On 19 February 2019, 14:00-15:30, H.E. Ambassador Paul JOHNSTON, gave a guest lecture on "The UK’s perspective on the CFSP/CSDP: past, present, future".
H.E. Ambassador Paul JOHNSTON is currently the UK Representative to the EU’s Political and Security Committee.
He was previously British Ambassador to Sweden (2011-15) and then Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO. From 2008-11, he was Director of International Security for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he was responsible for policy on UN, NATO, European security, arms control and disarmament, human rights and good governance. Before returning to London he had been Head of the Political Section in the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York (2005-08). He also held a variety of other EU policy and security appointments in London and in Paris.
Ambassador JOHNSTON shared highlights of his longstanding experience as a British diplomat and his analysis of the development of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, ranging from the EU’s approach to the Western Balkans in the early 1990s to the current policy vis-à-vis the Russian Federation, among other topics.
In the lively Q&A session, the students and the guest lecturer discussed a wide array of topics such as the functioning of the Political and Security Committee and the Foreign Affairs Council in practice, EU foreign policy in the Middle East, the future of European defence cooperation or the impact of Brexit.
This lecture was a closed event organised by the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies (only open to students).
For more information, please contact Sabine DEKEYSER
