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Conference Planning //
Conference Themes // Copy of programme //
Information about Policy Link Panels
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Copy of Programme
A copy of the programme is available here, in PDF format.
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Conference Planning
The conference will last from Thursday morning (24 April 2008) to Saturday noon (26 April 2008) and will host up to 200 participants. In line with its overall objectives of providing a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas among scholars that take an interest in understanding the interface between EU and international politics and law as well as fostering exchange between the scientific and the related policy communities, we expect both academics and the policymaking community to attend the conference. The majority of the participants can, however, be expected to belong to the research community.
The conference will comprise parallel panels of 90 minutes each featuring the presentation of three or four research papers by their authors on Thursday morning and afternoon, Friday morning and Saturday morning. Four of such research panels are planned to be held in parallel so that a total of up to 100 scientific papers may be given in max. 24 panels (eight panels each on Thursday afternoon, Friday and Saturday morning).
On Friday afternoon, the conference will feature four panels with mixed composition of academics and policy makers, so-called ‘Policy Link’ panels. Two panels each will take place concurrently. Three keynote presentations will take place.
One reception is planned to be hosted in the Palais d’Egmont on Thursday and a Conference Dinner will take place at the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art on the Friday evening. It is furthermore foreseen that lunch will be provided to registered participants on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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Themes
The four conference themes are:
- The EU, the UN and Global Governance: Theories, Institutions, Processs, Actors
As a global actor, the EU is embedded in an international framework, including multilateral institutions and organisations. Contributions may address such topics as the role of the EU in treaty-based regimes, in international organisations or in more informal institutions such as the G8, and the ways in which these institutions form and influence the EU as an international actor. They may also explore in more detail the processes and actors that shape the EU’s role in global governance, including the implementation of the EU’s international obligations. In general, explorations of the institutions, processes, (legal) competences, decisions and actors present in EU-global governance relations are appreciated.
- The EU in a Globalizing World: The Security and Economic Dimensions
Exploring the distinct, yet related policy fields of security and economics promises to help improve our understanding of the conditions of the EU’s role in a globalised world in different policy areas.
- Security: Security considerations include the formulation of EU strategies to deal with different threats as well as developments in the field of European Security and Defence Policy. Relevant security issues include global terrorist activity, conflict-resolution, non-proliferation, security assistance and support for reform, and peace-building efforts in various parts of the world, including on the EU’s new borders. They in particular cover the nexus between security and development and between security and energy supply.
- Economy: The EU has a very significant role to play in global economic activity and policy. While the European Commission has the leading role in the area of international trade, EU member states remain the prime actors in important other international economic contexts (e.g. World Bank, IMF), which results in a complex political and legal mix of shared EU and Member States’ competences.
- The Interplay between EU Member States, the EU and International Affairs
The vertical dimension in developing an EU outlook on international law and politics raises various questions. For example, what is the impact of the EU’s internal multi-level order on the EU as a foreign policy actor and the formulation of “EU” foreign policy? How can the EU’s external activities be monitored and controlled? What role do various foreign policy strategies of EU member states play (e.g. isolationist, Atlanticist, protectionist, multilateral/internationalist)? What are the driving forces of different strategies and approaches (threat perception, preferences, etc.)? How and to what extent do the activities of individual member states shape or contravene a common EU approach in international affairs? To what extent is the EU bound by international law in its international relations?
- The EU, Interregionalism and the Challenge to Multilateralism
The EU interacts with other world regions and major players. As such, it promotes cooperation within and between different regions as well as with other countries, including under the new EU Neighbourhood Policy. What is the prospect of inter-regional cooperation fostered by the EU both with relevant formal organisations (e.g. APEC/ASEAN, NAFTA, the AU, UNECE, OSCE, MERCOSUR) and more informal groupings? What are the EU’s strategies for dealing with other regions and actors, how efficient and effective are they, and which (legal) instruments are used? To what extent do these strategies challenge broader, global cooperation? What can we learn from these interactions regarding the analyses of EU foreign policy and European integration?
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Policy Link Panels
The conference organisers are co-ordinating four Policy Link Panels on the Friday afternoon. The panels are organized by the conference organisers and are intended to provide insights for policymakers and academics alike into the challenges and opportunities the EU faces in an international environment. The four topics under discussion in each panel session comprise: multilateralism, interregionalism, security, and trade and environment.
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