ARENA Centre for European Studies organised its annual lecture on 19 October 2026. Enrico Letta talked about the European single market in a geopolitical age, marked by war in Ukraine, a more unpredictable United States, and fierce competition from China.
He gave his views on the future of the single marked, and his message was one of optimism. The EU has united after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it has made leadership decisions quickly facing challenges to international trade.
Enrico Letta served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2013 to 2014. Currently, he is the Dean of the IE School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs at IE University, President of the Jacques Delors Institute and President of AREL. He wrote the report “Much more than a market” in 2024.
The lecture was followed by a panel discussion with Enrico Letta, Linnea Lorentzen, Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics, UiO, Craig Parsons, Professor at the University of Oregon and ARENA Centre for European Studies, and Guri Rosén, Professor at the Department of Political Science and ARENA Centre for European Studies. The conversation was moderated by Pernille Rieker, Centre Director, ARENA Centre for European Studies.