In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine join the European Movement UK for a special online event examining what Putin's invasion of Ukraine means for Europe, and what EU leaders are doing about it.

Starting at 6:30pm UK time (7:30pm CET) on Thursday 03 March 2022, the event will feature an insightful and informative panel of distinguished speakers, including:

• H.E. Sophie Katsarava MBE - Ambassador of Georgia to the UK
• Kees Klompenhouwer - Former Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine
• Reinhard Bütikofer - MEP (Germany)
• Clare Moody - Former MEP (UK) who will Chair the event

You can read more about the speakers further down this page.

Discussion on the night will depend on last minute developments, during what is a rapidly changing conflict. However, the event aims to cover topics such as how the war in Ukraine could redraw the geopolitical map of Europe, whether the UK and EU have got the balance right between military support and economic sanctions, what options remain for de-escalation and negotiation, and if the UK’s withdrawal from the EU has made a difference to their responses.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

H.E SOPHIE KATSARAVA MBE
H.E. Sophie Katsarava was appointed Ambassador of Georgia to the United Kingdom in April, 2020.

Prior to this appointment she was Chair of the Parliament of Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Committee.Before becoming an MP, Ms. Katsarava worked at the British Embassy in Tbilisi for many years, initially holding a position as Communications & Public Affairs Manager before being promoted to Political Officer.

She was awarded an MBE (Honorary Member of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her contribution to strengthening bilateral relations between the UK and Georgia.

KEES KLOMPENHOUWER
Kees is a Dutch diplomat who served as Ambassador of the Kingdome of the Netherlands to Ukraine from 2013-2017.

A graduate of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, with an MA in Economics, Kees had a long and distinguished career which, in addition to being his country's representative in Ukraine during the Russian annexation of Crimea, saw him serve as Ambassador to both the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia).

His other roles include Defense Counselor at the Netherlands Permanent Mission to NATO, and Head of the Military Cooperation Section at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague.

REINHARD BUTIKOFER MEP
Reinhard Bütikofer is one of the Co-Chairs of EGP, and MEP for the German Green party.

He sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), is a substitute member of both the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in all Democratic Processes in the EU, and also serves as the Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with China.

CLARE MOODY
Clare is a British Politician who was an MEP for the South West of England for the Labour Party from 2014-2019.

She was vice-chair of European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defence, and a member of the Foreign Affairs, Women's Rights, and Industry, Research and Energy committees. She made several trips to Ukraine in her role as an MEP.

In 2021 Clare joined Equally Ours, becoming their co-Chief Executive, and was appointed to the National Executive of the European Movement UK.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The event will be streamed live on the European Movement UK's social media channels but we encourage you to RSVP in advance via this page.

By RSVPing here you will gain exclusive access to a private stream of the event, via which you can interact with the European Movement team and also ask questions to the speakers.

To RSVP simply click on the "RSVP Here" button on this page.

NB: This event is free to attend but we encourage you to make a donation to the European Movement UK during the RSVP process to help us put on more events like this, and to help fund our campaigns.

Image of Reinhard Bütikofer (c) European Union 2021. Source - European Parliament Multimedia Archive.