Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The activities of the annual conference of European Union ambassadors, which will be held from November 6 to 10 in Brussels, began Monday morning. It will be held against the backdrop of current geopolitical challenges and will focus on the new global security environment torn by crises. According to what was announced by the office of European Foreign Policy Coordinator Josep Borrell in Brussels.
   “This year’s conference of our ambassadors comes at a critical stage,” Borrell said in a statement. The coming months will be critical for global peace and security and the future of the world. The EU's credibility will also be tested. As EU diplomats, we will work to preserve and defend the positive offer the EU makes to our partners around the world.
   Participants will have the opportunity to discuss with leaders of EU institutions and other high-level speakers about the EU's response to developments and challenges beyond the EU's borders and present their insights from the ground. The conference will allow for a review of the European Union's outreach to the world and to discuss the main priorities and tasks for the coming months.
The conference brings together European Union ambassadors from 145 EU missions and offices around the world, in addition to heads of EU military and civilian missions and heads of European Commission representations in all 27 EU member states.
Josep Borrell will open the conference with a general address on Monday, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will address the gathering on the same day. This will be followed by the keynote speech of European Parliament President Roberta Mizzola. European Council President Charles Michel will deliver a speech before the ambassadors in the afternoon of the same day.
The Ambassadors' Conference will also include exchanges with the Executive Vice-Presidents of the European Commission Maros Šefčovič and Valdis Dombrovskis as well as Commissioners Jutta Urpilainen, Janez Lenarčić, Olivier Varheli and Virginius Sienkevicius.
The Vice-Presidents of the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will also attend, as well as the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol.
During the conference, the ambassadors will also have the opportunity to exchange views with high-level representatives from the EU Member States, namely the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, João Craviño, as well as the Secretary General of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Marchek. Other guest speakers include the Secretary General of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council Secretariat.
The EU Ambassadors' Conference is an annual event that allows an open exchange between participants and high-level speakers on the EU's external representation and activities, global developments and the EU's strategic outlook.
This year's themes focus on the new global security environment, charting the way forward in EU diplomacy. Sessions include discussion of EU foreign policy in the new geopolitical era; The future of security and defense in the European Union; Expanding and completing our union; EU Global Portal; EU response to the crisis; The rise of China; The pressing challenges of climate change and green transition; Gender-responsive foreign policy; digital transformation; The EU's new economic security agenda; International cultural relations and how to mobilize European Union citizens around the world on the occasion of the European Parliament elections.