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The European Union's key man in New Zealand doesn't shy away from the hard questions. Michalis Rokas, Charge d'Affaires for the European Union Delegation in New Zealand, gave a public lecture today at the University of Waikato, and several in the audience were keen to point out the EU's failings during its 57 year history.

Audience members cited the invasion of Iraq, the Palestine-Israeli situation, the Arab Spring, and the Ukraine-Russia situation as recent examples of where the EU could have done better.

Mr Rokas, who's doing a tour of the central North Island, didn't always agree with the questioners views, but did say nations' borders had never been more unstable and there was "a determination from the EU to learn from mistakes of the past".

He said the EU had recently undergone a major revamp which caused him to be optimistic that many projects and issues that were taking up too much time and yielding too few returns would be reviewed or replaced but he said it was also important to safeguard what the EU had achieved, such as economic integration.

He reminded critics that the EU had grown from 6 to 28 member states and had brought about many successful resolutions and interventions. "Those who thought the EU would never survive, we have proved the critics wrong and under new leadership, with new representatives, these people come with a clear mandate to reboot the EU and create jobs and growth."

The EU is the biggest donor of development aid to the Pacific region, working predominantly in the area of sustainable energy, and Mr Rokas said there may be opportunities for New Zealand-EU business and government collaborations, particularly in green field and renewable technologies, as well as potential for agriculture and agribusiness collaborations. He conceded that New Zealand agriculture had been a sensitive issue for some EU nations in the past but believed those issues had largely been resolved.

Mr Rokas has had a long career with the European Union, holding various positions around the world, and before coming to New Zealand was Acting Head of Division for China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Mongolia at the European External Action Service.

The European Union, through a research funding programme, funds the EU Centres Network and the University of Waikato has staff and students involved on a network project worth nearly 1 million euros that looks at different issues facing regional security.

Mr Rokas said he'd be keen to return to the University of Waikato to talk to students and discuss possibilities for research collaborations. Already the European Union, through a research funding programme, funds the EU Centres Network and the University of Waikato has staff and students involved on a Network project worth nearly 1 million euros that looks at different issues facing regional security.

University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Professor Neil Quigley said Mr Rokas' visit was a good opportunity to further strengthen EU ties and establish meaningful and long-lasting partnerships that underpin the university's research and teaching.

Original post:
EU visitor faces tough questions from Waikato audience