Recently conducted events

For more information, please contact Karen Donders at

Introduction to European Integration Theories

Please send an  email to for registration

The Institute for European Studies (IES) at the Vrije Universitetit Brussel and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) kindly invite you to their next Environmental Policy Forum.

On 8 March, Charlotte Burns will present the results of a study on the European Parliament's green credentials in the co-decision procedure in the 2000s, which investigated whether the European Parliament is an environmental champion and whether co-decision has been good for the environment. Ms. Burns worked in the European Parliament as a Research Assistant to the Chair of the Environment Committee for two years before undertaking her PhD at the University of Sheffield. She currently teaches at the University of Leeds. Commenting on Ms. Burns presentation will be Professor Doctor Ludwig Krämer, Honorary professor for European environmental law at the universities of Bremen and Copenhagen and visiting professor at University College, London and working with the Commission for three decades as Head of Unit of Legal Affairs, Waste, waste management and environmental governance in DG Environment .

The Institute for European Studies (IES) at the Vrije Universitetit Brussel and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) kindly invite you to their next Environmental Policy Forum.

 
On 1 March, Mr. Reid Lifset, Resident Fellow in the Center for Industrial Ecology and Associate Director of the Industrial Environmental Management Program at the Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, will present a keynote presentation.

Mr. Lifset is well known for his contributions to the development and analysis of the environmental strategy of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). He will offer insights on the challenges to creating proper incentive structures for EPR in modern environmental policy, a question that is central in the on-going revision process of the EU’s WEEE Directive on recycling waste electronics. Commenting on Mr Lifset’s presentation will be Harri Kalimo, a Senior Research Fellow at the IES.

SEMINAR ON EU INSTITUTIONS AND POLICY PROCESS

A 3-day intensive program designed for professionals seeking an advanced understanding of the EU institutions and decision-making.

Full Programme

Ethical issues of CFSP/ESDP in the European borderlands

Security and the ethics of uncertainty

Autumn lecture series: program to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: program to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: program to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: program to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

PROGRAMME:

09.00 - 10.20     The Europeanization of Migration Policies and Immigrant Integration
                           (Ilke Adam, Hannelore Goeman, Institute for European Studies)

10.30 - 11.40     Activities of the European Commission in the Field of Migration
                          (Sandra Pratt, formerly European Commission)

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

The IES and Euridit - European Institute for Development and In-Service Training - jointly organise two courses:

• Developing European Competence for Regional Civil Servants and Managers
• Developing successful projects under the Seventh Research Framework Programme
  
  

The courses will take place between 19 October 2009 and 15 March 2010 and include a six-weeks period of distance learning, a one-week seminar in Brussels and twelve weeks for individual work on a project.

For more information and the detailed programme: http://www.euridit.org/events.html

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Intensive seminar on EU institutions and policy process

Concept

• A 3-day intensive program designed for professionals seeking an advanced understanding of the EU institutions and decision-making
• A balanced approach, where theory and practice complement each other to facilitate the learning experience
• Mix of face-to-face and online training

We offer:

• In-depth analysis of each institution, with special focus on its functioning and role within the EU structure
• A detailed insight into the various types of decision-making methods, according to the field of EU action
• A hands-on guide  to various types of EU information sources, complemented by a computer-based exercise aimed at retrieving information on the EU
• 6 months subscription to E-modules, the E-learning tool on European Studies developed by the IES: www.emodules.be/demo

The fee for the seminar is €720. The fee comprises: course materials, access to the E-modules lunches and refreshments at the IES.  Reduced fees are available for participants from NGO's and students.
At the end of the seminar, all participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Programme

DAY 1

09:30 - 11:00 Refresher: history and institutional structure of the EU
11:00 - 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 - 12:30 The Community Method
12:30 - 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 - 15:30 How does the European Commission work?
                      From policy preparation to implementation and enforcement
15:30-15:45 Coffee break
15:45- 17:30 How does the European Parliament work?
                     Powers, structures and functioning

DAY 2

09:30-10:45 How does the Council work?
                    Functioning of the Council of Ministers and European Council
10:45-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00- 13:00 Inter-institutional decision-making procedures
13:00-14:00 Lunch Break
14:00-15:30 Decision-making in second pillar issues
                    European Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
15:30-15:45 Coffee Break
15:45-17:30 Decision-making in third pillar issues
                    Justice, Freedom and Security

DAY 3

09:30- 10:30 Interest representation and lobbying
10:30- 10:45 Coffee Break
10:45- 12:00 Transparency and access to documents
12:00- 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00- 15:00 European information sources
                     Including document trail exercise
15:00- 15:30 Coffee Break
15:30- 17:00 Seminar wrap-up and conclusions
                      Future challenges for the EU

General information

For more information on this customized training, please contact the IES E-Learning and Training Team at:

To register, please click here

Bank Details:
Account number : 001-3881979-18
Name : Institute for European Studies
Reference : data of the seminar/training.  (obligatory so that your payment does not get lost)

On the occasion of the entry into force of the Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) to the Aarhus Convention, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES) kindly invite you to their next Environmental Policy Forum on

"Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers: the Kiev Protocol and its implementation by the EU"

The Kiev Protocol and its importance for environmental policy in Europe will be introduced by Mr Michel Amand from the Direction de la Coordination et de la Concertation , Direction générale Agriculture, Environnement et Ressources naturelles, Service public de Wallonie, and Chairman of Working Group on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention. The respondent will be Mrs Dania Cristofaro, Industrial Emissions & Protection of the Ozone Layer Unit, DG Environment, European Commission, who will comment on the measures taken by the EU pursuant to the Protocol.

