"Politics is the art of the possible"
(Otto von Bismarck)

Dialogue in operation

Besides our work for individual clients, we organise occasionally a small lunch meeting with a senior decision maker, our clients and friends. A particular policy development is presented and discussed under so-called Chatham House rules with the purpose to bring interesting views together for further reflexion and enrichment of the European public interest.

Recently we welcomed

  • Íñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO, MEP and Member of the EPP Bureau and of the Economic & Monetary Affairs Committee, on the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and its likely effects on the working of the institutions and the Parliament in particular.
  • Malcolm HARBOUR, UK Conservative MEP and chair of the EP's Internal Market Committee, on the completion of the Single Market and the Monti Report and the obstacles to achieving this for all economic sectors.
  • Jo LEINEN, MEP and chair of the EP's Environment, Public Health & Food Safety Committee, on environmental policy as a horizontal policy affecting many other policies and on its role as a force for research, innovation and competitiveness.
  • Matthias OEL, Special Adviser of European Council President H. Van Rompuy, on the activities of the Presidency of the European Council, issues of economic governance and the measures taken or proposed to stimulate Europe's growth and competitiveness.
  • Despina SPANOU, Principal Adviser of DG Sanco, on the EU’s health policy strategy and priorities, the public health agenda and its horizontal impact on other policies.
  • Jonathan FAULL, Director-General, DG Internal Market and Services, on the challenges for the Internal Market, in particular both the consequences to the market from the current crisis, the Commission’s new proposals to complete the Single Market in the framework of the EU 2020 Strategy and the Monti Report.
  • Paolo DE CASTRO, Chairman, European Parliament, Agriculture & Rural Development Committee, on the future of European Agriculture ahead of the CAP political debate, sustainability and competitiveness, global food security and how the European Parliament positions itself vis-a-vis the Member States and the European Commission in the CAP reform debate.
  • Klaus GRETSCHMANN, Director-General in the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers, who spoke about the need and the challenges to develop Innovation Europe, which should become the new driving force for the Member States to increase competitiveness.