With the ambition of structuring a public debate, open in a time of profound transformations, Le Grand Continent and the Senate have joined forces to launch “Les Rencontres du and Continent au Sénat”, a cycle of quarterly conversations involving qualified personalities and senators.

For the second of these meetings, at the invitation of :

Mr Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate
Mr Jean-François Rapin, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee

We have the pleasure to receive

• Mrs Myriam Revault d’Allonnes. She is a philosopher and professor emeritus at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), specialising in ethical and political philosophy. Addressing issues related to current philosophical and political perspectives, she has written many acclaimed essays including L’homme compassionnel (Seuil, 2008), Pourquoi nous n’aimons pas la démocratie (Seuil, 2010), La Crise sans fin. Essai sur l’expérience moderne du temps (Seuil, 2012) and L’Esprit du macronisme, ou l’art de dévoyer les concepts (Seuil, 2021). She has written several articles in the pages of Le Grand Continent, contributing in particular to the collective volume Une certaine idée de l’Europe (Flammarion, 2019) with a text entitled ‘Entre sens et non-sens’.
• Thierry Chopin. Special Advisor to the Jacques Delors Institute, he is Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges and also teaches at Mines Paris – PSL. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the European Union, including La fracture politique de l’Europe (Larcier, 2015); with Jean-François Jamet and Christian Lequesne, L’Europe d’après (Lignes de Repères, 2012). He is a regular contributor to Le Grand Continent.
• Mr Klaus Welle. A leading German politician, he was Secretary General of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2022, after having been Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009. He is also an advisor to the transatlantic think-tank European Horizons. He is preparing an in-depth text on the state of European democracy and the recomposition of the political space to be published in the pages of Le Grand Continent.
  The meeting will start at 6pm on Wednesday 03 May. Salle Médicis of the Senate – 15 rue de Vaugirard – Paris 6th arrondissement. It is necessary to arrive about 15 minutes in advance to allow time to pass through security and to reach the room. Registration is compulsory.

Programme

18:15 Opening (15 min)

Mr Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate

Mr Jean-François Rapin, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee

Gilles Gressani, Director of the magazine le Grand Continent and Mathéo Malik, Editor-in-Chief

Mr Jean-Baptiste Blanc, Senator of Vaucluse

18:30 Presentations of the speakers (30 minutes)

Launch of the discussion and moderation by Gilles Gressani and Mathéo Malik.

Myriam Revault d’Allonnes (Professor emeritus of universities, École Pratique des Hautes Études, associate researcher CEVIPOF, Sciences Po), “Democracy as experience. Rethinking our role as active citizens in an endless crisis”.
Thierry Chopin, “Evolutions and transformations of European democratic institutions during fifteen years of crises in the European Union
Klaus Welle, “The European Parliament in the face of crises: assessment and perspectives one year before the European Elections
19:00 Discussion and questions from the senators and the public (45 minutes)

19:50 Concluding remarks (10 minutes) Mr Gérard Larcher