Turning Fear into Hope is a series of conversations with the first President of the European Council and former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy that captures the main challenges the EU is facing. He shares his wisdom on some of the major past, current, and future issues confronting the Union and its member states.
Fabian Zuleeg and Janis A. Emmanouilidis, members of the EPC leadership team, engage in discussion and debate with Herman. While, Jacki Davis, a former EPC communications director and governing board member, skilfully moderates and edits their conversation. Together they provide different perspectives on topics such as the euro and migration crises, the legacy of COVID-19, the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Green Deal, the technological revolution, and the EU’s place in the world.
They ponder questions such as: What does the war in Ukraine tell us about Europe’s future role in the world? Have EU leaders done enough to prepare for future crises? And what is the way forward? There is much agreement but also differences evident in the views of the three participants, demonstrating how challenging it is for the EU to find its way forward.
The book concludes with a discussion on the role of think tanks, how they can bridge the gap between academia and the real world of practice and provide a forum for targeted debate on major challenges. Essentially, the book serves as an important reminder that there are many politicians, researchers, and analysts who care deeply about the future of our shared Europe.
This book is a must-read for all those interested in the unidentified political object that is the European Union. It is also a timely way for the EPC to commemorate its 25th anniversary and opens the way for the
Jubilee Conference, which will take place in Brussels on Thursday, 1 December.
Read the full paper here.