Talking European Union

In this episode, journalist Garry Barker chats with Michael Pulch, the new EU Ambassador heading the EU Delegation to Australia. The conversation considers EU international relations with Australia, US, China, and Russia as well as attitudes to the EU in the UK Brexit vote of 2016. This discussion also highlights EU support for innovation, research, and education.

In this episode, journalist Garry Barker chats with Ramona Martinovici, Australia and New Zealand coordinator with the Centre for Accessing the Expertise of Students and Alumni from Romania (CAESAR Foundation) and advisor at Romania Investment Solutions Experts (RISE Consortium). The conversation focuses on the opportunities for business and research collaboration between Australia and Romania. This includes consideration of the business environment in Romania and incentives to encourage business and research development. The discussion also considers EU business and research grants as well as opportunities arising from the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) laser research centre under construction in Romania.

In this episode, journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Dr Kaja Antlej, President of the Slovenian Australian Academic Association and lecturer in Industrial Design at Deakin University, Geelong. The conversation focuses on Kaja’s presentation at the RMIT Futures Conference 2017: Research Requires Collaboration on the challenges of improving industry and university collaboration and practical support in Europe and Australia. The conversation considers Kaja’s interdisciplinary research and teaching interests on the use of virtual reality in cultural heritage to support policy development and technical advances, and the use of human-centred design thinking and digital technologies in product development.

In this episode, journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Dr Imran Ahmed, Director of Future Earth Australia at the Australia Academy of Science (Canberra) and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Australian National University. The conversation focuses on the use of global networks as a mechanism for improving industry and university collaboration around sustainability and the business opportunities in Australia and Europe that come with tackling climate change. The conversation also considers the role of subnational entities (state governments in Australia and the US) in taking proactive action on climate change.

In this episode, journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Caroline Lambert, the first Counsellor for Climate and the Environment at the European Union Delegation to Australia. The conversation focuses on the central role of climate change and the environment in the latest EU World Cities project as European cities are paired with Australian cities to exchange information, experience and cooperation relating to sustainable urban development. The conversation considers some of the issues and consequences of climate change and outlines the role of the EU in climate and environmental diplomacy.

In this episode, journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Pablo Gandara, Manager of the EU World Cities project. The conversation focuses on the latest EU World Cities project pairing four European cities with four Australian cities to exchange information, experience and cooperation relating to sustainable urban development. The paired cities are Melbourne-Hamburg, Canberra-Prague, Adelaide-Manchester and Hobart-Katowice. This EU funded initiative will run until May 2018 with support from the EU Centre at RMIT, Danish sustainable engineering firm Ramboll, the European Commission “REGIO” Directorate General, and the EU Delegation to Australia in Canberra.

In this episode, journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Dr Ronald Hall, Principal Advisor at EU (European Commission) DG for Regional and Urban Policy, about EU urban policy and the EU World Cities project. The conversation focuses on the latest EU World Cities project pairing four European cities with four Australian cities to exchange information, experience and ideas on sustainable urban development. The paired cities are Melbourne with Hamburg, Canberra with Prague, Adelaide with Manchester and Hobart with Katowice. This EU funded initiative allows representatives from each city to visit and cooperate, and decide the themes of focus. The project will run until May 2018 with support from the EU Centre at RMIT, Danish sustainable engineering firm Ramboll, the European Commission “REGIO” Directorate General, and the EU Delegation to Australia in Canberra.

In Episode Four, experienced journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Professor Martin Holland, Director National Centre for Research on Europe at University of Canterbury (NZ) and Director of New Zealand European Union Centres Network (EUCNetwork). This begins with discussion on external perceptions of the EU motivated by financial and human issues such as the Greek debt crisis and refugee crisis. This also includes discussion around challenges facing the EU integration process, the referendum on UK membership of the EU, British-EU-China relations, and implications for the future of the EU.

In Episode Three experienced journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Prof Bruce Wilson, Director of European Union (EU) Centre at RMIT University. The conversation focuses on the forthcoming Greek legislative election set for 20 September 2015 and challenges for Greece and the European project emerging from the dynamic Greek political landscape. Topics covered include the internal tensions within the Syriza, the significant political role of Alexis Tsipras, the possibilities for reform in Greece, debt relief and restructure, austerity, and the importance of economic growth along with education research and training.

In Episode Two experienced journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Prof Alan Tuckett OBE, University of Wolverhampton, President of the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), and Visiting Fellow to the EU Centre RMIT 2015. Discussion focuses on Alan’s experiences of leadership roles in lifelong learning and adult education in the UK and internationally as well as opportunities and challenges around lifelong learning in the EU, Australia and South East Asia.

Episode One is an introduction to the European Union (EU) Centre at RMIT University, Melbourne and broader Australia-EU relations as experienced journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker chat with Prof Bruce Wilson, Director of European Union (EU) Centre at RMIT University. Topics include the role of the EU Centre at RMIT in building partnerships with researchers across RMIT University and beyond in various academic, diplomatic and business fields of Australia and Europe. This includes discussion around research, innovation, trade and investment, and the European Single Market.

A lecture with Dr Gerhard Sabathil: The Asian Century: what it means for the EU and Australia - 30 July 2012

Paul Barclay from ABC’s Radio National leads the discussion between Dr Bruno Mascitelli, President of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA); H.E. Mr Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia and H.E. Mr Patrick Renault, Ambassador of Belgium to Australia. "Australia and Europe in Conversation" took place at the EU Centre at RMIT in Melbourne. H.E. Mr Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador of Sweden to Australia, H.E. Mr Patrick Renault, Ambassador for Belgium to Australia, and Dr Bruno Mascitelli, President of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia; Swinburne University, together discussed The EU as a regional institution and democracy? The place of smaller member states' . Mr Paul Barclay from ABC's Radio National moderated the discussion. An edited version of this discussion is available at: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/features/eu-series/ Background 50 years ago, in March 1962, Sir Edwin McCarthy took up his position as the first Australian Ambassador to the EU. Since then EU-Australia relations have had their ups and downs but today the relationship is broader, deeper and stronger than ever - but many challenges lie ahead. Every month this year, two or three Ambassadors and/or High Commissioners from EU Member States, together with Australian Ambassadors to Europe and other experts, will gather at the ANUCES to talk about their country and why it joined the EU, their current position and how their country interacts with Australia. Most of the events will be recorded and broadcast by Radio National's 'Big Ideas' program, and filmed by the Sky A-Pac Channel.

A PUBLIC LECTURE BY PROFESSOR PAOLO MANCINI (UNIVERSITY OF PERUGIA), AS PART OF THE MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY CONFERENCE. The inaugural conference of the EU Centre at RMIT, held from 31 August till 2 September 2011, focussed on media, communication and democracy in the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific region, Latin America or Africa, as well as the established areas of Europe and Australia. In a world of regular, unforeseen crises and growing power of media owners, online and otherwise, various questions about the implications for democratic processes were explored. Part of the conference was a free lecture by Professor Paolo Mancini, a visiting Fellow with the ERC-funded project on Media and Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, who was the opening keynote speaker. The issues surrounding media fragmentation impact both party systems, and forms of democracy. The first consequence is the so-called “crisis of journalism”. The situation is felt keenly in Western democracies, and particularly in the USA. A more segmented, less centralized, more advocacy oriented media system is taking the place of the previous dominant professional model based on the ideology of neutrality and objectivity. There are rather different stories of media institutions and growth in China, India and SE Asia, but the themes of diversification and new media are nonetheless shared worldwide.

A Seminar by Professor Jarl Bengtsson, Pascal International Observatory. Education continues to be a top priority for governments both at the national and the international level through UNESCO and OECD. But in reality, not that much is being achieved. What are the main challenges ahead? Learning is the mother of education, but still our knowledge about the processes of learning is rudimentary, despite a century of pedagogical research. Recently, neuroscience and brain research have been identified as a promising way forward. Is understanding the brain the birth of a new learning science? Is it hope or reality? The former Chief Counsellor for Education at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, Professor Jarl Bengtsson, is an expert on education and its links to the economy and society. Under his leadership, the OECD's Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) carried out wide-ranging research on lifelong learning, the school-to-work transition, the links between education and economic development, and sustainable development.