Joris Larik gives keynote address on the EU and multilateralism
Dr Joris Larik, Assistant Professor at the Europa Institute and Leiden University College, was invited to give a keynote address in Brussels. He gave the address entitled 'Navigating multilateralism or how to not become a Flying Dutchman' on 12 June 2024.
Dr Larik's keynote address was part of an academic conference of the interdisciplinary Horizon Europe NAVIGATOR Project, which is being implemented by a multistakeholder consortium in order to examine how the EU should navigate the increasingly complex and conflict-laden institutional spaces of global governance anad advance a rules-based international order. The purpose of the project is to develop a search mechanism that assists the EU in adapting to the changes in multilateralism. NAVIGATOR explores institutional variation on climate change, digitalisation, finance and tax, health, migration and security policy issues with the aim of identifying institutional recommendations that enable optimum policy impact.
In his address, Dr Larik drew on the examples of eight famous historical and fictional 'navigators' including the Flying Dutchman, Magellan, Bjarni Herjólfsson and Jeanne Baret. His aim was to chart both more radical and more cautious paths for reforming multilateralism. He highlighted their respective risks and gains from the EU's perspective and within the existing international institutional framework.