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Category: Roundtables

Created on 10 April 2012

On April 10th, The European Institute, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Russian Federation, welcomed The Honorable Sergei Ryabkov, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss methods and strategies for breaking the Iranian nuclear impasse.  Emphasizing the need for reciprocal action to form the basis of any agreement, the Deputy Minister explained that rebuilding trust between the P5+1 and Iran is crucial to any prospects for successful negotiations.  He also stressed Russia’s intent to recognize Iran as a full member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty only when it submits to IAEA inspectors and proves its intention to pursue entirely peaceful nuclear technology.  Pointing to the resumption of talks in Istanbul planned for April 14th, Deputy Minister Ryabkov stated that the P5+1’s varied approaches could be beneficial, presenting Tehran with “a menu of ideas” which may inform negotiations.  The discussion included an opening statement by Dr. Gary Samore, White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism, and was moderated by Michael Adler, Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Middle East Program.

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Category: Roundtables

Created on 22 March 2012

On March 22, 2012, The European Institute held a seminar to mark the release of the European Commission's new Animal Welfare Strategy.  The seminar brought together experts from the European Commission, U.S. government, business, non-profit organizations and academia who compared and contrasted animal welfare policies in the EU and the U.S., and explored the growing role that the private sector is playing in resolving animal welfare issues.  Speakers included: The Honorable Jim Moran (D-VA), Co-Chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, U.S. House of Representatives; François Rivasseau, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union; Carlos Alvarez Antolinez, Minister Counselor, Food Safety, Health & Consumer Affairs, Delegation of the European Union; Philip Brasher, Editor, Executive Briefing, Agriculture and Food, CQ Roll Call; Chuck Eggert, CEO, Pacific Natural Foods; David Fikes, Food Marketing Institute; Andrea Gavinelli, Head of Unit, Animal Welfare, DG Health and Consumers, European Commission; Dena Jones, Farm Animal Program Manager, Animal Welfare Institute; Linda Keeling, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences; Judit Krommer, Legislative Officer for Animal Welfare, DG Health and Consumers, European Commission; Cathy Liss, President, Animal Welfare Institute; Janice Neitzel, Sustainable Solutions Group; Dr. Kenneth Petersen, Assistant Administrator, Office of Field Operations, Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Annechien ten Have Mellema, President, LTO - Dutch National Pig Farmers Organization; and Professor Adroaldo Zanella of the Scottish Agricultural College.

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Category: Roundtables

Created on 21 March 2012

On March 21, 2012, The European Institute, in cooperation with the European Parliament's Liaison Office to the U.S. Congress, hosted a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) led by Vice-President Alexander Alvaro.  Vice-President Alvaro and a panel including Danny Weitzner, Deputy Chief Technology Office for Internet Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Marc Rotenberg, Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center; and Christopher Soghoian, an Open Society Foundations Fellow discussed the implications of new data protection and privacy initiatives in both the EU and U.S. and assessed the impact of these initiatives, their dividing lines and the prospects for moving towards more closely aligned privacy policies between the European Union and the United States.  The discussion was moderated by Alan Raul, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP.

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Category: Roundtables

Created on 07 March 2012

On March 7, 2012, The European Institute hosted a breakfast discussion on Germany's nuclear phase-out agenda and its commitment to renewable energy sources. R. Andreas Kraemer, Director of the Ecological Institute in Berlin, focused on the reasons behind Germany's gradual nuclear dependency reduction, as well as the process and challenges involved in the country's transition to renewable energy. A panel discussion followed with Edward McGinnis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Nuclear Energy Policy and Cooperation at the U.S. Department of Energy and Günter Hörmandinger, Counselor for the Environment at the Delegation of the European Union, who outlined the U.S. and the EU's respective views on nuclear phase-out and alternative energy policies.

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Category: March 2012

Created on 02 March 2012

By Zachary Laven, European Affairs Editorial Assistant

The voting outcome was a resounding “no” – as widely predicted. So what is the background on this peculiar referendum, a reminder of the continuing tension between the Balkans and post-Soviet Russia. With more than 70% turnout, the vote against promoting Russian as the nation’s second official language was 75 percent and reflected the ethnic and linguistic divide between Latvian and Russian speakers. Said a relieved President Andris Berzins, “The vote on a second state language endangered one of the most sacred foundations of the Constitution: the state language.”

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