Remember the Future Europe

The patron of the Conference was President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

Conceived as a new forum to discuss Europe’s burning issues and problems, the Conference is intended to carry forward Lennart Meri’s legacy and to ensure that Estonia continues to be seen as a country willing and able to play a proper part in the discovery of solutions and opportunities. The Conference is intended to become an annual high level event.

The theme of the first Conference was chosen to reflect one of President Meri’s foremost interests: Europe, its identity and security. The timing of the Conference was not random; 29 March was both Lennart Meri’s birthday and also the day on which in 2004 Estonia achieved one of his most cherished foreign policy goals: entry into NATO.

The Conference was supported by high level attendance from both practitioners and academics from Europe and America, among them many friends and former colleagues of President Meri.