Philippe Baptiste : « On attend avec énormément d’impatience le prochain lanceur européen Ariane 6. »

Le président-directeur général du Centre national d’études spatiales présente ses voeux mardi à ses équipes. Sur France Inter, il énumère les futurs du projets du CNES.

“On attend avec énormément d’impatience le prochain lanceur européen Ariane 6, qui prendra la suite d’Ariane 5”, affirme Philippe Baptiste, le président-directeur général du Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES). Il doit coûter moins cher, et partira de Kourou en Guyane. “Il décollera quand il sera prêt”, cela devrait être cette année. Le pas de tir est terminé, le lanceur touche à sa fin. Le projet a déjà trois ans de retard.

Après l’échec de Vega-C, l’Europe n’a plus d’accès autonome à l’espace. Mais le patron du CNES ne panique pas. Deux Ariane 5 vont s’élancer dans les prochains mois. “Avec l’invasion russe en Ukraine, les Russes sont partis de Kourou, regrette Philippe Baptiste, ils lançaient pour le compte de l’Europe Soyouz. C’est vrai qu’on utilisait Soyouz comme moyen de remplacement si on avait une difficulté avec Ariane.”

[…]

Retrouvez l’intervention de Philippe Baptiste du 17 janvier 2023 sur France Inter.

Nardos Bekele-Thomas: “Youth challenge is Africa’s greatest concern”

A conversation with Nardos Bekele-Thomas

In her first exclusive interview, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD, talks forcefully about the imperative to place youth at the centre of development and provides ideas on how this can be achieved.

Ethiopian Nardos Bekele-Thomas has been the CEO of the African Union’s Development Agency (AUDA) for only six months but is already getting a feel for what her job entails – which often means having to be in several places, sometimes at the same time. In the past week alone, prior to our interview, she had arrived in Egypt for COP27 from Japan where she was for the JICA Annual Meetings and was on her way to Indonesia for the G20 meetings to then finish a gruelling travelling schedule in Niamey for Africa Industrialisation Week. More engagements are rolling in as we speak.

Maurice Gourdault-Montagne dans la tribune « Non, le couple franco-allemand ne relève pas du passé »

TRIBUNE – Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, ancien ambassadeur de France en Allemagne, lance, avec notamment Matthias Fekl, Hélène Miard-Delacroix et François Villeroy de Galhau une académie franco-allemande de Paris qui réunira universitaires, chefs d’entreprise et hauts fonctionnaires pour célébrer l’amitié germano-française.

Le traité de l’Élysée va avoir 60 ans: voici donc le couple franco-allemand à l’âge senior, et peut-être à celui de la sagesse. Mais c’est aussi, selon certains, le temps du vieillissement, voire de la retraite: l’amitié franco-allemande, ce serait un poncif usé de fin de banquet. Nous n’en croyons rien, bien que nous ne niions aucun des défis.

C’est pourquoi, nous, un groupe de quelques Françaises et Français, prenons l’initiative aujourd’hui: celle de la création d’une Académie franco-allemande de Paris, comme il existe une Académie de Berlin depuis 2006. Nous la créons de façon indépendante de toutes les structures officielles, avec l’appui personnel de l’ambassadeur d’Allemagne en France qui accueillera nos réunions, comme le fait l’ambassadeur de France à Berlin. Nous y réunissons, au-delà des silos habituels des spécialistes du franco-allemand, des regards pluridisciplinaires et ainsi renouvelés: ceux d’universitaires et de chefs d’entreprise, de gens de culture comme d’administration…
[…]
Retrouvez la tribune collective à laquelle a participé Maurice Gourdault-Montagne sur le site du FigaroVox.

Hubert Védrine and Renaud Girard discussed the question: “What remains of French influence?”

How can France still shape the world?

A debate in Paris revealed the attitudes of a certain French elite in search of lost influence

 

The cream of the French upper class packed into a ballroom at the Cercle de l’Union Interallié, next door to the British ambassador’s residence in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, on Monday evening to consider the question, “What remains of French influence?”

The two-hour discussion by former foreign minister Hubert Védrine and Renaud Girard, a foreign correspondent and columnist for the conservative newspaper Le Figaro, revealed the attitudes of a certain elite.

Védrine’s advice is valued by French business executives and politicians, including, it is said, by President Emmanuel Macron. His scathing remarks about naive “européistes” and “human rights-ism” have earned him a reputation as a cynic, but his books on geopolitical strategy sell tens of thousands of copies.

Girard laced his commentary with historical references and anecdotes from his years as a war correspondent. He credited Védrine with having invented Gaullo-Mitterrandisme, a philosophy that reconciles the two main families of post-second World War French politics.

The late president Jacques Chirac, quoted by Count Denis de Kergorlay, the president of the Cercle, praised Védrine for combining de Gaulle’s rigour with Mitterrand’s pragmatism. Though de Gaulle and Mitterrand were adversaries, both defended what de Gaulle called “a certain idea of France”.

Védrine pointed out that French influence today is greater than it was after defeat by Germany in 1940, or the loss of Dien Bien Phu in 1958, a decisive moment in the first Indochina War.

[…]

Read the entire article on The Irish Times website.

Kevin Rudd: “China’s future ‘still uncertain’”

China’s future ‘still uncertain’, Kevin Rudd says, as he casts doubt on its economic figures

London: Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has questioned whether China’s economic growth figures reported for 2022 are accurate.

China reported that its annual gross domestic product growth slumped from 8 per cent to 3 per cent last year.

his constituted its second-weakest economic performance in 50 years and was a direct result of Beijing’s decision to pursue a zero-COVID strategy, which President Xi Jinping suddenly abandoned earlier this year.

Rudd said the result was a best-case scenario, but possibly exaggerated.

“China obviously had no choice, zero-COVID was not working for China’s growth numbers, the 2022 growth numbers were at best 3 per cent, possibly less,” he said.

“We do expect now a bounce back, the official numbers are probably around five [per cent].

“I’m expecting a solid growth number for 2023, that’ll be good for China and importantly in a world where growth will be challenged with Europe facing recessionary challenges and the United States – a question mark, in terms of how soft or hard the landing will be. And the rest of the world, the developing world, struggling.

“If China produces a solid growth number for 2023, 5 or 5-plus, that will actually underpin much global growth for the year to come.”

[…]

Find the entire article about on The Sydney Morning Herald.

 

Le Covid ne va pas disparaître en 2023

Nous sommes rentrés dans une phase chronique qui nous force à chercher à mettre en place une stratégie raisonnée, s’appuyant sur une réduction assumée des risques.

«Le monde n’a jamais été dans une meilleure position pour mettre fin à la pandémie. Nous n’y sommes pas encore, mais la fin est à portée de main. Nous pouvons tous voir la ligne d’arrivée, nous sommes en passe de gagner, mais ce serait vraiment le plus mauvais moment pour s’arrêter de courir. C’est le moment de redoubler d’efforts et de nous assurer de franchir la ligne d’arrivée et de récolter les fruits de notre labeur.»

Ces mots, prononcés mi-septembre par Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, directeur général de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), ont eu tôt fait d’être analysés comme signifiant que la pandémie de Covid-19 touchait à sa fin. Ils étaient certes porteurs d’espoir, mais la ligne d’arrivée peine quand même à poindre à l’horizon.

De la même manière, lorsque le virologue allemand Christian Drosten a déclaré fin décembre que, selon lui, la pandémie était terminée et que l’on entrait désormais dans sa phase endémique, il y avait sans doute des franches nuances à apporter à cette assertion un peu définitive.

Retrouvez l’article entier écrit par Antoine Flahault sur Slate FR.

The Meaning of Geopolitical Europe: A Response to Hans Kundnani

A “geopolitical EU” is not a theory, but a set of assumptions as well as a more realistic vision of the world. In dealing with Russia’s war against Ukraine, it already has brought impressive results.

Coming from the academic world, I understand the desire to question the meaning political actors give to their ideas. The idea of a “geopolitical Europe” is one of them. That is what Hans Kundnani tried to do in a very succinct way in his article “Europe’s Geopolitical Confusion.” His conclusion is that the concept is fuzzy and not well defined. So let me question that conclusion, with which I strongly disagree.

Yes, “Geopolitical Europe” (GE) is certainly not a theory. Nevertheless, it is a set of assumptions that have dramatically affected European Union thinking and behavior since 2020. So, let me define briefly what GE means and what it entails.

Read the entire article written by Zaki Laïdi on Internationale Politik Quarterly.

A united Europe weathers crises, but deeper challenges remain.

BRUSSELS — Jean Monnet, one of the founders of the European Union, wrote in his memoirs that “Europe will be forged in crises and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises.”

The war in Ukraine is only the latest crisis to confound Europe and rip away its illusions. A return to full-scale territorial warfare rarely seen in Europe since World War II has altered the European Union and NATO, both their present and their future, with consequences still unclear.

Along with China, Europe’s crises will be the undercurrent jolting discussions at the World Economic Forum, which opened on Monday in Davos, Switzerland. Its theme of “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” summarizes the aspiration driving some of the policies rapidly adopted on the continent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February.

Both the European Union and NATO have responded well and remain united, at least on the surface, to challenges including war, economic stress, energy disruption and humanitarian crises — all topics on the Davos agenda.

Read the article written by Steven Erlanger on The New York Times.

Zaki Nusseibeh

Cultural Advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates. His Excellency Zaki Nusseibeh is also Chancellor of the UAE and former Minister of State for Cultural and Public Diplomacy.

Mohammed Al Bowardi

Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Defence Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. His Excellency Mohammed Al Bowardi joined the Federal Government in February 2016 as the Minister of State for Defence. In addition to his ministerial role, he is the Vice Chairman of Mubadala Development Company and Dolphin Energy Limited, and board member of Tawazun Holding. He is also the Chairman of the Committee for Developing and Implementing the Water and Agriculture Strategy for Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, Al Bowardi is the Managing Director and board member of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi, Deputy Chairman of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation- Abu Dhabi, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Abu Dhabi University ADU. Al Bowardi has previously held the positions of Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Executive Committee. His Execllency Mohammed Al Bowardi holds bachelor degree in History and Political Science from Lewis & Clark College, USA.

Salem Al Neyadi

UAE Ambassador to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

Nickolay Mladenov

Director General a.i. of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. In this role, he oversees the projects in the department, which contribute to domestic and international debates on issues relevant to the UAE’s foreign policy and diplomacy, and act as an impactful source of analysis for the UAE government. With a career spanning over 20 years in Middle East and European politics, H.E. served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Envoy to the Middle East Quartet between 2015 and 2020. In 2013 H.E. was appointed as United Nations Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). H.E. Mladenov was active in Bulgarian politics, both in government and opposition. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013 and as the Minister of Defense from 2009 to 2010. H.E. was also a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009. He also led the EU Election Observation Mission to Ghana for the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2008. In February 2021, he was awarded the Grand Star of the Order of Jerusalem by President Mahmoud Abbas. H.E. Mladenov was educated at King’s College London, where he obtained an MA in War Studies and prior to that he graduated from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, where he majored in International Relations.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia since 2019. His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is also Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Saudi Military Industries Corporation and Chairman of the Executive Committee. Previously, he served as Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Senior Advisor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington (2017 – 2019). He was Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alsalam Aerospace Company and then Chairman of the Board between 2001 and 2013. He served in several administrations in both private and public sectors between 2001 and 2019.

Amer Al Ghafri

Senior Director of Space Engineering Department at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. Head of the Satellite Development Program as part of the UAE National Space Programme. He held several leadership roles at MBRSC from SW unit, to Space Systems Section. He held different roles in the main MBRSC Space projects, as head of AIT of DubaiSat-1, Deputy Project Manager of DubaiSat-2, Project Manager of KhalifaSat, the first UAE satellite to be developed in the UAE, with 100% UAE leadership. He is currently the project Manager of MBZSat, named after HH Shielh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. This mission is in particular a key milestone for the Space industry im the UAE, as it has a major development fone by the UAE private sector. This mission aims at localising the Space economy with strong partnership between government and private sector. He was awarded the UAE Pride Medal in 2014, for his achievement in building the engineering and scientific capabilities of UAE nationals. He holds a bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering, and a Master degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Alain Tchibozo

Chief Economist of the West African Development Bank (BOAD). He is responsible for improving the Bank’s access to international capital markets at a time when the institution is committed to strengthening its equity capital to support the economic and social development of WAEMU countries. A senior financial analyst with nearly 30 years of experience with European banks and investment banks, he began his career with the Crédit Agricole Group (Paris-France) in 1987 where he held, among other responsibilities, the position of Head of the team of financial analysts responsible for monitoring European banks. His career path led him successively to Paris and London within the teams of Exane BNP Paribas, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, ING Wholesale banking and Mediobanca Securities.

Antoine Delcourt

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United Arab Emirates, since August 2022. Previously, he has been Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to the People’s Republic of China, and to Mongolia (2019 – 2022). From 2016 to 2019, he worked at the Directorate General for European Affairs (Brussels, Belgium); Horizontal EU external policy coordination, focal point for Belgium (European Correspondent 2017-2019); Coordinator for the Middle East and Northern Africa Regions (2016-2017); Belgian Senior Official for the Union for the Mediterranean, Belgian Coordinator for the relations between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and between the EU and the League of Arab States. From 2012 to 2016, he was Head of the Economic Department, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Republic of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and The Maldives. From 2009 to 2012, he worked as Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium to Lebanon. Previously, he was Attorney at Law in Belgium (1999 – 2008).

Nicolas Piau

Co-founder and CEO of TiLT Capital Partners, an asset management company dedicated to energy transition. Its first fund focused on growth capital for European SMEs in the sector has reached €320m in subscriptions. To date, TiLT has invested in 9 companies in France, Germany, Spain and Norway. Up until 2018, Nicolas was SVP in charge of M&A and Corporate Development for Engie, a Paris based energy company employing then over 150 000 people across 70 countries. He’s been working in the field of energy and project development / M&A for the last 13 years, after 5 years in HR working on social sustainability. He is also a First Mover Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Currently based in Paris, Nicolas lived in Brussels and Rome and spent a lot of time on transactions in the US, China, Russia, South-East Asia and South America. Sustainability and ethics have been at the core of his motivation, fueled by his graduation in Philosophy and Political Sciences and translated into a PhD in Economics on this topic, earned magna cum laude from Paris-Dauphine university.

Emmanuel Hategeka

Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the United Arab Emirates. Prior to his appointment, he served since 2017 as the Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer of Rwanda Development Board (RDB), a one stop agency of the Government charged with fast tracking economic development through the private sector. Before RDB, he served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, a position he held for close to seven years since 2010. Ambassador Emmanuel Hategeka also served for 15 years in many positions of responsibility in the private sector. He began his career working for the National Insurance company of Rwanda, later moved to become Sales and Marketing Director for MTN (Rwanda) a global telecoms operator followed by his four-year tenure as CEO of the Private Sector Federation in Rwanda. He has proven knowledge and rich experience in corporate leadership, policy and strategy design, multilateral trade systems, Investment advisory and regional value chains frameworks. He is passionate about youth empowerment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development. Ambassador Emmanuel Hategeka holds an MBA in Corporate Strategy and Economic Policy from Maastricht School of Management- Netherlands and a B.COM – Finance Bachelors’ degree from Makerere University- Uganda.

Octavian-Bogdan Bădica

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the  United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi since June 2022. Beforehand, he was Head of Controlling and Reporting for The Private Healthcare Network Regina Maria. He also served as Consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers  in Romania. He obtained a degree in Business Administration from Bucharest University and one in Foreign Languages – English and Arabic from Dimitrie Cantemir University.

Jakub Sławek

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to the United Arab Emirates. From 2004, he worked in Polish diplomatic missions in Sanaa, Algiers and Riyadh. He is also the author of two books: Yemen – world of tribal values (2008); Arabic and Polish diplomatic and political vocabulary (2016). Jakub Sławek graduated from the Faculty of Arabic Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow in 2002. He also followed a course of Arabic in Damascus and completed post-graduate studies in the field of diplomacy and international relations at Collegium Civitas, Warsaw. Jakub Sławek holds a Ph.D. in the field of humanities (Yemen studies) from the Oriental Institute at the Warsaw University.

Madiyar Menilbekov

Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Arab Emirates. He started his career as a Senior Lecturer at the Nur-Mubarak University of Islamic Culture of Egypt in Almaty and at the Academy of Public Administration attached to the President of Kazakhstan. He then became Third Secretary of the Department of Asia and Africa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan before he was appointed Attaché, Third Secretary and eventually Second Secretary of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UAE. In 2011, he was First Secretary of the Department of Asia and Africa then in 2012, Counsellor of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the United Arab Emirates. From 2015 to 2017, he served as Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in the UAE and then until 2019 as Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Dubai. He obtained a Bachelor from the Faculty of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at the University of Islamic Appeal, Tripoli, Libya in 2002 as well as a Master of Philology at the Kazakh Abylai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages in 2004.

