Johan Willem Beyen Lecture 2025 by Mendeltje van Keulen

On Friday 31 October 2025, the annual Johan Willem Beyen Lecture took place. This year’s lecture was delivered by Mendeltje van Keulen, Professor of European Impact at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and holder of a Jean Monnet Chair in European Digital Policy.

The event, organised by the European Governance Master’s Programme and the Institutions for Open Societies EU Platform, was well attended by students, alumni, colleagues, and external guests. Van Keulen spoke on the theme “Working on Europe: integrating visions and pragmatism.” In her talk, she combined practical and academic insights into how Europe functions, and how vision and pragmatism can reinforce one another, a topic that is highly relevant in today’s European context.

After the lecture, an engaging discussion and Q&A session took place, with many participants actively contributing. The conversations continued informally during the reception at the USBO restaurant, where attendees exchanged ideas and reflections on Europe’s visions for the future.

The annual Beyen Lecture is organised in memory of Johan Willem (Wim) Beyen (1897–1976), an alumnus of Utrecht University and one of the founding figures of the European Economic Community.