“Europe and its present and future role in the globalised world” public lecture by Prof. Ernest Petr

Friday, 31 January 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

On 23 January, 2014, the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS) hosted a public lecture entitled “Europe and its Present and Future Role in the Globalised World”. The lecture was delivered by Prof. Ernest Petric, President of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia.

The lecture was presided over by Minister for External Affairs and Chairman of LKIIRSS Prof. G.L. Peiris. Also present on this occasion were Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, Attorney General Palitha Fernando, Hon. Consul for Slovenia Sanath Ukwatte and European Union Head of Delegation David Daly. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session. In his remarks, Prof. Petric discussed the role of the European Union and acknowledged that despite the upcoming challenges, the EU would grow financially –and even politically- in the long run. He pointed out that the EU was “still a very impressive economic power and as a group has the best potential in the world, even when compared to China”.

He further highlighted the importance of the EU within the international sphere reminding the audience that the political power held by the union is still significant considering that two EU countries are members of the United Nations Security Council and are nuclear powers; the UK and France. According to him, the EU has contributed significantly to the world. “The greatest democratic ideas of our time are mostly babies of the European heritage,” he said. Concluding his presentation, Prof. Petric also touched on the concept of the European Parliament and European integration noting that “European integration should be done so that the cultural identities of the individuals are protected.”