The Breakfast Club with Carsten Grønbech-Jensen

A candid, off-the-record conversation on power, process and geopolitics in Brussels, over breakfast at TheMerode.

The Breakfast Club is back.

Our early-morning series returns with a small, closed-door conversation moderated by Philip Tod. Around the table, a select group of members will gather for an in-depth exchange under Chatham House rules.

This edition welcomes Carsten Grønbech-Jensen, Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the European Union. As Chair of COREPER II during Denmark’s Presidency of the Council, he has been at the centre of delicate negotiations between member states, the European Parliament and the Commission.

The conversation will look behind the formal statements and press conferences to explore what it means to steer COREPER during a presidency semester, how major financial decisions in support of Ukraine were structured, and how Denmark is navigating a shifting geopolitical landscape that includes renewed American attention on Greenland. It will also reflect on the realities of trilogue negotiations and on what Europe’s current moment reveals about the balance between national interests and collective strategy.

The discussion is designed to be interactive and informal.

7:30 – Welcome, coffee and breakfast

8:00–9:00 – Conversation and audience Q&A, ending sharply at 9:00

Breakfast includes viennoiseries, yoghurt, fruit, granola, overnight oats, chia pudding, fresh juices, tea and coffee.

This format is limited to 20 members and offers the opportunity for a serious conversation in an intimate setting before the working day begins.

speaker

Carsten Grønbech-Jensen has served as Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the European Union since 2023, representing his country in Brussels at ambassadorial level and leading Denmark’s mission to the EU . A career diplomat with nearly three decades of experience, he has held senior roles across the Danish state. From 2019 to 2023 he was State Secretary for European Affairs and the Arctic at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to that, he served as Under-Secretary for Europe and Northern America, and earlier as Chief European Affairs Adviser to the Danish Prime Minister . His career includes multiple postings in Brussels at Denmark’s Permanent Representation to the EU, including as Antici Counsellor, as well as diplomatic service in Berlin and Bonn. Across these roles, he has worked at the intersection of European integration, security policy, Arctic affairs and transatlantic relations . He holds an MSc in Political Science from Aarhus University and a postgraduate degree in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe in Bruges . Born in 1971, he is married and has two children

moderator

Philip Tod is a European Commission official with over 25 years’ experience in EU policy-making and communication on the economy, financial services and public health in both the European Commission and the European Parliament. A Franco-British national and member of The Mérode since 2023, Philip is currently head of unit responsible for euro protection and euro cash at DG ECFIN of the European Commission. He has previously served as head of unit for communication at DG ECFIN, as well as spokesman and member of cabinet for the EU Health Commissioner. In the European Parliament he served as a policy adviser on financial services in the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee and as spokesman for the Leader of the Liberal Group. He holds an MA in European Politics and Administration from the College of Europe in Bruges and a bachelors degree in Government from the LSE.

The Breakfast Club with Carsten Grønbech-Jensen

Carsten Grønbech-Jensen

Philip Tod

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The Breakfast Club with Carsten Grønbech-Jensen

Carsten Grønbech-Jensen

Philip Tod

Become a member

Reach us

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