When: Wednesday, October 31, 2018 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: Embassy of Austria, 3524 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008

With all its imperfections yet unprecedented economic success, the European Union stands out as the most successful peace project in the world, ever since allowing the United States and Europe to unite in their quest for freedom, peace, and prosperity.

However, in the context of current challenges to the established world order, multilateralism, the transatlantic relationship and the European Union appear to be under assault both in the U.S. and in Europe.

Panelists will draw on their first-hand experience to examine and assess the present state of transatlantic relations and the European Union, and will discuss future prospects against the background of the upcoming U.S. midterms, the European Parliament elections in May 2019 and a new European Commission, as well as specific challenges like migration, trade disputes, the final phase of the Brexit negotiations, and the rise of populist and anti-establishment political movements on both sides of the Atlantic.

Panelists:

Othmar Karas,
Head of Delegation of the Austrian People’s Party and former Vice-President of the European Parliament
Robert Walker (R-PA 16),
Former House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
David O’Sullivan,
Ambassador of the European Union to the United States of America
Stuart E. Eizenstat,
Former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union

Moderator: Daniel S. Hamilton, Austrian Marshall Plan Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University

The deliberations will be followed by a reception and a special exhibition “Vienna Design – Austrian Porcelain and Jewelry Objects” presented by the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington.