John Bruton, the European Union's ambassador to the United States, will speak on "The Trans-Atlantic Relationship: A Thing of the Past or of the Future?" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.
Bruton is the former prime minister of Ireland, who during his time in office from 1994 to 1997 helped transform the Irish economy into the "Celtic Tiger," one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Bruton has served as EU ambassador to the United States since 2004. He has met with Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush and other American government leaders to discuss the importance of the EU-U.S. relationship in matters of trade, counterterrorism, public health, energy, the environment and the promotion of peace, democracy and human rights around the world.
From 1999 until his appointment as ambassador, Bruton was one of 10 vice presidents of the European People's Party, which brings together the leadership of 74 European political parties. He served as a leading member of the convention that drafted the proposed European Constitution, which was signed in October 2004.
The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the European Union Program.
