European Union foreign policy is significant for Australia given the EU’s influence on a wide range of multilateral, economic and security issues. The EU is also an increasingly important actor in the Indo-Pacific. However, the EU’s unique structure, function, and supranational status mean that it is often misunderstood. Join us at this lunchtime seminar to hear from two visiting experts who work at the heart of EU foreign policy. This is an opportunity to get an insight into how EU foreign policy is developed, through interactions between different EU institutional players and the Member States, and coordination of policy positions vis-a-vis third states. It will also be an opportunity for identifying areas of common interest for strengthening EU-Australia cooperation and assisting Australian policy makers in engaging with the EU.

The speakers will:

• provide an overview of the current issues in the EU Common Security and Defence Policy;
• focus on the external dimension of the European Green Deal;
• explain the intricacies of the foreign policy making process at the EU level, including the role of different institutions.

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session. 

Speakers

Mr Serge Joseph is Policy Coordinator at the Directorate for External Relations in the Secretariat-General of the European Commission. His portfolio covers the coordination of development policy, of external aspects of the European Green Deal and of EU-Japan bilateral relations. He was also involved in emergency financial support to Ukraine in the couple of months that followed Russia's invasion in 2022.

Dr Xavier Gros is Senior Adviser at the European Parliament (Luxemburg), where he has worked for the past 14 years. He is responsible for providing guidance on strategy and policy issues, analysis and monitoring of operational plans, and internal coordination. His areas of expertise include security and safety, hybrid threats, and the Common Security and Defence Policy in the European Union.

The speakers currently hold the EU Fellowship at the ANU Centre for European Studies.

Date and time: TBC

Venue: DFAT Diplomatic Academy

The seminar is part of the ANUCES Jean Monnet project Culture in International Relations: Europe and the Indo-Pacific, delivered with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.