Hamburg-Vigoni Talks – #8 EU's strategic partnership with the ASEAN stateswith Svenja Hahn and Prof Dr Markus Kotzur

29 June 2021

The second series of Hamburg-Vigoni Talks specifically seeks dialogue between science and politics. In the first talk, Prof Dr Markus Kotzur spoke with Svenja Hahn, Member of the European Parliament, about the EU's strategic partnership with the ASEAN states. Svenja Hahn has been a Member of the European Parliament for the FDP since 2019 and is part of the Renew Europa Group. Among other things, she is a member of the Delegation for Relations with the countries of Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a substitute member of the Committee on International Trade. Markus Kotzur is Professor of European and International Law at the University of Hamburg and also President of the Europa-Kolleg Hamburg.

Markus Kotzur and Svenja Hahn discussed the EU's strategic partnership with the ASEAN states - not least concerning the EU's position on China. Firstly, they discussed the external perception of the EU in its foreign and trade policy interaction with third countries. The discussion also focussed on the EU's self-perception as a 'normative power' and how this is reflected in political practice, for example when concluding trade agreements.

The "Hamburg-Vigoni Talks" are a dialogue format within the framework of the Hamburg-Vigoni Forum. The series aims to relate the thematic focal points of the forum - space, sovereignty, and identity - to current political issues and further advance the desired link between politics and research. The intention is therefore not a theoretical discussion of the presuppositional topoi, but rather an accessible discussion of their actual implications in political practice.

The discussions will primarily take place between academics from the institutions organizing the forum and will be conducted on an interdisciplinary basis. To avoid a mono-perspective, however, the circle of speakers is not limited to the academic field, but also occasionally includes people with a practical political background.