Looking Ahead: the 89ers and the future of the EU [Audio]

Speaker(s): Professor Timothy Garton Ash | On the occasion of the 1989 Generation Initiative’s third anniversary, Timothy Garton Ash will speak in broad terms about the future of the EU in the wake of Brexit, prospects for its reform, and how the next generation of European leaders must act to shape events. In an article at the height of the euro crisis, Timothy Garton Ash called on the young generation of Europeans to take ownership of the EU project. The response of students at the LSE European Institute in 2016, was to set up the 1989 Generation Initiative as a vehicle to do just that. Three years on, the Initiative is active in twelve countries and growing fast into a pan-European network of young people committed to reinventing Europe. In the meantime, the EU faces new crises. With the UK choosing to exit, paralysis over immigration, and the election of a populist government in a key member state, the future of the European Union is very much in doubt. How can it be reformed to make it function better? What role for the 89ers? Timothy Garton Ash is Professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford. Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor of European Politics and Director of the Hellenic Observatory. Michael Cottakis , President, 1989 Generation Initiative will provide a short welcome speech. The LSE European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe. In the most recent national Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) the Institute was ranked first for research in its sector. 1989 Generation Initiative (@1989_Generation) is an open policy network mobilising a new generation of Europeans – the 89ers – to rebuild the European Project.