Tuesday, November 17th, 2015 The Syrian Civil War & The Refugee Crisis: Options for the EU

Description

Now in its fifth year, the civil war in Syria has turned into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian catastrophes, a major challenge to international security, and one of the main triggers of the refugee crisis currently facing Europe. This talk discusses the European Union’s policy response to the Syrian conflict, as well as its attempts to deal with the refugee movements the conflict has given rise to. It outlines the international and internal constraints that have complicated EU decision-making on the issue, and develops policy options for a more effective EU response.

MEP Arne Lietz has served as a member of the European Parliament for Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) in the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Social Democrats since July, 2014. He is a full member of the EP’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Delegation for Relations with Israel, and serves on the Subcommittee on Human Rights. Within these committees, he focuses on trade policy with developing countries, supply chains, TTIP, and the resolution on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria.

Mr. Lietz has been member of the SPD since 2008 and has served in numerous positions within the party including Chairman of the SPD Local Association Wittenberg from 2011 to 2014 and Spokesman of the Committee of Experts in Culture and Experts in Europe of the SPD in Saxony-Anhalt since 2013.

Before his political career with the SPD, Mr. Lietz served as the European representative of the American Educational Organization from 2004 to 2006 and was was a research assistant at the Bundestag from 2007 to 2009. From 1997 to 2004, Mr. Lietz studied history, politics and education at the Humboldt University of Berlin and earned a Master’s degree as a historian at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.