Conversations on Europe. "The Future of Europe-From Economic Crisis Recovery to Sustainability Leadership: A Conversation with Ambassadors"

Ambassadors Vale de Almeida and Taksøe-Jensen will discuss current crisis, institutional questions, presidency priorities and the green sustainability agenda. Denmark took over the Presidency of the EU on January 1, 2012.

LIVE WEBCAST will be available on Jan 26, 12-1 pm.
Ambassador João Vale de Almeida is the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. In this capacity, he represents European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, under the authority of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. Prior to his appointment in Washington, he served as the Director General for External Relations at the European Commission, the European Union’s executive body. As the most senior official under the authority of the High Representative/Vice-President Baroness Ashton, he helped formulate and execute the EU's foreign policy and played a key role in preparing for the new European External Action Service (EEAS) introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon. From 2004 to 2009 Mr. Vale de Almeida was the Head of Cabinet for European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Danish Ambassador to the US is well known in international legal circles, where he has been the driving force behind a number of Danish policies and initiatives to strengthen and develop international law. He served as the Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs at the United Nations, 2008-2010. As Under-Secretary for Legal Affairs and Head of the Legal Service in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Taksøe-Jensen has since 2004 been the principal legal adviser to the Danish Foreign Minister on all matters concerning international law. He also served as the agent for the Government of Denmark at the European Court of Human Rights, as a member of the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and as Chairman of the Commission on the Red Cross of the Government of Denmark. He has been posted in Vienna, at the Danish Embassy and with the Danish Delegation to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe/Confidence- and Security-Building Measures (CFE/CSBM); and in Brussels as a member of his country’s representation to the European Union.
Mr. Taksøe-Jensen holds a degree in law from the University of Copenhagen, where he also lectures since 2003.