The new German ambassador to the UK, Susanne Baumann, will talk about the security threats facing Europe and how Anglo-German relations, recently strengthened with the Kensington Treaty and Trinity House Agreement, can help to address these threats. She will also address the importance of UK–EU relations. The short talk will be followed by a panel discussion with experts and questions and answers from the audience.

The Speaker

HE Susanne Baumann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Kingdom

Susanne Baumann has been appointed Ambassador to the United Kingsdom since September 2025. Previously, she was State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office. After training for the higher intermediate Foreign Service and studying law at the University of Bonn, State Secretary Baumann entered the higher Foreign Service in 1993. Following various posts in Cambodia, Kosovo and Malaysia, she worked as a political adviser at the Federal Ministry of Defence and as Head of Division at the Federal Chancellery. Before being appointed State Secretary in December 2021, she was the Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control and Head of the Directorate-General for International Order, the United Nations and Arms Control at the Federal Foreign Office.

Dr Elisa Cavatorta, Reader in Economics and Vice-Dean (International) for the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy, King's College London, will welcome the Ambassador.

Chair

Prof. Christoph Meyer, King's College London

Christoph Meyer is Full Professor of European & International Politics at King’s College London. He co-convenes the Research Group on European Foreign Policy and is a member of the King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence.

He studied political science and sociology in Hamburg before completing an MPhil (1997) and a PhD in International Relations at the University of Cambridge in 2001. Christoph worked as a visiting doctoral researcher at the Max Planck-Institute for the Study of Societies, Research Associate at the University of Cologne, Marie Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre of European Policy Studies in Brussels, and Lecturer at the Birkbeck College London before joining King’s in 2007. At King's he was the first head of the new Department of European & International Studies between 2012-2015 and served as the Faculty’s first Vice-Dean for Research between 2016 and 2020. He was elected as a Fellow to the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 2020.

Panel Discussants

Dr Ben Jones

Ben Jones is Teaching Fellow in European Foreign Policy. He holds a BA Politics from the University of Sheffield (1999) and an MPhil in History of Political Thought from the University of Cambridge (2000). He was awarded his PhD in European Studies at King's College, London with a thesis on military capability cooperation in contemporary Europe (2018). Prior to his return to academia, he worked in various roles in politics and public affairs in Brussels and London, including positions in the European Commission and European Parliament, and as Foreign Affairs and Defence Adviser to the Liberal Democrats at Westminster.

Dr Holger Stritzel

Holger Stritzel studied political science, international relations and security studies in Germany and Aberystwyth before completing a PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science under the supervision of Barry Buzan. Before joining King’s College in 2014, he was a Lecturer in International Relations and Programme Director for International Security Studies at the University of St Andrews.

Armida van Rij

Armida van Rij is a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, specialising in European security, defence, and foreign policy; and the implications of populism and politics on security policy. She has a decade of experience in supporting government policy-making, convening dialogues and analysing policy. Before joining the CER, she was the head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, and previously worked at the Policy Institute at King’s College London and the EU Delegation to Myanmar. She has served as an expert witness to the UK House of Commons Defence Select Committee and UK House of Lords European Affairs Committee, and has advised governments on a range of foreign and security policy issues.

Further panellists to be confirmed.

Venue and Information

The event will be held in Bush House Lecture Theatre 3, room BH (NE)0.01. An informal reception with drinks will follow. We encourage all attendees to stay, enjoy a drink, and network.

Please note, King's events are free, which means we routinely overbook to allow for no-shows and avoid empty seats. Admission is on a first come, first served basis, so please arrive in good time to avoid disappointment. We will not be able to admit those without tickets.

There may be some photography at this event for archival and promotional purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed, please let a member of staff or the photographer know on arrival.

King’s Europe Week

King's Europe Week is the flagship annual event co-organised by the Department of European & International Studies (EIS), the Jean-Monnet Centre of Excellence on Next Generation EU–UK Relations and the European (JMCE), and the Intenational Studies King's Association (EISKA). King's Europe Week brings together policy-makers, researchers, media and businesses to discuss, debate and analyse the present and future of Europe in a changing global order.