5 February 2025 (16:00-17:00 UK time)

VIRTUAL CONVERSATION

EU and UK perspectives to 2030

Speaker: David McAllister MEP
Comments: James Rogers, Council on Geostrategy
Moderator: Felix Dane

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> Introduction
> Speakers bios

Introduction

As we look ahead, the global order is undergoing a significant transformation. The unipolar world of the past is giving way to a more fragmented geopolitical landscape, where no single power holds dominance. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia underscores the reality that not all major players adhere to a multilateral, rules-based order, with the conflict’s outcome and long-term impact still uncertain. Instability appears to be a persistent feature of the coming decades. This will be compounded by the unpredictability of the US Administration. How will the US develop its foreign policy given the aims already set out by incoming President Trump? How will the EU address putting its own house in order? And will China’s continued rise in economic and diplomatic influence see it align with other authoritarian states, such as Russia, North Korea, and Iran, to challenge democratic governance and existing international frameworks?

Join us on February 5th to discover more from David and James as they share their perspectives.

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Speakers biographies


David McAllister

David McAllister is a German politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People’s Party. He is the current chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

David was born in Berlin in 1971 where he grew up with his father James (a British civil servant), his mother Mechthild (a music teacher) and his two sisters. In 1982, his parents moved from Berlin to Bad Bederkesa. He still lives there today with his wife and two daughters.

He finished secondary school in 1989 and joined the German army from 1989 till 1991. From 1991 till 1996 he studied law at Hanover University with a scholarship awarded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He did his 1st State Exam in Law in 1996, and his 2nd State Exam in 1998. He has been a lawyer ever since. He received an Honorary Doctorate from Edinburgh University in 2012. He is a fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the US.

His political career started in 1998 becoming a Member of the State Parliament of Lower Saxony (until 2014). He was also the Mayor of his hometown Bad Bederkesa from 2001-2002, Secretary-General of the CDU in Lower Saxony from 2002-2003, and Chairman of the CDU Group in the State Parliament from 2003-2010. He was Party Chairman of the CDU in Lower Saxony from 2008-2016. He served as Prime Minister of Lower Saxony from 2010 till 2013. Member of the CDU Executive Committee since February 2014. MEP since July 2014. Since November 2014 Vice President of IDU (International Democrat Union). Since October 2015 Vice President of the EPP (European People’s Party).


James Rogers

James Rogers is Co-founder and Director of Research at the Council on Geostrategy, where he specialises in geopolitics and British strategic policy. He has pioneered work on Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific connectivities and strategic advantage. Previously, he held a range of positions, including at the Baltic Defence College and the European Union Institute for Security Studies. He has been invited to give oral evidence at the Foreign Affairs, Defence, European Affairs, and International Development committees in the Houses of Parliament. He holds an MPhil in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Cambridge and an award-winning BSc Econ (Hons) in International Politics and Strategic Studies from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

James has appeared on Times Radio, Sky News and LBC Radio and has written for Times Red Box, the Kyiv Independent, The Spectator and CityAM and been quoted in Newsweek.


Felix Dane

Felix Dane is an experienced strategist, advising high-level government officials, politicians, and businesses. He has held leadership positions around the world, and speaks several languages. He focuses on energy, security and geopolitical shifts — with a particular interest in German-British relations. Based in London, he currently works as Senior Advisor, Head of U.K. at Berlin Global Advisors (BGA), Germany’s leading geostrategic and government affairs advisory firm. On the side, he is developing a small hydrogen start-up, Hendrik Ltd.

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