About the event​​​​​​​​​

The Princess Beatrix Lecture invites prominent European figures to reflect on the legacy of the Maastricht Treaty and its significance for contemporary Europe. Signed in Maastricht in 1992, the treaty established the European Union and opened the door for the EU membership of many countries, including most NATO member states.

Studio Europa Maastricht, in collaboration with Maastricht University, the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht, launched the Princess Beatrix lecture in honour of Princess Beatrix’s involvement in the European integration process. The Maastricht Treaty holds the European Heritage Label.

About Admiral Rob Bauer

Admiral Rob Bauer (Royal Netherlands Navy) is the 33rd Chair of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As the Military Adviser to the Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council, Admiral Bauer is NATO’s most senior military officer. He is the conduit through which advice from NATO’s Allied Chiefs of Defence is presented to the political decision-making bodies; and guidance and directives are issued to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and the Director General of the International Military Staff.

‘Expect the unexpected’ is for Admiral Bauer a personal mantra, as well as a sacred principle for every military force. In this time of political power shifts and increasingly complex security threats, he firmly believes that the strength of the North Atlantic Alliance lies in its cohesion. Admiral Bauer strives to be a catalyst between NATO’s military leaders, and unifying north, south, east and west, large and small.

About Local Europe – the new European Commission

At the end of 2024, a new team of EU Commissioners will take office. ⁠As specified in President Von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines 2024-2025, they will shape the future of the EU in the next 5 years and implement the policies this will entail. On behalf of the Representation of the European Commission in the Netherlands, Studio Europa Maastricht and Pakhuis de Zwijger will translate these policy themes into a local level. How do European policy priorities touch the daily lives of people in the Netherlands?

Local Europe dives into three themes that affect local communities and discusses them each time in a different place in the Netherlands with local and EU experts: In Maastricht, we will discuss the local dimension of the European foreign and security policy. The second meeting will be organized in collaboration with BrabantKennis in Den Bosch. There, we will discuss how EU policies on artificial intelligence impact our daily lives, local businesses and governments. At the last meeting of Local Europe in Amsterdam, we will focus on climate and the Clean Industrial Deal, the new portfolio of Dutch European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra.