Date, time: 5 October 2023, 10:00-11:00 EEST

Venue: Riga Art Space  (address: Kungu iela 3, Riga, Latvia)

 

Description of the session:

Common challenges and opportunities in the BSR and beyond – ways to address them through Macroregional cooperation.

Discussion on cross sectoral and multi-level governance approach aimed:

• to guarantee stable energy supplies in light of the uncertainties created by climate change and geopolitical situation;
• stimulate innovation and establish sustainable economic growth in the region over the long run;
• encourage young people in the policy making processes;
• engaging Ukraine, to provide support, encourage reform and eurointegration process, address the consequences of the war, and form synergies for future approaches and solutions in the wider region.

 

Moderator:

Dr. Juha Jokela, Programme Director of the EU research programme, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Juha is the Programme Director of the European Union research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. His previous academic and policy studies projects and publications include the EU’s sanctions policy, political implications of Brexit for the EU, political and security developments in the Arctic, Europeanisation of foreign policy, EU’s Asia relations, and Finland’s EU policy. His current research interests include differentiated integration in EU’s foreign policy, and the role of G7 and G20 in multilateral cooperation. Juha has expertise in EU's foreign and security policy, the UK withdrawal from the EU (Brexit), EU in global and regional governance, Finland's EU policy. He holds a PhD from the University of Bristol (UK), which focused on Europeanisation and foreign policy in Finland and the UK, and a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Birmingham (UK).

 

Ms. Vineta Kleinberga, Researcher, Faculty of European Studies, Rīga Stradiņš University

Vineta is a researcher and doctoral student at Faculty of European Studies, Department of Political Science in Riga Stradins University. She has focus on prospects and limitations of EU integration and particularly is interested in the dynamics between policy formation, political communication and its reception by society, leading to action or inaction in certain policy areas. Vineta is also involved in the research on narrative formation, projection and peceptions with regard to Ukraine and EU-Ukrainian relations; climate change narrative in Latvia; and COVID-19-related strategic communication.

 

Video address of Ms. Elisa Ferreira, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

 

Speakers:

H.E. Mr. Krišjānis Kariņš, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia

 

Mr. Kaspars Melnis, Minister for Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia

 

Mr. Normunds Popens, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission (DG REGIO)

Normunds is Deputy Director-General for Implementation and International relations at DG REGIO of the European Commission. Before joining the European Commission in March 2011, Mr Popens has occupied several posts in Latvian diplomatic services. Notably from 2007-2011 he was a Permanent Representative of Latvia to the EU and from 2000-2004 Ambassador to Norway and Iceland. Mr Popens has dealt with European affairs as Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and he has been also responsible for the issues of foreign trade and transatlantic relations.

 

Ms. Almut Möller, State Secretary and Plenipotentiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the Federation, to the European Union, and for Foreign Affairs

Almut is State Secretary and Plenipotentiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the Federation, to the European Union, and for Foreign Affairs since 2019. Ms Möller held previously the positions of Head of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Berlin (2015-2019) and Head of the Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP e.V.) in Berlin (2010-2015). From 2008 to 2010 she has been an independent publicist and analyst in London. From 2006 to 2008 she had research stays at the Renmin University of China (Beijing), the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Cairo), and the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS) at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C.

 

H.E. Mr Anatolii Kutsevol, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Latvia

 

Ms. Līga Kurevska, State Secretary, Ministry for Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia