Upcoming events

Former UK Permanent Representative to the EU

Title of the event: Greenland, Trump, and the EU’s Strategic Wake-Up Call: Can Europe Protect Its Interests?

Date: Wednesday, 21.01.26 (Week 1)

Time: 17:30

Location: Lincoln College, Lower Lecture Room

President at European Court of Auditors.

Title of the event: tba

Date: Wednesday, 28.01.26 (Week 2)

Time: 17:30

Location: Oakeshott Room, Lower Lecture Room

Member of the European Parliament, Committee on Foreign Affairs

Title of the event: tba

Date: Wednesday, 04.02.26 (Week 3)

Time: 19:30

Location: Lincoln College, Lower Lecture Room

Lithuanian Ambassador to the UK

Title of the event: tbc

Date: tbc (Week 4)

Time: tbc

Location: tbc

President of the Swiss Democracy Foundation

Title of the event: tba

Date: Thursday, 26.02.26 (Week 6)

Time: 17:30

Location: Lincoln College, Lower Lecture Room

Panel discussion with current military attaches to the UK

Title of the event: Greenland, Trump, and the EU’s Strategic Wake-Up Call: Can Europe Protect Its Interests?

Date: (Week 7)

Time: tbc

Location: tbc

Managing Director of DG GROW at the European Commission

Title of the event: tbc

Date: tbc (Week 8)

Time: tbc

Location: tbc

Workshop: European student activism in times of rising populism, December 2025

Valentin Doupuey is Director of External Relations, Communication & Events at the College of Europe, where he leads strategic outreach and engagement. He has broad experience across EU institutions, including the European Commission and political youth networks. He also co-developed the European Green Party campaign for their 2021 election cycle, pioneering grassroot political campaigning and tailored social media engagement.

Fireside Chat: On the Frontlines - Ground support for Ukraine, December 2025

Jonas Ohman is the founder of the Lithuania-based NGO Blue/Yellow, which has provided continuous frontline support to Ukraine’s armed forces and civilians since 2014, with a focus one drone innovation. Under his leadership, the organisation has become a key channel for delivering equipment, medical aid and logistical support provided by European countries to Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.

Panel Discussion: After the Break: How Brexit Reshaped Britain’s Power and Prosperity, November 2025

Anand Menon is a British political scientist and Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London. He is also Director of UK in a Changing Europe, a research initiative focusing on the UK–EU relationship and its broader political implications. John Springford is an associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform in London, specialising in the economic and political impacts of Brexit and EU–UK relations.

Talk: Europe's Survival and the Politics of German “Zeitenwende”, November 2025

Johannes Volkmann is a German politician and Member of the Deutscher Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). In parliament he serves as an ordinary member of the Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, where he engages in shaping Germany’s foreign policy and international relations. Before his election to the Bundestag he worked in the European Parliament.

Talk: Protecting Europe’s Southern Flank: The New Scramble for Africa, November 2025

Charlie Stuart is a senior EU diplomat serving as Chief Peace & Security Advisor on Africa at the European Union’s External Action Service (EEAS). In this role he advises on peace, security and strategic engagement with African partners, drawing on extensive experience in EU external affairs, several postings to African countries and policy development to inform Europe’s approach to security challenges and partnerships on the continent.

Talk: Towards a military union? The role of the military within the EU, October 2025

Coenraad Reumer is Political Advisor to the Director General of the EU Military Staff (EUMS). A former officer in the Dutch Armed Forces, he has served on several international missions and brings extensive operational and policy experience. His current work focuses on coordinating European rearmament efforts and advancing collective defense readiness in response to evolving security challenges.

Talk: Democracy in exile. Perspectives on how the EU can support democratic movements worldwide, October 2025

Lobsang Sangay is the former Kalon Tripa (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration and a leading advocate for Tibetan rights and democratic governance, having worked with the EU to advance minority rights in China. He is a lecturer and visiting fellow at Harvard Law School’s East Asian Legal Studies Program, where he contributes to research and dialogue on international law, human rights, and East Asian affairs.

Talk: Courageous or Coerced? Europe´s future in a changing geopolitical order, June 2025

Lukas Mandl is an MEP from Austria, representing the European People’s Party group. He serves on a number of key European Parliament committees including Foreign Affairs, Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, and Security & Defence, and is Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Security & Defence. Mandl is also President of the Assembly of European Regions, leading several interparliamentary friendship groups.

