Johan Willem Beyen Lecture by Judith Sargentini: 'Hungary's EU presidency'

The seventh annual Johan Willem Beyen lecture will be given by Judith Sargentini on 27 September 2024 to celebrate European Governance Day in Utrecht. The lecture is entitled: ‘Hungary's EU presidency. How did it happen, why did it happen, what are the consequences?’

Six years after the European Parliament initiated the article 7 procedure, the most far-reaching sanctions procedure in case a Member State of the Union does not respect the Rule of Law, against the Hungarian government former rapporteur Judith Sargentini takes stock of the situation.

Judith Sargentini

Judith Sargentini is a former Dutch politician, affiliated to GroenLinks (Greens). From 2009 to 2019 she was a member of the European Parliament. Previously, she was the leader of the GroenLinks (Greens) political group in the city council of Amsterdam. Since 2021, she is vice-president of Doctors without Borders (for The Netherlands). From 2017 Sargentini was investigating whether the Hungarian government has been undermining democracy and the rule of law. Following her report, the European Parliament voted in favour of the sanctions procedure against Hungary on 12 September 2018.

Programme

• 14.30-15.00 hrs. Walk-in with coffee and tea (USG Central reception Hall – ground floor entrance)
• 15.00-16.30 hrs. Johan Willem Beyen Lecture by Judith Sargentini (USG lecture hall, 0.24, ground floor)
• 17.00-18.00 hrs. Drinks (USG restaurant – first floor)

Registration

All Utrecht University staff and students are welcome to attend this event. Registration is mandatory, so please use this registration form:

Johan Willem (Wim) Beyen

Johan Willem (Wim) Beyen (1897–1976) was an alumnus from the Utrecht University School of Law. He was a banker, civil servant, politician and diplomat. From 1952 – 1956 he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Wim Beyen is regarded one of the founding fathers of the European Union. In the early fifties, when initiatives to intensify political cooperation and integration between Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux-countries seemed to fail, he developed a plan for a European Common Market in combination with a political community. His initiative formed an import foundation for the Treaties of Rome of 1957 and the development of a European Economic Community.

European Governance Day

On European Governance Day, the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University celebrates the prestigious interdisciplinary European Governance Master’s programme together with current students, alumni and partner institutions. Utrecht University offers this master’s programme in collaboration with University College Dublin, Konstanz University and Masaryk University in Brno. European Governance graduates are active at the highest levels at the EU institutions and in European affairs elsewhere.

This lecture is organised in collaboration with the EU platform of Institutions for Open Societies, one of the strategic themes of Utrecht University.