mr Lenz will present a framework for understanding the EU’s influence on regionalism in ASEAN, and its applications to findings from fieldwork in Southeast Asia, conducted while being hosted at the EU Centre. Does EU influence, with fairly recent developments of the ASEAN Charter and mooted economic integration, amongst other factors, attest or deflect from the increasing soft power of European ideals of regional integration?

Venue Map

What Richard Bellamy and David Castiglione (2003) have designated the “normative turn” in European Union (EU) Studies, and what Ian Manners (2002) has called “normative power Europe” would seemingly follow E H Carr (1939) in distinguishing “economic power, military power and power over opinion” (Manners [2003] 239). Yet in his Twenty Years’ Crisis, Carr is clear to smudge the edges of such a distinction, at one point referring to “the illusory character of the popular distinction between economic and military power”. “Power,” he continues, “is an element of all political action, is one
and indivisible” (1939: 119); what is needed instead, he opines, is a “general return to the term ‘political economy’” (108). Yet some concept of the EU as a normative power has become so wellinscribed not only in its theorization but also in its popular and institutional understanding that the dichotomies inherent in such a view, its inherent but underplayed dialectics, might needs be reassessed in the light of empirical evidence of popular opinion from the EU Constitution/Lisbon Treaty referenda and the 2009 European Parliament election results. Norm‐building, rather than normative strategies seem to be the norm as the EU enters the new century. This presentation is intended as the first of a series on related topics, inclusive of Euroscepticism, reading Jean Monnet’s Memoirs, and the EU’s response to global warming.

Lesson plans and information for Teachers

"Europe and Singapore : Confidence through Crisis"
by His Excellency Holger Standertskjöld, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Singapore

 "Principles & Policies of the European Union"
by Mr Jørgen Ørstrøm Møller, Adjunct Professor at Singapore Management University and Visiting Senior Fellow at Institute of Southeast Asian Studies

"The European Union’s External Relations – EU in the world "
by Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, Director, EU Centre in Singapore

The EU is often criticised for its reactive and uncoordinated efforts at a foreign and security policy. Whilst this may be true in the traditional fields of diplomacy and hard security, such a view understates how the EU has increasingly become the leading instrument for EU Member States to conduct their policy in new emerging soft security issues, which embrace challenges ranging from natural resource depletion through climate change to migration. In this respect, the public talk will illustrate how the EU has become a global leader at initiating sovereignty sharing approaches to such problems, and has pushed the global agenda gradually forward. In the run up to Copenhagen, it is therefore interesting to see how the EU has developed this role, and scenarios that could result in over the next few months and years.

The session will begin with an introduction by Mr John Pearson, Head of Climate Change Network in SEA, British Government, drawing attention to the “Implications of climate change on Southeast Asia”, and will provide time for questions and discussion.
 

-

Symposium

Keynote on EU Initiatives
His Excellency Holger Standertskjöld, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Commission to Singapore
pdf

Awards Ceremony

German Strategy for Adaption to Climate Change 
His Excellency, Jörg Ranau Ambassador, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Singapore
pdf

Creating Energy: Sustainable Challenge 
Thierry Pflimlin, CEO, Total Oil Asia Pacific
pdf

Market Sense of Going Green
Deborah Ong, Partner, Human Capital, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Intelligent & Sustainable Buildings 
Frank Lee, Executive Vice President, Siemens Building Technologies ASEAN, & Dr Osman Ahmed, Head, Global Research & Innovation, Siemens Building Technologies
pdf

Telecommunications Technology Benefits to Society and Environment
Ian Koh, Snr Director, Solutions & Network Design, Ericsson Telecommumnications
pdf

Space: A Commodity Worth Preserving, Sustainable Solutions for High Density Development
Jason Pomeroy, Director, Broadway Malyan Asia

Pneumatic Waste Collection, Successful Business Models for Sustainable Cities by Envac 
Tan Chin Tiong, Managing Director, Envac Group Pte Ltd

Collection & Recycling, Sustainable by Nature Tetra Pak Model 
Ong Lye Huat, Manager, Environment, Tetra Pak Jurong
pdf

A Global Approach towards Green Technology for Sustainable Water Management
Koh Wai Keat, Director, Business Development, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies SEA
pdf

Protecting Our Coastal Marine Environments
Ole Larsen, Director, DHI-NTU Water & Environment Research Centre, DHI Group
pdf

The Original Solar Cells: Microalgae & Carbon Sequestration
Assoc Prof Jeffery Obbard, Director, Tropical Marine Institute & Programme Manager, Biofuels Group, ICES, A*STAR
pdf

