Video available now: XIII Open Society Forum

The XIII Open Society Forum “The European Union and Russia: What does the future hold?” was held in Tallinn on Thursday, November 6. The XIII Open Society Forum was organised by the Open Estonia Foundation in cooperation with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Participants of the forum included Martti Ahtisaari, Co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, philanthropist George Soros, Kadri Liik, Director of the International Centre for Defence Studies, and political scientist Aleksander Smolar.

Video of the forum can be viewed here.

In parallel, members of the ECFR Council held their 4th meeting in Tallinn November 6-7. Per Mark Leonard, Executive Director of European Council on Foreign Relations, Russia has become the most divisive issue in the EU since Donald Rumsfeld split the continent in to old and new Europe. “The European Council on Foreign Relations is holding its bi-annual meeting in Tallinn where leading statesmen and women can discuss this important topic in a location where it has taken on an existential meaning. We are particularly happy to be cooperating with the Open Estonia Foundation on this important event,” Leonard said.

Launched on 2 October 2007, the European Council on Foreign Relations is a pan-European initiative for research and advocacy. ECFR was founded by a council whose members include serving and former ministers and parliamentarians, business leaders, distinguished academics, journalists and public intellectuals. With offices in five EU capitals, its mission is to analyse the EU's foreign policy performance and to promote a more integrated EU foreign policy

The Open Estonia Foundation is a non-governmental foundation that was established in April 1990 with the support of philanthropist George Soros. OEF aims for a stronger and united Europe via sharing experiences of transition as well as reinforcing principles of good governance and participatory democracy.

Additional information:

Maari Ross
Open Estonia Foundation
tel: +372 631 3791
mobile: +372 524 4535
email: maari@oef.org.ee

Zsofia Szilagyi
Communications & Press
European Council on Foreign Relations
tel: +44 (0) 20 7031 1623
mobile: +44 (0) 78 7677 5034
email: press@ecfr.eu
www.ecfr.eu