Europe in the storm

The European Union was founded with the primary aim of preserving peace, strengthening international security, and fostering cooperation among nations.

For decades, that project appeared remarkably successful. It contributed to the longest continuous period of peace among its member states in modern European history and helped establish the EU as a major economic and political force on the global stage.

Yet in recent decades, the European project has come under increasing pressure, both from within and from outside its borders. Economic, political, and geopolitical challenges have multiplied, while the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of large-scale war to Europe, and rising trade tensions have all unfolded within little more than a decade, reshaping the continent’s strategic environment.

What can the European project mean in such a rapidly changing world? Can Europe remain faithful to the ideals on which it was built while adapting to a more turbulent geopolitical and economic reality? And what role can it play on the international stage?

Few people are better placed to reflect on these questions than Herman Van Rompuy. As Belgium’s Prime Minister and later as the first President of the European Council, he helped guide Europe through the global financial crisis, the eurozone crisis, the Arab Spring, and a series of events that tested the resilience of the European project.

In this special keynote at TheMerode, Van Rompuy offers a statesman’s perspective on the challenges facing Europe today. Drawing on decades of experience at the heart of Belgian and European decision-making, he reflects on leadership, consensus, sovereignty, and the future of the Union in an age of uncertainty.

This event will be conducted in Dutch.