Today we Celebrate Europe Day, and the EU Centre at RMIT is very happy to invite you to a new session of 'Australia and Europe in Conversation' on Wednesday 30 May 2012.

50 years ago, in March 1962, Sir Edwin McCarthy took up his position as the first Australian Ambassador to the EU. Since then EU-Australia relations have had their ups and downs but today the relationship is broader, deeper and stronger than ever - but many challenges lie ahead.

Every month this year, two or three Ambassadors and/or High Commissioners from EU Member States, together with Australian Ambassadors to Europe, will gather to talk about their country and why it joined the EU, their current position and how their country interacts with Australia. The events will be recorded and broadcast by Radio National’s “Big Ideas” program.

This month we are fortunate to be joined by H.E. Mr Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia, H.E. Mr Patrick Renault, Ambassador for Belgium to Australia, and Dr Bruno Mascitelli, President of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia; Swinburne University, who will together discuss ‘The EU as a regional institution and democracy? The place of smaller member states’. Joining them will be Mr Paul Barclay from ABC’s Radio National, who will moderate the discussion.

Speakers

H.E. Mr Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia                                                                               

H.E. Mr Patrick Renault, Ambassador of Belgium to Australia

Dr Bruno Mascitelli, President of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA); Swinburne University 

Free event. All welcome.

Please RSVP to [email protected] for catering purposes