Günter Verheugen at the UEP

On 6 March 2008, from 16:15, in the New Aula of the UEP, Dr. h. c. Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, will hold a lecture regarding “Czech EU membership as a key to success in the global economy“.

Mr Verheugen will take stock of the first years of Czech EU membership stressing its political and economic importance for the Czech Republic and the EU. He will explain the EU policy vision with regards to the future of the Growth and Jobs Strategy and address the links with the challenges of sustainability including climate change. On this background he will stress the importance for the Czech Republic to play an active role in shaping and implementing these policies in particular in view of maintaining and further improving the external competitiveness of its economy.

After studying history, sociology and political science at the University of Cologne and the University of Bonn Mr Verheugen held several positions at the Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Ministry of the federal German government. Between 1983 and 1989 he was a member of the Bundestag for the social-democratic party SDP. In 1998 he was appointed Minister of State for European Affairs in the Foreign Ministry. In 1999 he was nominated as European Commissioner responsible for enlargement. During his first term of service the EU welcomed ten new Member States, laid the base for the accession negotiations with three other states, and started a dialogue with its neighbours to the East and to the South. Currently Mr Verheugen is the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry.

More information on Mr Verheugen is available at: ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/verheugen/index_en.htm.

As an important representative of political and economic practice, for personal contribution to the process of enlargement and preparation of accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, and for the contribution to Europe-oriented education and research, on 12 April 2002, Mr Verheugen was awarded the honorable academic title of doctor honoris causa of the UEP.

More information is available at: www.vse.cz/verheugen

Source of the first picture: Bild: AP (here).