RfD | May: 💥 Defence, ⚽️ Football, & 🇪🇺 The EU
Dear Room for Discussion Community,
Another busy month has passed! The well-deserved May break has started, and we hope that you are heading into a warm place - whether because of temperature or because of the people around you. As uni work slows down, this is a perfect moment to look back at the many powerful and insightful conversations we had at Room for Discussion in the past month.
Enjoy the treats!
Future Interviews
What’s coming up in May? 💥⚽️🇪🇺
Lustrum: Kasja Ollongren -- 13th of May, 15:00-16:00, Location TBA (English)
With the largest war on the European continent since 1945, we are living in tumultuous times. We are honoured to have the Dutch minister of Defence joining us to discuss the state of Dutch military war preparedness, the war in Ukraine and her vision of balancing diplomacy and security.
To join us for the interview happening on 13th of May at 15:00, sign up for tickets here. The location will be announced.
Piotr Hofmański -- 17th of May, 17:00-18:30, De Brug, Roeterseiland (English)
What is the biggest challenge facing the International Criminal Court today? How much should we trust the ICC? What obstacles does it face, and what role do we see it playing in the 21st century? How does the president balance the roles of the diplomat and judge? To get answers to these questions, join us on De Brug on the 17th of May, 17:00 - 18:30.
Room for Discussion and AIM PPLE are honoured to welcome Mr. Piotr Hofmański, former President of the ICC. Prior to his nine-year term, Mr. Hofmañski served as a judge and legal scholar in Poland. After an hour-long conversation with him about the challenges facing the international legal system, you will have opportunity to ask your own questions to Mr. Hofmański. So prepare yourself and be there with us for this thrilling opportunity!
Lustrum: Bernd Reichart -- 21st of May, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland (English)
To continue our lustrum series, we are delighted to host Bernd Reichard the CEO of the sports management firm A22 and the superleague. The superleague is the biggest story in football, having the potential to radically change international club football. We are looking forward to talk with the man at the center of it all about why he thinks such a change is necessary, the CJEU ruling, and the Bernd’s next steps to get ahead of UEFA.
Join us on the 21st of May at 13:00 in the E-Hall for a debate about and beyond the world of football.
Bas Eickhout and Mohamed Chahim -- 22nd of May, 11:00-12:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland (English)
On 22 May, we will welcome Bas Eickhout and Mohammed Chahim, the number one and number two of the joint GroenLinks-PvdA list for the European elections in June, to our stage. Eickhout has been an MEP for GroenLinks since 2009, serving as vice-chairman of the Environment Commission on European climate policy. Chahim has been an MEP for PvdA since 2019, and serves a Vice President of the Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament.
Join us on the 22nd of May at 11:00 for a discussion about the place of the Netherlands in the EU, and how their vision of a greener, more social Europe looks like.
Hennie Verbeek-Kusters -- 23rd of May, 13:00-14:00, E-Hall, Roeterseiland (English)
Has your bank card ever been blocked “out of nowhere”? Who makes sure that the money in our financial system is not used for illegal purposes? Can we trace the money flow related to terrorist financing or money laundering? And how do respond to the globalisation of the financial crime?
To get answers to all of those questions, join us for the interview in the E-Hall on May 23rd, 13:00-14:00!
Room for Discussion is honoured to welcome Hennie Verbeek-Kusters, Head of Financial Intelligence Unit-Netherlands and former Chair of the Egmont Group. FIU collects financial information from private actors such as traditional and challenger banks, art dealers or casinos and report suspicious transactions to law enforcement agencies. Out guest has spent her career both on a domestic as well as international level and offers various insights into how to counter terrorist financing and money laundering and how to ensure the privacy of citizens while still being able to monitor our financial system. Join us for this unique opportunity!
Past Interviews: What happened in April?
The interview series about the Russian war in Ukraine
Ukraine Series: Yehor Soboliev -- 9st of April
On April 9th, we had the honour of speaking with Yehor Soboliev, an AV unit commander & former Ukrainian MP, who joined us directly from the frontlines in Ukraine.
