Online Meeting with
H.E. Micheline Calmy-Rey,
Former President of the Swiss Confederation
and Former Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
March 16, 2021

On March 16, 2021, H.E. Micheline Calmy-Rey, Former President of the Swiss Confederation and Former Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, addressed GRF and GRF members at an online meeting. In her speech entitled "Europe’s Future", H.E. Calmy-Rey examined the past and present of Europe through the viewpoint of Switzerland. H.E. Calmy-Rey highlighted the loss of trust in old trade and security agreements during the 21. century, as well as the increasing backlash towards globalism, and stated that the EU must play a more active role in emerging zones of influence through a united foreign policy stance between its Member States. Expressing that the EU has the necessary tools to play a big part in international conflict resolution, H.E. Calmy-Rey argued that the EU should pursue a policy of "active neutrality". Following her speech, H.E. Calmy-Rey answered the participants’ questions.