The EXACT fellows Vanessa Boas, Miguel Haubrich Seco, Niklas Helwig and Andreas Raspotnik participated in the Cypriot Pre-Presidency Conference, organized by KIMEDE (Cyprus Institute of Mediterranean European and International Studies) in cooperation with TEPSA, LISBOAN, the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission Representation in Cyprus and the University of Cyprus. The conference took place at the New Campus of the University of Cyprus, Nicosia on 14 and 15 June 2012.

The conference was opened by the welcome remarks of Costas MELAKOPIDES, Associate Professor, and President of KIMEDE. In his opening speech, Jean Paul JACQUE, Secretary General of TEPSA stressed the importance of the Presidency due to the current situation in the EU and highlighted three main challenges: economic and social crisis, migration and solidarity.

The Keynote Address was given by Erato KOSAKOU MARKOULLI, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus. She highlighted the main priorities of the Presidency: the negotiations of the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020 and the Presidency’s contribution to the realization of the European Economic governance and the implementation of the Six Pack.

The two-day conference and its workshops and plenary session focused on Europe’s economic and social crisis, the consequent challenges for the European Union, the presently hot topic of European solidarity and the future of EU’s external relations and diplomacy. In that regard Pirkka TAPIOLA, Senior Advisor at the Strategic Planning Division of the European External Action Service (EEAS), elaborated on the achievements and challenges of the EEAS.

The full conference report can be found here.

Additionally, TEPSA, in form of contributions by Marine Jacob, Andreas Raspotnik and Laura Ventura drafted a discussion paper on the issue of solidarity in the European Union, which can be found here.