Celebrating 50 years of Australia and the EU

Fifty years ago, in March 1962, Sir Edwin McCarthy took up his position as the first Australian Ambassador to the European Union.

Dr Bruno Mascitelli, Paul Barclay, Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador to Sweden, and Patrick Renault, Ambassador to Belgium.

The European Union Centre at RMIT University recently hosted an "Australia and Europe in Conversation" session, one of a series being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the EU.

Patrick Renault, Ambassador of Belgium; Sven-Olof Petersson, Ambassador of Sweden; and Dr Bruno Mascitelli, President of the Contemporary European Studies Association of Australia (CESAA) at Swinburne University took part.

They discussed The EU as a regional institution and democracy? The place of smaller member states.

Paul Barclay from ABC's Radio National moderated the discussion.

Professor Bruce Wilson, Director of the EU Centre, said: "To mark the anniversary, Ambassadors from EU member states, together with Australian Ambassadors to Europe and other experts, are coming together to talk about the issues.

"Since 1962, EU-Australia relations have had their ups and downs but today the relationship is broader, deeper and stronger than ever - but many challenges lie ahead.

"RMIT was delighted to host this recent discussion, which was enjoyable and thought-provoking."

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