Politics and the economy in the European Union - Foundation Office Brazil
Event Reports
The KAS Brazil Office supported the eleventh edition of the inter-collegiate competition of International Relations (MIRIN), which was organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro´s (PUC-Rio) Institute of International Relations. This year, over 150 students from the State of Rio de Janeiro took part. They were divided into seven committees in which they discussed the current International Political and Economic crises. The activities included the simulation of a meeting of the African Union, in which security in the Horn of Africa and off the coast of Somalia was the focus. There was also a sitting of the G20 where multilateral trade agreements between developed and emerging markets were discussed and finally the fictional European Council on "Austerity, Stability and Growth: New agreements in times of Crisis " took place.
Christian Matthäus, Deputy Head of KAS Brazil, momentarily relieved the teachers by giving a lecture titled "Politics and the economy in the European Union" on the current situation in the European Union after the assumption of the EU Presidency by Italy. At the very beginning of his talk he pointed out how the performance of the Union and what its preceding organizations have created is historically unprecedented in the history of the continent; lasting peace between European nations. The principles of democracy, rule of law and freedom of expression are models and guarantors for the further success of the European project. The successes of the European foreign policy particularly emphasized the attractiveness of the liberal-democratic ideal - on this point Matthäus outlined the economic and political development of Albania, which a week earlier had been granted the status of an official candidate for accession to the EU and so can continue the path of further democratization and liberalization of its society and create closer links with the EU. Following the lively debate created by the lecture, the teachers went on to analyze the relationship between the EU and Russia in the current Ukraine crisis and discussed with the lecturer the meaning and necessity of austerity in the interaction of the European Central Bank, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council.
Following the lecture, Mr. Matthäus exchanged views with numerous students on committee room negotiation tactics.
