In an event organised by the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb and in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Croatia, a guest lecture was given by His Excellency Mr. Henk Voskamp, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Croatia, entitled Soft Power in a Harsh Reality: The EU and the Global Threat to the Rules-Based Order. This is the second guest lecture in a series of lectures on Law, Society and Democratic Public Governance. This guest lecture was part of the introduction to the working visit of a delegation from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, which will take place next week at the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, as part of a UNIC project coordinated by the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and, at the level of the University of Zagreb, by the Faculty of Law in Zagreb.
The lecture was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. dr. sc. Ivan Koprić, who extended a warm welcome to the Dutch Ambassador, thanking him for demonstrating willingness and readiness to further intensify the cooperation between the Faculty of Law in Zagreb and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Croatia. The Dean succinctly introduced the Ambassador’s highly impressive credentials, emphasizing that he is a top expert in diplomacy, and wishing everyone a fruitful discussion after the lecture.
In his lecture, the Ambassador gave a condensed overview of the development of public diplomacy, after which he focused on the European Union and the challenges that the Union is currently facing. He concluded that the Union's goal is to find a compromise in strategically important segments, such as advocacy for peacekeeping, the rule of law, and human rights. The Ambassador emphasized that, from his personal and professional point of view, significant progress had been made in these areas in the EU in a short time period. Furthermore, he expressed his confidence that the EU would continue to successfully pursue European values despite the challenging circumstances.
The discussion after the lecture was moderated by the Vice Dean for International Cooperation, Prof. dr. sc. Iris Goldner Lang. Much to the Ambassador’s delight, teachers and younger colleagues participated in the discussion, asking questions and sharing their opinions.
After a long period of restrictions and measures due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was a pleasure to have a full lecture hall and to be able to participate in such a successful and useful lecture.
With the goal of bolstering international and inter-institutional cooperation with the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, we look forward to hosting more lectures from local and foreign experts as part of the Law, Society and Democratic Public Governances series, and to organising additional lectures on other important topics.
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