Wednesday 28 March, 2007

Time: 10.30am to 11.45am

Keynote speech: Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP

Chair: Stephen Twigg

Venue: Committee Room 9, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA PLEASE NOTE ROOM CHANGE(Access via St Stephen's Entrance)

Places are limited, please RSVP to: alex.bigham[at]fpc.org.uk

+44 (0)20 7729 7566

Download Alan Johnson's speech (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Tuesday 6 March, 2007

Rt Hon Peter Hain MP

Chair: Stephen Twigg

Kindly hosted by:

Hill & Knowlton

20 Soho Square

London W1A 1PR

About the event:

Peter Hain spoke and took questions at a packed Foreign Policy Centre discussion on "The End of Foreign Policy?" kindly hosted at the offices of Hill & Knowlton.

Since the events of September 11th, the barriers between the domestic and the international have further broken down. The old definition of "the national interest" is too narrow a guide to foreign policy in a globalised world, but we are still developing the new rules which should replace it. How can we redefine a multilateral foreign policy to encompass this new dynamic? Today's foreign policy needs to be shaped by ideas, not by events.

You can download a copy of Peter Hain's speech below

Download Peter Hain's speech to the Foreign Policy Centre (50 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

An ODI, Foreign Policy Centre and APGOOD Event

Global Challenges: Europe's Role

Keynote Speaker: Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Thursday 1st February, 1.00 – 2.30PM

Committee Room 10, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA (please use St Stephen's entrance) PLEASE NOTE ROOM CHANGE

At this joint ODI, Foreign Policy Centre and All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (APGOOD) event, Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister for Europe will speak about the role Europe can play in addressing today's major global challenges.

The Minister would like his speech to focus on the thoughts of the audience in this respect and to this end, you are invited to submit your own thoughts here in response to the following questions:

1. Which three main global challenges are especially suited for a Europe-wide response?

2. What three main strengths and three main weaknesses will determine whether the EU is or is not able to deliver a good response?

3. What does the UK and wider European development/external relations community have to do differently to make sure the weaknesses are overcome?

All feedback received in response to these questions will be passed to the Minister's office in advance of the event and his speech will endeavour to address the major themes which emerge.

If you would like to attend, please click here to register your place and submit your thoughts on the Minister's questions: http://www.odi.org.uk/speeches/apgood/international_development/1stFeb07/form.html

Please note that the deadline for submitting feedback is 12.00NOON on Thursday 18th January. Submissions received after then will not be passed to the Minister's office, although you will still be able to register for the meeting until 48 hours before the event.

Download Geoff Hoon's speech (30 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Kindly sponsored by United Utilities

Tuesday 18 July 2006, 11.30am – 1.00pm

Venue: Committee Room 18, House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA (Access via St Stephen's entrance)

The Foreign Policy Centre is delighted to welcome one of Bulgaria's most popular politicians, Boyko Borissov, Mayor of Sofia to speak at a seminar on the next enlargement of the European Union.

Bulgaria and Romania are due to join the European Union on 1 January 2007. This, the sixth enlargement of the EU, is part of an ongoing transformation of south-eastern Europe. Across the region, the prospect of EU membership is inspiring economic reform and democratic governance.

Yet question marks remain. In Bulgaria and Romania, there are problems of corruption, weak judiciary, organised crime, human trafficking, and mistreatment of minorities. The 2007 enlargement will bring the borders of the EU to new shores of instability in the Black Sea region. How will the EU respond to this new environment? What pressures can the EU exert to push reforms through before 2007?

Keynote Speaker:

Boyko Borissov, Mayor of Sofia

Panellists:

Graham Brady MP, Shadow Europe Minister

Rt Hon Denis MacShane MP, Former Europe Minister

Matthew Shinkman, Economist Intelligence Unit

To reserve a place at the seminar, please contact Edward Young:

edward.young[at]fpc.org.uk

T +44 20 7388 6662 or F +44 20 7388 8896