Dmytro Senik

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Arab Emirates since May 2022. In July 2020, Mr. Senik was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Chief Digital Transformation Officer. In 2016 Dmytro Senik was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Singapore. He also served as Ambassador of Ukraine to Brunei Darussalam and to New Zealand (with residence in Singapore). In 2014 – 2016 Mr. Senik held the position of the Chief of Staff to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. In 2012-2014 he was Adviser to the Foreign Minister, and later to the Deputy Prime-Minister of Ukraine. In 2011-2012 Dmytro worked as principal assistant to the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine. In 2007-2011 he worked at the political section of the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. Mr. Senik joined the Foreign Service in 2004. He is a graduate of the Kyiv Institute of Economics and Management. Mr. Senik received Master in Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta. In 2019, Dmytro graduated from the Nanyang Technological University with Master in Public Administration.

Olga Rosca

Chief of staff to Moldova’s Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu. Olga Rosca joined Moldova’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development where she was leading Communications for some of the Bank’s largest markets, including Turkey and Ukraine. During her almost ten years at the EBRD, Olga was based at the London headquarters, the regional hub in Istanbul and most recently in Kyiv. Prior, she had been working in the media unit of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. Her previous experience also includes roles at the EU Delegation to Moldova and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. She holds a master’s degree in Public Communication from the Moldova State University.

Marwa Rashed Al Mahmood

Senior Executive of the International Organizations Unit of the Ministry of Finance of the United Arab Emirates. She is responsible for following up the implementation of joint activities with international organizations of which the Ministry of Finance is a member at.

Patrick Trinkler

Founder and CEO of CYSEC. Before launching CYSEC, Patrick Trinkler played an active part in the world’s first exit in quantum technologies. Patrick has specialized in creating business value from security for governments, banks, the industrial sector and telco, using his deep experience in security, especially in technologies relating to quantum computing and cryptography. Patrick earned an undergraduate degree in engineering at the University of Applied Sciences and a Master in Project Management at the Geneva School of Business Administration.

Nshuti Manasseh

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Charge of East African Community of Rwanda since 1st May 2020.  From 2003 until 2005, he served as the Minister of Commerce, Industry, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Cooperatives. He was appointed the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Ministry from 2005 until 2006. In 2006, he was appointed Minister of Public Service and Labor until 2008, when he was named as Senior Economic Advisor to the President of the Republic of Rwanda. Professor Nshuti Manasseh, was also the Chairman of Board of Promoters assigned to set up Umutara Polytechnic (University) in Eastern Province, Nyagatare District. He has over 23 years of University lecturing and administrative experience gained from high standards universities. He is a Professor of Finance, holding a PhD in Finance from Aberdeen University, UK, a Masters of Business Administration in Accounting, Aberdeen University, UK, and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons.) from Makerere University.

Catherine Dorgnac

Head of Middle East, Turkey and Central Asia at Bpifrance, the French Public Investment Bank. Prior to this, she headed the Middle East department of MEDEF International, the French business confederation, between 2018 and 2020 and was COO of a boutique advisory firm helping French companies address the Iranian market between 2016 and 2018. She held several positions in European Union agencies (Zimbabwe, Vienna) and the Project Finance team of the legal firm Clifford Chance in Paris. Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Business Law from Sciences Po and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE). She is member of the German Marshall Fund of the United States since 2018.

Kevin Rudd: China’s white-paper protests will have long-term impact

INTERVIEW – TOKYO — The “white-paper protests” that have taken place in cities across China in opposition to COVID lockdowns will not immediately topple the current administration, but they will have an impact in the future, possibly when President Xi Jinping steps down, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Nikkei Asia.

Rudd, a fluent-Mandarin speaker and a keen observer of Chinese politics, cited the four-decade correction of the Mao Zedong years, led by former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, and said that there will be a similar correction of Xi’s Marxist-Leninist tilt after he steps down, bringing China back to a more pragmatic “middle course.”

Read the entire article on Nikkei Asia.

«Digital Summit 2022» : François Barrault est l’invité de Culture médias

INTERVIEW – Du lundi au vendredi, Philippe Vandel fait le point sur un sujet de l’actualité média avec un invité. Aujourd’hui, François Barrault, président de “Idate DigiWorld Institute” et ancien CEO de “British Télécom”, pour parler du “Digital Summit 2022”.

Invité(s) : François Barrault, président de “Idate DigiWorld Institute” et ancien CEO de “British Télécom”

Écoutez l’intervention de François Barrault sur Europe 1.