Fourth Europe Day - Foundation Office Brazil
Event Reports
The European Day, which now was held for the fourth consecutive year in Rio de Janeiro, highlighted once again the steady intensification of European-Brazilian relations. In three thematic panels, the organizers emphasized the sustainable development of Europe and addressed the continent’s challenges, success stories, and risk factors. Urban planning, climate change, the debate about the 015 expiring UN millennium development goals and European multilevel governance, among other issues, stood at the center of the discussions, in which the audience took active part.
The event was opened by Mr. Felix Dane, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Brazil together with the Ambassadress to the EU Ms. Ana Paula Zacarias. Mr. Oswaldo Biato, head of European department at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the European policy debates which are currently being held at a diplomatic level in Brasília. The French and German Consul Generals took advantage of the opportunity to unveil the European "Buddy Bear", symbolizing the fundamental European values of tolerance and unity. "Unity in Diversity", so the speakers asserted, continues to be the guiding motto 65 years as of Schuman Plan. Adenauer’s dream of a united Europe has never been so intensely lived as today – the current economic difficulties notwithstanding.
The first thematic panel debated the European Year for Development and asked for sustainable markets. The EU and its 28 member states are accountable for more than half of all global development aid with developmental cooperation enjoying overwhelming support among the European population, pursuant to Mr. Haroldo Macho Filho from the UN’s Development Program. Mr. André de Mello e Souza provided the audience with details about the role of Brazil as an active player in international developmental cooperation. These have both financially and geographically increased significantly, particularly in these first years of 21st century, rendering Brazil an important provider of developmental aid outside the Portuguese-speaking area. On the other hand and from personal experience as a staff member of the European Parliament traveling to conflict areas, Ms. Bettina de Souza de Guilherme raised the question of how illicit financial flows, which in some places exceed the sums of official developmental aid, could be held back by means of coordinated cooperation among democratic providers and improved control mechanisms Mr. Mario Mottin, Sustainable Development Coordinator at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressed the Brazilian positions at the United Nations and briefed those present about the Brazilian concepts of how Global Environmental Governance might be instated.
The second panel focused on discussions about the challenges of a clean as sustainable energy regime: Mr. Ton Dassen of the Dutch Environment Agency PBL, exhibited awesome and at the time dreadful data and specified our age as clearly Anthropocene. At this geological stage of humankind, cities would have become the center of human conglomerations and, for this reason, would need to be more functional, i.e. would need to draw-up managerial cost-consumption benefit analyzes based on environmental reserves and quality of life as the fundamental issues. Mr. Rui Ludovino, who is responsible for climate-change issues at the EU embassy in Brasília, reported on the Covenant of Mayors, an EU-wide initiative for mayors of medium and large-sized cities in the European Union, which already relies on 6000 members and is committed to achieve or surpass the EU-wide goal of a greenhouse cutback of 20% vis-à-vis 1990 levels by 2020. Given that cities are particularly prone to climate-change consequences, such initiatives are indispensable. The project is now due to expand itself to global levels and would, therefore, also be an interesting platform of sustainable development for urban management of Brazilian municipalities.
In the third panel, European governance at its several levels held the center of the stage: Mr. David Spence of the London School of Economics deplored, that in the day-by-day, the discussions held by European institutions were monopolized by monetary affairs, whereas major goals and ambitions, which statesmen like Schuman, Adenauer and de Gaulle stood for, lagged behind. This would call for increased counteracting through civil society engagement and not just counter right-wing populist tendencies with clever arguments. Mr. Thanos Dakos of the Hellenic Foundation for European and foreign policy called for increased integration to overcome the economic crisis that is particularly severe in his country and, as an example, mentioned the decade-long debate on the establishment of the European Energy Union, which did not up to this date advance beyond the discussion and planning stages. In her exposition, Ms. Miriam Saraiva, lecturer at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) questioned, on hand of several examples, whether Brazil had two faces i.e. one traditionally Western, culturally, linguistically and historically aligned with Europe and North America and now as member with the recently instituted BRICS? If so positioned at the international level, would the country be a stout supporter of established standards ("standard follower") and take part in the creation of new standards ("standard setter")? Or, instead, would it show the other by rejecting the established order ("norm breaker")?
The final round provided the participants with an opportunity to assess the state of European-Brazilian relations. The speakers concurred that Brazil and the EU share the same challenges in international environment, security and defense policies and hence are more than just partners.
A stately reception at the residence of German Consul General closed the fourth European Day in Rio de Janeiro in a dignified manner.