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Presented by Tom Casiers

Location:
Rome Conference Room
Institute for European Studies
Pleinlaan 15 - 5th floor
1050 Brussel

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Autumn lecture series: programme to be confirmed

Presented by Jo Buelens

Location:
Rome Conference Room
Institute for European Studies
Pleinlaan 15 - 5th floor
1050 Brussel

Online Research Techniques

The Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) kindly invite you to the Environmental Policy Forum:

"Prospects for an Environmental Tax Reform"

This event will take place

on Tuesday, 9 June, 12:00-14:00

at the IES, Pleinlaan 15, 5th floor, 1050 Brussels.

David Gee, Senior Adviser at the European Environment Agency (EEA)

will present the EEA’s work on environmental tax reform (ETR), introducing the rationale behind ETR, portraying lessons from successful case examples and exploring routes for future further implementation, taking into account opportunities and threats related to the current financial crisis.

The Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) together with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) kindly invite you to the Environmental Policy Forum:

"Regulating Chemicals – Californian Green Chemistry and European REACH".

This event will take place

on Tuesday, 9 June, 12:00-14:00

at the IES, Pleinlaan 15, 5th floor, 1050 Brussels.

California is in the process of drafting new ‘green chemistry’ regulation. The EU is about to implement its REACH Regulation. Both jurisdictions are at the leading edge of regulating the management of chemical substances for the protection of human health and the environment, and to foster innovation.

Methodological lecture by Prof. Kris Deschouwer on Comparative Analysis. For a list of the methodolocial lectures, click here.

The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Institute for European Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES) kindly invite you to their next Environmental Policy Forum on

"US Climate Change Policy in the Obama Era".

This event will take place

on Monday, 25 May, 12:00-14:00

at the IES, Pleinlaan 15, 5th floor, 1050 Brussels.

The EU and the US both have an essential role to play in taking forward global efforts to address climate change. Recently, there have been important policy developments in the United States, and in the run-up to the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference to be held in December 2009, insight into ongoing domestic policy-making processes in the US is critical for those working on climate policy issues in the rest of the world. In order to promote awareness of and foster debate on changing US policies in Brussels, three prominent American scholars working on domestic and international environmental policy and law have accepted the invitation to address the IES-IEEP Forum:

Launch of the OECD Trade Book in cooperation with the Commission and ECIPE, with the participation of Commissioner Ashton and OECD Deputy Secretary General Pier Carlo Padoan.

Click on tittle for more info

Methodological lecture by Jaak de Billiet on Surveys.
For a list of the methodolocial lectures, click here.

Read more

Speakers:
Bates Gill, Director at SIPRI
Gudrun Wacker, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (invited)

The United States is still seen as Asia’s main security actor. This session explores options for America and Europe to join forces in Asia. How much are their interests complementary? Are their security policies compatible?

The aim of the workshop is for partners to gain insight and share knowledge into current and innovative participation models that engage with the issues addressed in a European context, whilst taking into consideration the needs and importance of the local and regional levels. The organizers will present a few cases of best practice, but will also draw upon knowledge from the participants, who will be asked to share their best practices during parallel sessions.

Click [here] for the programme and more information.

Evelyn Goh, Professor at Oxford University
Axel Berkofsky, Milano University

This session will take stock of the security dimension of the European Union’s partnership with Asia’s regional powers China, India and Japan. The panelists will critically discuss the desirability of and the options for more comprehensive synergies.

Speakers:
Yan Xuetong, Tsinghua University
Sujit Dutta, Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA)
Renier Nijskens, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (invited)

How will Asia’s security climate evolve in the next ten years and what are the prospects for the European Union as a stakeholder in Asian affairs? This session is as much an exercise in out-of-the-box thinking as it is an attempt to explore the Europe’s policy options for the longer term. In cooperation with the European Policy Centre (EPC), the Egmont Institute and the Royal Military Academy.

Speakers:
Alok R. Mukhopadhyay, Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA)
Alain Ruche, European Commission, DG RELEX
Quansheng Zao, American University, Washington DC

he European Union presents itself as a normative power. To make Asia more secure, it seeks to promote human rights, good governance, regional cooperation and free

The Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES) and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) kindly invite you to their next Environmental Policy Forum on ‘The European Biodiversity Action Plan - State of Play and prospects after 2010’. The event will take place On Wednesday, 18 March from 12:00-14:00 at the IES, Pleinlaan 15, 5th floor, 1050 Brussels.

Speakers:
Anne Teller, Administrator for the Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) at DG Environment
Sebastian Winkler , Head of Countdown 2010

Click here for full programme, registration and past Policy Fora.