In our conversation, Mr. Soboliev shared his remarkable journey from journalism to the Ukrainian Parliament and ultimately to the battlefield. He shed light on the critical importance of defending Ukraine's freedom and sovereignty, emphasising the broader implications for regional stability.
He expressed passionately: "That's what we are now trying to explain in Ukraine and in other nations who may not understand this danger properly. If Ukraine is defeated, Ukrainians will be mobilized by force by the Russian government to invade Poland. [...] We fight here not only for our freedom but also to prevent such new wars in the future." As our conversation came to a close, Mr. Soboliev left us with a powerful message: "Be free, be responsible for your freedom, and be happy."
Ukraine Series: Oleksandr Yabchanka -- 16th of April
The next week on April 16th, we had the privilege of speaking with Oleksandr Yabchanka, Commander of the "Honor" Company. Formerly a doctor, Oleksandr, like Yehor, was deeply involved in the 2014 Revolution of Dignity and witnessed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the same year. From defending Kyiv in the initial days of the full-scale invasion in 2022 to later becoming a soldier, his journey reflects the resilience and determination of the Ukrainian people.
During our interview, he recounted stories from the Liberation of Kharkiv region and from close combat engagements in Bakhmut. Sustaining injuries three times over two years of fighting, Oleksandr now undergoes rehabilitation at a rehabilitation center in Lviv. Yet, he remains actively engaged in recruiting fellow Ukrainians to join the “Honor” Company and continue the fight.
When questioned about his decision to take up arms and his motivation to return after rehabilitation, his response remains steadfast: "I don't have a choice. We [Ukrainians] have no choice. Russia wants to absolutely destroy our country." In his closing remarks, he expressed gratitude: "Thank you. It's crucial to understand that you are not alone. We have democratic countries, and together, we can triumph in this war against the totalitarian world. Thank you very much for your help and your support."
Stay tuned to hear about the upcoming interviews in our special series: “The Fight for Freedom”
Paul de Grauwe -- 18th of April
On 18th of April audience gathered in the E-Hall had an opportunity to listen to intriguing insights put forward from Paul de Grauwe, a London School of Economics professor, who has spent his entire career analysing markets as well as advising and teaching at the top institutions around the world.
During the debate, we looked at the still heated debate over the usefulness of pure free-market economy and explored the limits of our market system. We focussed on the inequality as an internal limit and climate change as an external limit and tried to answer the question whether technological optimists really see the full picture when it comes to countering the climate change. We discussed the current state of behavioural macroeconomics and De Grauwe explained why “we should not fall in love with our economic models.”
Robbert Dijkgraaf -- 19th of April
Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf joined Room for Discussion for a very special lustrum interview on De Brug. During an hour and a half, the minister shared with us his vision on Utopian Education, and how far The Netherlands actually was in achieving this state of utopia. The interview was divided in 4 sections: Mental Health, Financial Struggles, Internationalisation, and Knowledge Economy. Across all 4, there is room for improvement before we reach utopia.
We have to find the balance between the various factors, to make a sustainable education system accessible to all. Something that is currently not achieved, as can be seen through for example the issue of internationalisation. But if anything, minister Dijkgraaf stressed that should make us ambitious, rather than pessimistic, about the future that lies ahead of us.
Hein de Haas -- 22nd of April
Current debate about migration is heated and, according to Professor Hein de Haas, filled with myths and misconceptions. On 22nd of April, we had the chance to speak to the well-known migration scholar who, with his recently published a book, is one of the rare realistic and evidence-based voices in the migration debate.
On our stage, de Haas responded to the most popular migration myths: Are we really living in an era of mass migration? Who really benefits economically from immigration? Why do current policies not work? By our interviewers Tara and Elisabeth, he was also questioned about which policies he supports and whether his project to depoliticize migration is a at all feasible and desirable.
Listen to the interview now for his answers and for a reflected debate about migration that respects both the evidence and the human aspect of it.
Now, make the most out of the rest of your break and recharge, whether you are in Amsterdam or abroad. We are looking forward to seeing you for one of our next interviews upon your return!
See you then,
Room for Discussion Team