Europe in a post-liberal world: in conversation with Pedro Serrano

Join Pedro Serrano, the European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom, at this event to discuss Europe in a post-liberal world.

Europe stands at a crossroads. Since the end of World War II, the international liberal order – largely underpinned by the United States – created the conditions for European integration, with the European Union playing a pivotal role in deepening and expanding rules-based multilateralism.

Today, the founding principles of the international liberal order – the rule of law, democracy, free trade, and collective security – are being challenged in a world where military force, zero-sum competition, and the weaponisation of interdependence increasingly define international relations.

This event will examine how these shifts are testing and reshaping Europe: its identity, its priorities, institutional structures, and its role on the global stage. It will look to answer the following questions: How can the EU adapt to a world defined by power politics? And what might an ‘independent’ Europe look like in a post-liberal era?.

During this event, we will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from Ambassador Serrano, as well as LSE experts.

Meet our speaker

Pedro Serrano is the European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom. A Spanish career diplomat, Mr Serrano has been an EU official since 2003. He was Chief of Staff to the European Union’s High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy and EC Vice President Josep Borrell Fontelles until October 2022. His previous roles include that of Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.

Pedro Serrano was also the first EU Ambassador to the United Nations, in New York, after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Discussants

Federica Bicchi is Associate Professor of International Relations in the Department of International Relations at LSE. Her current research focuses on contemporary trends in European diplomacy, especially in relation to the digitalisation of diplomacy and developments in European foreign policy cooperation. Her theoretical perspective contributes to the “practice turn” in International Relations.

Spyros Economides is Associate Professor in International Relations and European Politics at LSE and Research Coordinator, Hellenic Observatory Research Cluster on Politics & Geopolitics. His current research concentrates on: the ‘West’ in contemporary international relations; the external relations and security policies of the EU; Europeanisation and foreign policy, and the EU’s relationship with the Western Balkans.

Chair

Karen E Smith is Professor of International Relations Theory in the Department of International Relations at LSE. Her main research interests lie in the fields of foreign policy analysis and the study of international organisations. She has recently published on feminist foreign policy, the role of women in diplomacy and foreign policy-making, the European Union’s diplomacy at the United Nations, and the role of groups in UN multilateralism.

More about this event

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