EU Question Time

On Thursday 21 March, Alasdair Blair from DMU will chair a panel of two former MEPs: Olle Schmidt (Sweden) and Seán Ó Neachtain (Ireland) who will speak on a range of topical issues including:

• The future direction of the EU
• The nature of the EU-UK relationship after Brexit
• The UK's place in the world
• The European populist challenge

To book for this free event please fill out the booking form. There will also be the opportunity for questions from the audience, and guests are encouraged to email in questions to the DMU Events team (please note we cannot guarantee that all questions will be selected).

The event has been organised in association with the European Parliament to Campus Programme. The programme is run by the former members of the European Parliament Former Members Association and DMU's Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Governance.

The discussion will start in the Hugh Aston Building at 6pm and will last for approximately one hour. Refreshments will be available prior to the discussion from 5.30pm, and following the discussion there will be a drinks and canapés reception in the Hugh Aston Atrium. 

Olle Schmidt biography

Former Member of the European Parliament (Sweden)

From 2006-2014 Olle was group leader for the Swedish Liberal Members of European Parliament, part of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

Olle was elected Member of Parliament, Sverige Riksdag, for the Liberal party between 1991 and 1994. After that he worked with local politics for the Liberal Party in the region of Skåne from which position he moved on to become Member of the European Parliament in 1999 (1999-2004 and 2006-2014). He has also been working as a journalist.

In the European Parliament Olle Schmidt was member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), a substitute member of the Committee on Consumer Protection and the Internal Market (IMCO) and substitute member of the Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT), member of the Special committee on organised crime, corruption and money laundering, special committee on the financial, economic and social crises and member of the European Parliament Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

Seán Ó Neachtain biography

Former Member of the European Parliament (Ireland).

Sean was an elected Member of the Údarás na Gaeltachta (State Development Body for Irish speaking Regions of Ireland) from 1979-2004. He was chairman of Údarás na Gaeltachta from 1991-1996. Sean served as a member of the Local Authority of Galway County Council from 1991-2002 and a member of the West Regional Authority from 1994-2002. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2002-2009.

In the European Parliament he was a member of the member of Fisheries Committee 2002-2009, member of Industry Committee 2002-2004, and member of Transport Committee 2004-2009. He also served as chairman of Parliamentary Committee for Relations with Canada 2004-2009, member of the Special Committee for Relations with Turkish Cypriots in Northern Cyprus 2006-2009, and member of Special Committee on WTO.

Sean served as a member of Committee of the Regions 1992-2002 and was chairman of AE Political group in the Committee of the Regions 1996-2002.