Decision-makers, experts and citizens will again meet to discuss topical EU issues in the eighth Europe Forum, which will be launched in Turku on Wednesday 27 August. The event is free of charge and open to everyone. This year’s Europe Forum will also feature a Speakers’ Corner. No advance registration is required for this public event, which will be held at Hansatori on 28 August from 14.00 to 18.00.
The focus in this year’s discussions will be on such issues as security, sustainability, and competitiveness of the EU. In addition, Finland’s 30 years of EU membership will be celebrated extensively at the Europe Forum. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will also take the stage in a discussion assessing Finland’s current role and future in the Union.
The Finnish Parliament will hold a discussion on its role in EU decision-making. The participants include former Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, Member of Parliament Saara-Sofia Sirén, and Heidi Hautala, a former MEP, Member of Parliament and cabinet member. In the joint programme of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the University of Turku, Erkki Liikanen, former Member of the European Commission and Governor of the Bank of Finland, and Professor Louis Clerc will discuss Finland’s path to EU membership. On the final day of the Forum, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, will be interviewed on how EU membership has changed Finland and which direction the EU should take in the coming decades.
“Turku is a great venue for the Europe Forum, because we are a city characterised by internationality, culture and debate on societal issues. The Europe Forum provides a fitting opportunity to discuss the direction of Europe and Finland’s role in the European Union. It is important for the City of Turku to act as a driver of this discussion,” says Mayor of Turku Piia Elo, describing the importance of the event.
Matti Anttonen, Chairman of the Europe Forum in Turku association, is impressed by the diversity and high quality of this year’s programme: “Europe Forum brings together a series of high-quality discussions that shed light on key issues for Europe’s future. Europe is currently facing security policy, economic and value-related challenges. It is important that we have an open and constructive discussion on these themes and that everybody can take part in this discussion. The Europe Forum provides an excellent venue for this purpose.”
Take a look at the programme of the Europe Forum and the list of speakers at www.europeforum.fi.
Speakers’ Corner at Hansatori brings people together to discuss European issues.
This year, the Europe Forum will also be highly visible throughout the cityspace: It will feature a Speakers’ Corner, which will be held at Hansatori in Hansakortteli on 28 August from 14.00 to 18.00. The event is open to everyone and it will be organised by the Schuman Society and the Centre for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku. The event will bring together politicians, experts, media representatives and young influencers to discuss topical European issues.
The afternoon at Hansatori will begin with the discussion ‘The world is changing – how is Europe responding?’, in which the event moderator Markku Jokisipilä, Head of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies at the University of Turku, is joined by Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Member of Parliament and the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Schuman Society.
MEPs Li Andersson, Mika Aaltola, Sebastian Tynkkynen and Aura Salla will also share their thoughts, while Erkki Liikanen, former Member of the European Commission and Governor of the Bank of Finland, will discuss how the EU membership has changed Finland.
The event is aimed at the general public, and for young people in particular, it provides an easily approachable way of participating in societal debate on the future of Europe. The audience will hear about a career in the EU, and the EU Youth Delegate Alma Jokinen will talk about how young people can influence developments in society.
Mayor of Turku Piia Elo, as well as Deputy Mayors Sini Ruohonen, Elina Rantanen and Mirka Luukkonen will also be on stage. They will participate in a joint interview on the theme ‘Turku in Europe’.
The event is open to everyone and free of charge, and no advance registration is required. The event is open to everyone and free of charge, and no advance registration is required. The Speakers’ Corner will be streamed by Turun Sanomat.
You can also take part in the event in live broadcasts online
If you are unable to follow the discussions on site at the Turku City Theatre and Hansakortteli, you can also follow the discussions online without advance registration. All parts of the Europe Forum programme can be viewed in real time at https://europeforum.fi/en/livestream/.
The Finnish and Swedish parts will be simultaneously interpreted into English (except for the programme at Hansatori).
Lye Areena will also send the programme at the main stage of the Turku City Theatre live on all three days of the event. The programme will be sent by Yle as part of its ‘Suorana suomalaisilta’ series, which features live broadcasts of topical societal events.
