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Saatja: Thomas Van Vynckt <
[email protected]>
Saadetud: 23.05.2023 11:20
Adressaat: <"press mkm">
Koopia: <"MKM info">
Teema: Invitation to Minister Tiit Riisalo– State of Europe – 8-9 November 2023- Brussels
Manused: image040631.png; image387569.png; image052628.png; image605998.png;
image773050.png; FoE - State of Europe programme 8-9-11-2023.pdf;
2023_Invitation_Festival-Politics-and-Ideas_Minister_Tiit-Riisalo.pdf
Dear Madam, Sir,
Please find attached the official letter of invitation on behalf of the Board of Trustees of Friends of
Europe, for Minister Tiit Riisalo to join Brussels’s most prestigious event, Friends of Europe’s annual
State of Europe flagship high-level roundtable. Would you be so kind as to inform me of the Minister’s
cabinet e-mail address for me to forward the invitation to?
The State of Europe: 10 Policy Choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe will take place on 9
November and will be preceded, on the evening of 8 November, by its President’s Gala Dinner, both in
Brussels. The Minister is wholeheartedly invited to both.
We would be delighted to welcome Minister Riisalo as an introductory discussant at the State of Europe
high-level roundtable in our session on digitalisation. Indeed, the twin digital-green transition will form
the bedrock of all our conversations at the roundtable being Europe’s avenue to reconcile the economy
with climate and environmental imperatives, in a way that is inclusive and fair to all citizens. For your
and the Minister’s reference, you may find attached above the provisional programme.
This year’s State of Europe will be the occasion to discuss Friends of Europe’s 10 policy choices for a
Renewed Social Contract for Europe as we approach the European elections and prepare for a new
mandate. These policy choices will be the result of year-long consultations with experts and more than
2,000 European citizens. The 10 policy choices are an important milestone in Friends of Europe’s
initiative on the Renewed Social Contract by 2030, a multi-year and multistakeholder iterative process to
improve fairness, bring equality, and achieve sustainability in Europe. As part of this initiative, Friends of
Europe explores the relationship between the private and public sectors, the role of citizens and their
place in a modern, inclusive and sustainable Europe.
Please find here our brochure with more information on the 2-day event to understand who’s
joining and our wide impact.
Our 5’ recap video of State of Europe 2022 [here] will also give you an idea of what we achieved
last year, what topics we discussed, and the level of participants we welcome.
Last year, the festival was a real success, with the participation, among others, of Belgian Deputy Prime
Minister Petra De Sutter, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calvino, First Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of the Ukrainian Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, Mo Ibrahim, European Commissioners and Vice-
Presidents Mariya Gabriel, Elisa Ferreira, Nicolas Schmit and Dubravka Suica, Finnish State Secretaries
for Digitalisation and Climate Pilvi Torsti and Terhi Lehtonen, as well as more than 40 members of
national and European parliaments and ministers, writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ece
Temelkuran. I hope this gives you an idea of the level and scope of our roundtable's participation.
Friends of Europe is a leading, independent think tank with a long-standing reputation for promoting
inclusive, high-level discussion on Europe and its relationship to the rest of the world. Our board
comprises over fifty personalities, including around a dozen (former) Prime Ministers.
We look forward to your response and I remain available should you have any questions.
Kind regards,
Thomas van Vynckt
Thomas Van Vynckt (he/him)
Programme Manager State of Europe
Friends of Europe - Connect. Debate. Change.
The think tank for a more inclusive, sustainable and forward-looking Europe
Transparency register 99436366768-45
[email protected]
Square de Meeûs 5-6, B-1000 Brussels