The European Council on Foreign Relations’ annual meeting is held each year in a different location. Together with external high-level specialists, ECFR members take this opportunity to analyze and proactively discuss the challenges that are most pressing to the Union’s foreign policy. Throughout the meeting, a series of workshops and panels are held to formulate concrete responses to current crises while considering with a critical eye those policies and strategies that have already been implemented.
The 2016 event, hosted by the municipality of The Hague, focused on issues such as the risks related to Brexit, the interests of the European Union in Syria, the very important influence of Russia in the neighborhood, and the upcoming issue of a new US presidency. The focus was on envisioning a possible path for the EU to follow in such complex times, by providing a space for researchers and leaders to discuss the crucial aspects that the Union’s foreign policy needs to tackle in the short and long term.