EUISS Colloquium - The Importance of Strategic Thinking for the EU

Coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of the EUISS becoming an EU agency, this colloquium entitled ‘The importance of strategic thinking for the EU’, took place on 3 May 2012 in Paris and explored the development of strategic forecasting and future global trends. Following an introduction by H.E Mr. Jean-Louis Falconi, PSC Ambassador, French Permanent Representation to the European Union, EUISS Director Álvaro de Vasconcelos presented the EUISS report ‘Global Trends 2030’ and spoke of the emerging post-western polycentric world and the rise of middle powers such as Turkey and Indonesia over the coming decades. 

The first panel was a debate between the former ISS Directors Nicole Gnesotto, Guido Lenzi, current Director Álvaro de Vasconcelos and Senior Research Fellow Damien Helly concerning the need for greater strategic thinking within the EU. The second panel, chaired by Sylvie Kauffmann of Le Monde, invited strategic thinkers from across the globe to participate in a debate concerning the emerging global trends indentified in the EUISS report. Panellists discussed the rise of Asian powers, in particular the economic rise of China and the disillusionment of the Indian middle class and youth with gerontocratic rule in India. The role of political Islam in the democratic transition process underway in the Middle East following the Arab Democratic Wave was also debated and explored by the panel. A question and answer session followed in which participants were able to further explore the future priorities for EU foreign policy.