Join us for an exciting roundtable discussion on the results of the European Parliament elections. Across the European Union, citizens have elected their representatives for the next five years. Did the expectations of a stronger far-right presence materialize? How will this influence coordination and consensus within the European institutions? Will Ursula von der Leyen cooperate with the far-right to maintain her position, and what concessions might she be willing to make? What can we expect from the European Commission in light of these election results?
Our distinguished speakers, Prof. Dr. Theresa Kuhn, Prof. Dr. Ben Crum, and Didrik de Schaetzen, will share their insights during the roundtable discussion, scheduled to take place at the FASoS campus in the Turnzaal on June 13th, starting at 17:15. The roundtable discussion is chaired by Dr. Christine Arnold. After the discussion, we welcome you to our FASoS garden for drinks and delicious food truck snacks. We look forward to seeing you there.
Prof. Dr. Theresa Kuhn
Theresa Kuhn is Full Professor at the European Studies Department at University of Amsterdam. She is also member of the governing board of the ACES (Amsterdam Center for European Studies). She has obtained her PhD from the European University Institute in Florence in 2011 and was a postdoctoral fellow at Nuffield College at the University of Oxford before joining the University of Amsterdam in 2014. In 2020, she received the CES Young Scholar award for the most significant contribution to the interdisciplinary study of Europe for a scholar under the age of 40, awarded by the Council for European Studies.
Her research focuses on key challenges in European politics, such as euroscepticism, nationalism and increasing polarisation, particularly in light of recent crises such as the eurozone crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Currently, she leads a 5-year research project on European identity formation funded by a VIDI grant of the Dutch Research Council (NWO)
Prof. Dr. Ben Crum
Ben Crum is Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He studied political science at the University of Amsterdam and the London School of Economics, and holds a PhD from the European University Institute Florence. Before joining the Vrije Universiteit in 2004, he worked at the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, at the University of Twente, and at policy consultancy firm Research voor Beleid in Leiden. He also has held a secondment at the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy in The Hague and visiting positions at the University of Victoria (Canada) and Harvard University.
He is currently the director of the VU's MSc in Political Science and a member of the management team of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, and co-Director of the R&I Lab on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Governance at VU Amsterdam. From 2014 to 2016 he was co-director of the VU-UvA Amsterdam Centre for Contemporary European Studies. From 2017 to 2019 he held the research portfolio in the board of the VU Faculty of Social Science. From 2019 to 2021 he was the director of the VU School of Governance.
Didrik de Schaetzen
Didrik is the Secretary General ad interim in charge of political relations and representation. He has been working for the ALDE Party since 2011, initially as Head of the Communication & Events unit and since January 2022 as Campaign Director for the 2024 European elections.
Prior to the ALDE Party, Didrik worked for the European Commission and various international organisations. He also ran as a candidate for two local elections and a regional one, he represents the MR/VLD parties in the Board of Brussels Expo, the main exhibition hall of Belgium. Didrik holds a Masters in Applied Communication (IHECS) and Masters in European Politics (ULB-IEE). He speaks French, Dutch, English and Swedish.