The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the German Development Institute (DIE) invite you to join our online debate “Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it: Europe’s role in post-COVID MENA” taking place on Tuesday, 13th of October, 09:00-10:30 (NYC, Washington, DC) / 14:00-15:30 CET (Algier, Tunis, Rabat) / 15:00-16:30 CEST/EET (Berlin, Brussels, Cairo) / 16:00-17:30 EEST (Amman, Beirut).
The Covid-19 Pandemic has increased socio-economic vulnerability, with the potential to undermine social justice and peace across the MENA. Whether this results in increased pressure on Europe’s border security, asylum and health systems is unclear, but the demand for Europe to act in support of vulnerable communities in MENA countries is in any case likely to grow. The EU’s long-standing interest in regional stability in its ‘southern neighbourhood’ has traditionally been a powerful driver of its support for economic and political reform in the region. The perception that unrest in the region poses a threat to Europe’s security has, however, reduced Europe’s appetite for taking risks in support of change, and European policies have helped entrench the socio-economic and political status quo. Does the Covid-19 pandemic require a re-think of EU cooperation in the region? Have windows of opportunity opened, for different approaches? How might the EU best contribute to socio-economic justice and peace in a ‘post-Covid’ MENA?
To discuss these and further questions, we welcome
Ibrahim Saif, CEO, Jordan Strategy Forum / Former Minister for Planning and International Cooperation, Jordan
Dania Koleilat Khatib, Director, Research Center for Reconciliation and Peacebuilding
Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, EU Ambassador to the Palestinian Territories
The online debate will be moderated by Mark Furness, DIE / Thomas Claes, FES
Register here for the online debate via Zoom or follow our livestream on Facebook! You can also watch the event later on Youtube!
The debate is the last session of our online debate series Until debt tear us apart? International cooperation and socio-economic justice in a post-Covid19 MENA region. In this online debate series, we invite different experts to comment on the question of how – in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic – international partners can best support MENA countries and the region as a whole in addressing questions of social and economic justice.
For more information and detailed program of the debate series download the full program as a PDF or visit our homepage.
