Maastricht, 3 June 2022
Programme of the first Princess Beatrix Lecture
- 13:00 – 13:45 | Registration and accreditation
- 14:00 – 14:45 | Princess Beatrix Lecture by Élisabeth Guigou with an introduction by Mathieu Segers, Professor of Contemporary European History and European Integration
- 14:45 – 15:00 | Q & A
- 15:00 – 16:00 | Reception
About the Princess Beatrix Lecture
The recurring Princess Beatrix Lecture invites a leading European personality to reflect on the legacy of the Maastricht Treaty and its relevance for contemporary Europe. The lecture has been named after Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix’s because of the constructive role she played as Queen of the Netherlands during the 1991 European Summit that led to the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty.
The inaugural lecture is given by Élisabeth Guigou (1946). As French Minister of European Affairs (1990-1993), she was closely involved in the negotiations that culminated in the Maastricht Treaty as well as a trusted adviser to French President François Mitterrand. In her lecture, Guigou reflects on those years and shares her perspective on the 30 years of European cooperation that followed.
Queen Beatrix and the Maastricht Treaty
On 9 December 1991, the first day of the two-day European Summit in Maastricht, the then Queen Beatrix hosted a lunch for the European heads of government at Château Neercanne. During a short speech, the Queen stated that she would personally contribute to the success of the summit by declaring she would sacrifice her head on the Dutch guilder for a common European currency.
The Maastricht Treaty is one of the most important treaties in recent European history, having established the European Union and laid the foundation for the euro’s introduction. Together with the Treaty of Rome, it forms the legal foundation of the European Union.
Élisabeth Guigou
Élisabeth Guigou began her career as an adviser to President François Mitterrand and was the French Minister of European Affairs from 1990 to 1993. In 1994, she was elected to the European Parliament, where she held a seat until she became France’s Minister of Justice in 1997 and its Minister of Employment in 2000. From 2012 to 2017, she chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly.
Guigou has published several works over the years, including Europe. The future challenges of the world’s leading economic power and For a fair Europe. In 1994, she founded the Europartenaires association, of which she is currently president. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Jacques Delors Institute. Both are leading think tanks on European issues.
About Studio Europa Maastricht
Studio Europa Maastricht is a centre of expertise for Europe-related debate and research.
Founded in 2018 and supported by the partners of the Maastricht, Working on Europe programme: Maastricht University, the Province of Limburg and the City of Maastricht. Together we aim to position Maastricht, the capital of Limburg, as a meeting place for citizen dialogue and debate and establish a centre of excellence for research on Europe and European integration.