Talk: Zeitenwende? Europe between Putin, Trump and Xi, June 2025

Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies at Oxford and one of Europe’s most prominent historians. A best-selling author whose works on the revolutions of 1989, free speech, and the future of democracy have been translated into more than 30 languages, he shapes public debate beyond academia. In recognition of his contributions to European thought and unity, he was awarded the Charlemagne Prize.

Fireside chat: Resilience and the future of Ukraine, moderated by Dr. Jody Laporte, May 2025

Kateryna Yushchenko served as First Lady of Ukraine from 2005-2010. She also served in various positions in the White House, Departments of State and Treasury, and currently works to increase global support for Ukraine and its reconstruction. Dr. La Porte focuses her research on dynamics of politics and policymaking in non-democratic regimes, with a regional focus on post-Soviet Eurasia.

Talk: Trump changes everything: How a new UK approach to Europe became essential, May 2025

Jonathan Freedland is a prominent Guardian columnist and host of the Politics Weekly America podcast, offering in-depth analyses of transatlantic relations and European affairs. Freedland has an extensive network spanning the continent, providing him with first-hand insight into Europe's evolving role on the global stage, European internal politics and valuable insights into applied journalism.

Talk: From Free-riders to Front-loaders. A shift in European defence policy, April 2025

Steven Blockmans is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels and at the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) in Tallinn. A leading expert on EU foreign policy and defence, Blockmans regularly advises policymakers and the Council of the EU, making significant contributions to strategic initiatives like the EU's "Readiness 2030" defence plan and the emerging "coalition of the willing".

Talk: What does it mean to be European? Reflections from Philosophy, April 2025

Simon Glendinning is Head of the LSE European Institute and Professor in European Philosophy. A leading thinker on questions of identity, culture, and politics, his work examines how European and British traditions intersect and diverge. Author of Europe: A Philosophical History, he brings a uniquely philosophical lens to contemporary debates on what it means to be European and how notions of Britishness continue to evolve.

Talk: The EU in the Trump Age: Evolution, Expansion and the UK’s role, March 2025

John Peet is Political Editor at The Economist and formerly served as the magazine’s Europe Editor, where he covered the EU, Russia, and the Balkans. A former British civil servant, he combines policy experience with decades of journalism, offering a sharp perspective on Europe’s institutions, politics, and global challenges. His long career makes him one of the most authoritative voices on the UK’s relationship with Europe.

Talk: EU/UK relations in light of the Trump-Zelensky meeting, March 2025

Sir Nick Harvey is the CEO of European Movement UK, a veteran Liberal Democrat politician who served as MP from 1992 to 2015. He was Minister of State for the Armed Forces between 2010 and 2012, and in 2012 he was knighted for his public service. With deep experience in defence, diplomacy, and political campaigning, he now leads EMUK in its mission to rebuild strong UK-EU ties and promote European values post-Brexit.

Fireside chat: The EU´s role in promoting peace in the Horn of Africa, February 2025

Annette Weber is the European Union´s Special Representative (EUSR) for the Horn of Africa since 2021. Weber previously worked as a journalist, a human rights defender and most recently as the regional expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. As a German political scientist, specialised in Northeast Africa and gender studies, she will provide deep insights into the EU´s regional strategy.

Talk: Inside the Brussels System: How do the EU institutions really work, February 2025

Anthony Teasdale is the former Director General of the European Parliamentary Research Service (2013 - 2022) and currently serves as Professor at the LSE and Columbia University, as well as Director of the Europaeum in Oxford. With three decades of experience in the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, he brings unparalleled insight into the workings of Europe’s institutions and their role in shaping policy.

Talk: Building European Democracy: Lessons from the Parliament, January 2025

Klaus Welle is the former Secretary-General of the European Parliament (2009 - 2022), where he played a pivotal role in strengthening the Parliament’s legislative and political influence within the EU. Before that, he served as Head of Cabinet to the President of the EP and Secretary-General of the European People’s Party. Welle has been central to shaping the Parliament into a more assertive actor in European policymaking.