Rome, 28 September 2017 – MEPs Željana Zovko, Dubravka Šuica and Ivana Maletić participate from 27 to 29 September in the Conference on Common Security and Stability in the Mediterranean, held in Rome within the European Ideas Network 2017 Summer University. A wide range of high-level officials, politicians, academicians, business experts and representatives of civil society shall have an opportunity to discuss various topics in panels and round tables. Special guests include the Chairman of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, President of the European People’s Party Joseph Daul, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Angelino Alfano, Head of the Italian delegation of the European People’s Party Elisabetta Gardini and the European Union Ambassador to the United Nations João Vale de Almeida.
MEP Željana Zovko spoke about importance of the Conference: “The European Union has recently been facing challenges such as the future of common European security policy, stability in the Mediterranean, immigration and strengthening of the effects of its foreign policy. Rome is a symbolic location for exchange of ideas of the European People’s Party about these challenges. The European Union needs to strengthen the effect of European values on its borders and its visibility in the countries with which it has been cooperating in strategic partnership in order to protect its own security and stability.”
“Rome is just the perfect venue for the 16th European Ideas Network Conference. At the same time, the selection of the Conference venue is a contribution to celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. This Conference is an excellent opportunity for the European People’s Party to thoroughly discuss the future of Europe, especially having in mind that the European Union has been going through historical moments. The main topics to discuss will be security, defence, migration, economy, demography and foreign affairs. I sincerely hope they contribute to enhancing relations between the member-countries and the future European policies.“ – said Dubravka Šuica.
“Europe and the member-countries are faced with many challenges: security, fight against terrorism, migration, demography, energy independence, needed technological innovations, reindustrialisation, digitalisation, development of new know-how and strengthening the role of young people in the EU. All these challenges are a matter of discussion in Rome at the Conference organised by the think-tank European Ideas Network. The programme is really intensive. New ideas about the important topics, turned into concrete actions, are a pre-requisite for growth and development of our joint efforts on building the innovative, inspiring and leading Europe.“ – said Ivana Maletić.
European Ideas Network is a pan-European think-tank which promotes new ways of thinking about the key challenges the EU member-countries are facing. This is an important meeting-point and intellectual junction of the right centre of the European policy. This year’s meeting in Rome, organized 60 years after the Treaty of Rome was signed, has a special symbolic meaning. The participants of the panel about the common security and stability in the Mediterranean shall try to find solutions to contemporary challenges faced by the European Union, such as: immigration and demography, digitalisation, technological innovations, entrepreneurship and strategic management, EU strategy in fight against terrorism and extremism, bioethics and human dignity, Russian-European dialogue in the field of energy, strengthening of European foreign policy, financial sector, economic development and stability in the Union, the future of trans-Atlantic relations, strengthening the role of young people in the EU and European security and defence.