“The thing I’m most proud of is that the Eurozone has stayed intact and has come out a lot stronger. You know the expression ‘Don’t waste a good crisis’? We didn’t waste this crisis. We used it to become stronger and we did it together.”

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, former President of the Eurogroup

Looking back…

What were the causes of the Eurocrisis that broke out in 2009? What had to be done to save the Euro?  Former President of the Eurogroup  Jeroen Dijsselbloem provides a first-hand account of what went on behind the scenes in his book the Eurocrisis. A story about collapsing banks and economies, a seemingly inevitable ‘Grexit’ and the impact the crisis had on societies in the Eurozone. As President of the Eurogroup Dijsselbloem was constantly in the limelight and subject to criticism from the public and fellow politicians. How did he experience this period of immense responsibility, public scrutiny, non-stop press conferences and all night meetings?

Looking forward….

According to Dijsselbloem the Eurozone became stronger after the crisis, however, despite of a  recovered economy, many European citizens express concerns that go beyond the monetary union. They criticize the general idea of European (political and economic) integration and mistrust the institutions trying to safeguard the aforementioned idea. These sentiments, whether perceived or real, are voiced stronger in the run up to the European elections in May. But does this mean Europe is in an existential crisis? Or do we focus too much on Brexit, re-emerging nationalism and its protagonists? However it may be, it is safe to say that these are challenging times for the European institutions. Together with Jeroen Dijsselbloem we discuss the upcoming elections and the future of the monetary and political union. Are the dreams of unified a Europe still alive and desirable?

On this evening journalist and historian Eveline van Rijswijk interviews Jeroen Dijsselbloem and moderates the discussion with the audience. The discussion? Yes! Jeroen Dijsselbloem is very interested in discussing all of the above with you! So this is the time to start thinking about that brilliant question or comment that lifts the conversation to a higher level. Your input is crucial!

About Jeroen Dijsselbloem

Jeroen Dijsselbloem is a Dutch politician who served as President of the Eurogroup from 21 January 2013 to 12 January 2018 and President of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) from 11 February 2013 until 12 January 2018.

A member of the Labour Party, he was appointed as Minister of Finance of the Netherlands on 5 November 2012, retaining the office until 26 October 2017. He previously was a member of the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2002, 2002 to 2012 and briefly in 2017. Dijsselbloem studied agricultural economics at Wageningen University.

About Eveline van Rijswijk

Eveline van Rijswijk is a journalist, historian, presenter, moderator, media coach and theatre maker. She was the editor in chief of Universiteit van Nederland and the presenter of Focus on Radio 1. Since 2018 she serves as Chair of the Vrouw & Media network. Moreover she is touring the country with her political onewomanshow De Première.

This event is brought to you by X and Studium Generale.