The Europa Lectures, 2002–2014: From Enlargement to Crisis(Europe and the World)

Commencing in 2001, the Europa Lecture has become a high-profile fixture on the EU-New Zealand calendar. As witnessed by the fifteen lectures reproduced in this new volume, the speakers were selected for both their high-level profile as well as their importance to this bilateral dialogue. This volume includes speeches from three Prime Ministers, a President, four European Commissioners as well as four Foreign Ministers both European and New Zealanders. Each lecture, naturally, reflects the important issues of their day and cumulatively they produced a unique record of how EU-New Zealand relations have evolved, matured and continued to converge since the start of the new millennium. The earlier lectures reflect a general optimism in the European integration project, perhaps best highlighted by the historic enlargement of 1st May 2004. However, with the onset of the global financial crisis and then subsequent Eurozone debt crisis, the anticipated trajectory towards a supranational “ever closer union” was interrupted and the EU found itself confronting a period of both internal and external criticism and anxiety. It was in these less than auspicious times that significant effort towards enhancing New Zealand’s bilateral relations with the EU gained momentum. These initiatives are expected to bear fruit in 2016 with the signing of a Partnership Agreement on Relations and Cooperation and – BREXIT not withstanding – a fully-fledged EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement before 2020. This collection of lectures ends just as the rise in Euroscepticism became evident and the first serious murmurings of BREXIT could be detected within British politics. The impact the UK’s decision will have on EU-New Zealand relations remains uncertain although, as the introductory chapter to this volume suggests, since 2015 New Zealand’s media have seemingly begun to conflate coverage of the EU as being tantamount to BREXIT. If this trend does come to dominate the New Zealand media landscape then Kiwi perceptions towards Europe run a risk of becoming unbalanced and a “Back to the Future” perspective reflecting the difficulties of the 1970s may again come shape perceptions.

Table of Contents:
Preface: The Europa Lectures Introduction: Reporting the European Union in the New Zealand Media 2004–2015, Martin Holland and Serena Kelly Chapter 1: Europa Lecture 2001—What’s Europe Done for Us? Terry Wynn, Member of the European Parliament Chapter 2: Europa Lecture 2002—New Zealand’s Relationship with Europe, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand Chapter 3: Europa Lecture 2003—EU-New Zealand Relations after Enlargement, Rt. Hon. Lord Patten of Barnes, European Commissioner for External Relations Chapter 4: Europa Lecture 2004—EU Enlargement: Challenges and Opportunities, Rt. Hon. Margaret Beckett, British Foreign Secretary Chapter 5: Europa Lecture 2005—NZ and the EU, 12 Months after Enlargement, Hon. Phil Goff, New Zealand Minister for Foreign Trade and Affairs Chapter 6: Europa Lecture 2005—Turkey and the European Union: Opportunities and Challenges for New Zealand, Tayyip Recep Erdogan, Prime Minister of Turkey Chapter 7: Europa Lecture 2006—European Agricultural Policy in a Changing Environment, Marian Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture Chapter 8: Europa Lecture 2007—The European Union and New Zealand: New Perspectives, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commission for External Relations Chapter 9: Europa Lecture 2008—New Zealand and Europe: A Partnership for the 21st Century, Winston Peters, New Zealand Minister for Foreign Affairs Chapter 10: Europa Lecture 2009—New Zealand and the European Union: A New Relationship, Murray McCullay, New Zealand Minster for Foreign Affairs Chapter 11: Europa Lecture 2010—Europe’s Place in New Zealand’s Foreign Policy, John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand Chapter 12: Europa Lecture 2011—The European Economy and New Zealand, José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission Chapter 13: Europa Lecture 2012—History and Future of Poland as an Independent Nation and as Part of the European Union, Aleksander Kwasniewski, Former President of Poland Chapter 14: Europa Lecture 2012—The European Union’s Response to Security Challenges in Its Wider Neighbourhood and in Asia, Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary General for the European External Action Service Chapter 15: Europa Lecture 2013—The European Union in the Contemporary World, Sem Fabrizi, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Australia and New Zealand Appendix: Biographical Details About the Editors

About the Author :
Serena Kelly is lecturer and post doctoral research fellow at the University of Canterbury. Martin Holland is director of the National Centre for Research on Europe at the University of Canterbury and of New Zealand’s EU Centres Network.

Review :
The Europa lectures have been delivered by a remarkable range of international leaders, some from Europe, some from New Zealand, some politicians, others officials and diplomats. The speeches are all the more interesting as they reflect the marks of the time when they were given and the personal tone of the author. Prime Minister Erdogan addressed the major issue of Turkish accession to the European Union while others dealt with detailed aspects of European policy such as agriculture. Taken together, they reflect a relationship between the European Union and New Zealand which is growing in sophistication.