Frans Timmermans will address issues of the changing political economy and the role the European Union can play in facing the challenges of today. The soft power of the EU is no longer limited to stabilisation and transformation of societies alone. Europe sets the standard in many fields. Yet, as Frans Timmermans will argue, pursuing the vision of Europe as a model power imposes a growing need for the Union's member states to start thinking and behaving in political terms. Less as a collection of different economies and more like a true economic union.

Frans Timmermans is the Netherlands' Minister for European Affairs. He has been a member of the Netherlands' House of Representatives since 1998 and represented the House in the European Convention. In his earlier career he served in the diplomatic service, with postings in The Hague and Moscow, and working among others with EU Commissioner Hans van den Broek and the High Commissioner on National Minorities (OSCE) Max van der Stoel.

Podcast

A podcast of this event is available to download from the LSE public lectures and events podcasts channel.

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