Monday, October 5, 2009, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

The Irish recently ratified the Lisbon Treaty, a far-reaching reorganization of the European Union (EU). In June 2008, after Ireland rejected the treaty in a first referendum, concessions were offered by the twenty-six other EU countries, all of them having adopted the treaty.

On October 5, the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America and the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings hosted a panel of experts to discuss the expected changes in the European Union and the implications for the United States. Panelists included Ambassador John Bruton of the European Union; Brookings Visiting Fellow Federiga Bindi; President Ralf Fuecks of the Heinrich Böll Foundation; Timothy Garton Ash of the University of Oxford and the Hoover Institution; and Professor Charles Kupchan of Georgetown University and the Council on Foreign Relations. The event is part of a series of briefings and discussions on the future of the European Union.

Senior Fellow Justin Vaïsse made introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, panelists took audience questions.

Introduction and Moderator:

Justin Vaïsse, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution 

Panelists:

Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
John Bruton, Ambassador, European Union, Delegation of the European Commission to the U.S.
Federiga Bindi, Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Charles Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations 
Ralf Fücks, President, The Heinrich Böll Foundation

Please click here for the event transcript.
Please click here for the full audio report.