Proceedings of the Eurogolfe Forum

Conference act - Wednesday 30 May 2007
This document reviews the highlights of the second Eurogolfe Forum, which was held in Menton, France, from 16 to 19 June 2005. It is now 2007, and Europe and the situation in the Persian Gulf have evolved since then. The dialogue context has changed, as well. Franck Debié, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Political Innovation, met with Gilles Kepel, Professor and Chair of Mediterranean and Middle East Studies at Sciences Po, Paris, in an effort to better understand the changes taking place in this region.

At any rate, the dialogue between academics and policymakers and economists in Europe and the Gulf has intensified since the Menton Forum. Inasmuch as there was little communication between the two regions prior to that event, the latter constitutes a genuine political innovation. The Foundation for Political Innovation, Malta's AZAD (Academy for the Development of a Democratic Environment), the Karamanlis Foundation, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation, having integrated the Menton colloquium's findings into their joint work on the Middle East, held a colloquium in Athens. Many of the participants will meet again in Riyadh and later in Venice: a consultation process has already begun.

Authors

Franck Debié | Former Executive Director of the Fondation
A graduate of École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Franck Debié holds an Agrégation in geography, and a PhD in political geography. He is an expert in analysing crises and peace processes. Franck Debié is the Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies at the ENS in Paris and teaches courses on European issues at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC). He is the author of several works on the Middle East and the Balkans.