Panel Discussion & Public Forum

Paula Kesavan, Senior Assistant Director, 3P Partnership Department, NEA
pdf

Augustine Anthuvan, Editor, International Desk, Mediacorp

Howard Shaw, Executive Director, Singapore Environment Council
pdf

Anne Marie Doherty, Policy Officer, European Commission Delegation

Chua Yuan Cheng, Building & Environment Student, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
pdf

-

[1st issue of EU Centre Policy Brief]
(10 Years of the Euro: Achievements, Challenges & Lessons for Asia)

[Outline of Conference]

[Conference Programme]

[Speakers' Presentation]

-

[Presentation Slides]

[Speech]

[Presentation Slides]

-

[Event Info]

[Speech]

[Event Info]

 [Event Info]

Overview

Development of EMU by Klaus Regling

Factors Influencing Dollar and Euro Futures by Prof Lim Chin

Banking Industry Perspectives by Ravi Manchanda

The Euro's Impact on Singapore and Asia by Claudio Piron

Distinguished Speakers' Profiles

[Event info]

[Event Info]

[Event info]

This seminar aims to compare and contrast integration processes in both the EU and ASEAN with reference to therelation to and perceived importance by the “grassroots.”

Ambassador O’Brien’s contribution on “EU Integration –Expectations and Responsibilities” will address some of thchallenges the European integration process faces as it enters a period of more demanding public debate on itdirection and a more exacting internal and external advancement of its values and interests in an increasinglglobalised international environment.

Dr. Roberts’ contribution, ‘Integration in Asia: The Challenge of Moving beyond the Divergent Interests of the Elite’, waddress the dynamics of integration in Southeast Asia. While both ASEAN and the EU have been depicted as elitdriven projects, the key difference with regard to ASEAN is that a ‘convergence of interests’ between the political elithas been primarily limited to economic cooperation and integration. A greater compatibility between the politicasystems, norms and values of the region will have to emerge for grassroots ‘socio-cultural’ integration for the procesof deepening the level of integration in Asia.

Ambassador O’Brien is currently Ambassador to Singapore from where he is also accredited to Brunei DarussalamIndonesia, the Philippines and Timor Leste. His previous posting was in Egypt from where he was also appointed tJordan, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan. Earlier from 1995 to 2002, he served as Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand - his first Ambassadorship was to Poland in 1990 and a year later to Lithuania and Latvia. He began hicareer in the Irish Foreign Service in 1972 and served in both London and Washington before being appointeSpokesman at the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1985
Christopher Roberts is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) iSingapore. He recently completed a PhD (with a dissertation on ‘ASEAN’s Security Community Project: Challengeand Opportunities in the Pursuit of Comprehensive Integration’) through the University of New South Wales at thAustralian Defence Force Academy. His publications have ranged from integration and cooperation in ASEAN to morspecific issues such as poor governance in Myanmar. Most recently, two book proposals, on ‘ASEAN’s MyanmaCrisis’ and on ‘ASEAN Regionalism,’ have been approved for publication by ISEAS and Routledge

The seminar will be chaired by A/Prof Barnard E Turner, Senior Fellow, EU Centre and Academic Convenor, EuropeaStudies Programme, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, NUS. The EU Centre in Singapore was jointly established iApril 2008 by NUS and NTU with support from the European Commission. The Centre aims to help develop a base oEU studies, increase awareness of the roles of EU institutions, policies and their impact, and foster betteunderstanding of the role of the EU in the globaland regional arena through outreach activities, publications and research.

Knowledge and innovation lie at the heart of the EU’s Lisbon strategy to become the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.  In this public lecture entitled “Innovation and Knowledge-based Economy: The Research Strategy of the European Union”, Dr Silva Rodriguez will explain the current focus of EU research, the priority areas and initiatives and elaborate on some of the success stories of Europe’s cutting edge research and their impact on society and economy.  He will also share with the audience Europe’s experience and achievements in promoting innovation and research designed to serve the needs of European society and industry.

[Event Info]

The EU Centre is one of 27 centres worldwide. NUS and NTU responded to a call for proposal by the European Commission’s External Relations Directorate General in November 2007 to set up the first EU Centre in Singapore and Southeast Asia. By April 2008, having won the award to setup such a centre, these leading local universities had signed a project grant agreement to establish the Centre. In a few months, the senior management was swiftly appointed and a Memorandum of Understanding inked on 20 June 2008 between the three partners, the EC, NUS and NTU, marking the launch of the Centre.