Article Information

Category: Roundtables

Created on 04 December 2007

H.E. Wegger Chr. Strommen, Ambassador of Norway to the U.S.; Rafe Pomerance, President of the Climate Policy Center; George Newton, former Chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and Amb. David Balton, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Fisheries, discussed key issues related to the Arctic, such as climate change, territorial claims, and energy. Mark Gaspar, Director of Coast Guard Systems for Lockheed Martin Washington Operations outlined the private sector’s technical developments that would allow the Arctic states and others to deal with these issues.

Article Information

Category: Roundtables

Created on 12 November 2007

Applications for small unmanned vehicle systems are multiplying and their contribution to earth surveillance and the treatment of emergency situations is increasing in parallel to their commercial, homeland security and military applications. This conference addressed the growing need for ensuring the security of their traffic and making sure that this development is environmentally safe. Speakers included Peter van Blyenburgh, President of UVS International; Gerald F. “Fred” Pease, Jr., Executive Director for the Department of Defense Policy Board on Federal Aviation; Holger Mattiesen, Senior Specialist in Air Traffic Management Procedures and the Focal Point for Unmanned Aircraft Systems at EUROCONTROL; Robert “Rori” Marston, Director of Policy and Strategic Development for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s UAS Program; and Dana Schulze, Chief of the Aviation Engineering Division at the National Transportation Safety Board. Participants agreed that there needs to be an increase in transatlantic coordination regarding UAVs to ensure safety and regulation.

Article Information

Category: Roundtables

Created on 01 November 2007

Following on the meeting with Mr. Leffler, a special discussion was convened with The Hon. Noëlle Lenoir, former French Minister of European Affairs, now responsible for coordinating the European law practice of the American firm Debevoise & Plimpton in Paris. Mrs. Lenoir reviewed the changes being considered in the new European Treaty and their implications for diplomats, companies and citizens who deal with the European institutions. Benno van der Laan, Senior Vice President of Cabinet Stewart Inc. commented on lobbying in Brussels and the evolution of American lobbying activities with the European institutions.

Article Information

Category: Roundtables

Created on 30 October 2007

Christian Leffler, Head of Cabinet for Margot Wallström, European Commission Vice President and Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communications Strategy, discussed the progress made on the EU Reform Treaty at the recent summit in Lisbon and assessed the importance of the treaty in the context of European integration. Changes affected by the treaty would include a new voting procedure aimed at ensuring transparency, and an increase in the length of the presidency term from six months to two and one half years. He was optimistic that once the treaty is signed in Lisbon in December, it will be ratified by June 2009. The discussion was hosted by Blank Rome Government Relations LLC.