Can UK and EU survive great power rivalry?

This month’s (Wed 5 Jul) WWW WorldWide Wednesday will look at Great Power rivalry as EU and NATO leaders gather in Brussels and Vilnius. Our WWW panel of experts will assess potential impacts on economic, trade, politics, and global influence. Through lively discussions and insightful analysis, WWWsheds light on topical issues. Please register now to secure your WWW spot for valuable insights and to contribute to our conversation. – July’s (Wed 5 Jul) three #WWWWorldWideWednesday speakers are:

George Cunningham recently retired from the EEAS European External Action Service as Strategic Adviser on Asia-Pacific Affairs. George was responsible for the EU’s 2021 Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the EU Alternate Senior Official for the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and EU Governor of the Asia-Europe Foundation. Previously George served as Deputy EU Ambassador to Afghanistan, was posted in New Zealand, Cyprus and New York, and led on China and EU-US trade relations. George served in the first decade of his career in the British army, went on a two-year expedition in Africa, worked for British Petroleum and British Telecom, ran an NGO and served as a United Nations official before joining the EU. George has been involved in politics since his departure from the EU. George is Chair of Liberal Democrats Abroad Steering Committee, and the Chair of the party’s subcommittee on China. George is a Council Member at the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE)and a member of Liberal International’s Fair Trade Working Group. George stood as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in the 2015 UK General Election.

Roland Freudenstein is an international speaker, writer, and researcher. Roland is Vice President and Head of GLOBSEC Brussels. Previously and since 2008, Roland was Policy Director of the WMCES Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, the think tank of the EPP European People’s Party in Brussels. Roland has extensive experience and knowledge of the think tank world (German Council on Foreign Relations), global democracy support (Konrad Adenauer Foundation) and public service (European Commission and Hamburg State Government). Roland is a specialist on European integration and international security, staunch advocate of the West and critic of the Kremlin’s aggression.

Jeremy Lefroy‘s work centres on smallholder agriculture in Africa; supporting growth of jobs and livelihoods in the UK and East Africa; and working with partners to tackle infectious diseases. From 2010-2019 Jeremy was the UK Member of Parliament (Conservative – Stafford), where he was a member of the International Development, Joint Human Rights and Exiting the EU Committees. Jeremy also served as a Trustee of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2015-2023) and the Conservative Christian Fellowship. Jeremy chairs the boards of the Relationships Foundation, Equity for Tanzania and Staffordshire Enterprise, co-chairs the Kenya UK Health Alliance, is a Trustee of the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), and is Executive Director of Café Africa. Jeremy is a Fellow of the ICAEW Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Jeremy lives in Keele and is married to Janet, a GP and Professor of Medical Education at Keele University Medical School.

Chair: Patrick Hurley is the RSA Royal Society for the Arts Area Manager for the north of England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Patrick has an MA in Political Philosophy. Patrick’s background is in social innovation and community business, touching on areas such as food poverty, physical and mental wellbeing, microfunding initiatives, and ethical entrepreneurship. Outside of the RSA, Patrick is a school governor, chair of a homelessness prevention charity, and was a local authority councillor in Liverpool.

Register via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/www-worldwide-wednesday-can-the-uk-eu-survive-great-power-rivalry-tickets-646289127177