Raising awareness of EU resilience: an interdisciplinary perspespective

Europe Direct at the University of Luxembourg organised together with a wide range of partners, the 3th edition of the Robert Schuman Lecture at the University of Luxembourg, with former Luxembourg PM and EU Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker as guest speaker. ‘L’Europe à l’heure des défis : réalités et perspectives, https://www.uni.lu/fr/news/conference-2023-robert-schuman-de-luniversite-du-luxembourg-leurope-a-lheure-des-defis-realites-et-perspectives-avec-m-jean-claude-juncker/

Public round table on ‘Dealing with national divergence in Banking Union’s Single Supervisory Mechanism’. This round table focused on the ongoing national divergence in the operation of the SSM. We examined the margin of manoeuvre available to National Competent Authorities with regard to the supervision of Less Significant Institutions and the extent to which the ECB’s supervision of large banks is directed by divergent national rules. More specifically, the speakers discussed: the application of national law by the ECB in the banking supervision context; the state of play regarding granting cross-border liquidity waivers in the Banking Union; and the role of Joint Supervisory Teams in supervisory convergence. Chair: David Howarth, Professor, Department of Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg; Participants: Florian Weidenholzer, Head of Division Supervisory Policies at the ECB; Dr. Maria Cecilia del Barrio Arleo, European Banking Institute; Dr. Jakub Gren, European Banking Institute; Professor Marta Božina Beroš, Associate Professor at the University of Pula, Croatia.

“The politics of health promotion in the European Union“, RSI-DSOC sponsored presentation by Professor Charlotte Godziewski, City, University of London. Much has been written about policy efforts to achieve ‘Health in All Policies’: an ambitious attempt to improve population health and reduce health inequalities by ensuring multiple policy areas are more attuned to their health impacts. However, most accounts focused on technical challenges, such as implementing impact assessments. In contrast, and focusing on the European Union, Professor Godziewski argued that ‘Health in All Policies’ was essentially a political project shaped by institutional power, competing ideas, and discourses.

The C2DH together with the European University Institute (Florence, Italy) and the Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory (Frankfurt am Main, Germany), organised a Summer School to explore methods of oral history and to test digital tools, while it pays attention to how digital sources may shape narratives in contemporary European history.

“The Caucasus Connection: Status Quo and Prospects of joining the EU”. This Round Table event presented a platform for learning about Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan policies towards the EU. Iana Maisuradze (Europan Policy Center Brussels), Tom Reisen (MFA Luxembourg, Political Affairs Direction), Marcel Röthig (Friedrich Ebert Foundation Resident Representative for Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) and Mikheil Sarjveladze (SWP Foundation Berlin) provided insights about the countries of the Eastern Partnership, their priorities and commitment, geopolitical shifts in the region, and reports from professional experience working on the relations between the EU and the three Caucasian countries.

: “Progress, Standstill, or Distancing? The EU and the Western Balkans”. This Round Table event provided a comprehensive insight into past and current political and economic developments in the Balkans. Topics included the Open Balkans Initiative, the results of the Berlin Process, an analysis of the challenges in the countries on the ground, and field reports on work in the Balkans. This was followed by an extremely varied discussion with the guests present. We would like to thank our speakers Prof. Josip Glaurdić (University of Luxembourg), Philippe Donckel (MFA Luxembourg; Ambassador to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), Engjellushe Morina (European Council on Foreign Relations), and Margit Wunsch Garmann (SWP Foundation, Brussels).

The RSI and the Institute of Political Science hosted Alfred Tovias, Professor Emeritus from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Professor Tovias spoke on ‘EU Foreign Policy on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’: A Reevaluation’ with a presentation based on his 2021 article published in The Israeli Journal of Foreign Affairs (Vol. 15, No. 2, 201–216, open access). Ramin Forghani from the Institute of Political Science acted as discussant. Professor Tovias was Chair of the department of International Relations at the Hebrew University from 2010-12 and previously served five years as director of the university’s Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations. He was a Jean Monnet Chair on External Economic Relations of the EU and the co-president of the Israeli Association for the Study of European Integration (IASEI). He has published several books and numerous articles in a range high-ranking academic journals, including The Journal of Common Market Studies and European Union Politics.

“The Coherence of the EU’s Policy in the Middle East”, discussion debate, with Ramin Forghani, Javad Keypour and others.

European Public Banks and their Development Role: Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past, present and future of European development finance, under the scientific direction of Prof. Dr. Lucia Coppolaro, Dr. Helen Kavvadia and Dr. Stuart Shields. This event was sponsored by the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs, the Institute of Political Science of the University of Luxembourg, the University of Manchester and the Univerity of Padova. All too often following recent economic, migration and health crises, scholarly attention has focused on the universal development banks rather than exploring their regional and national counterparts. Where are the Public Development Banks (PDBs) in these crises? With notable exceptions we are left with an almost blank slate for contemporary engagement with European PDBs in particular.

SIPE XIV.Tagung – XIVth Congress of the SIPE – XIVe Congrès du SIPE “Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Europa: Unabhängigkeit der Justiz und wirksame Rechtsmittel / Rule of law in Europe: judicial independence and effective remedies / Etat de droit en Europe: indépendance de la justice et recours effectifs”

Public Workshop on ‘L’émission de dette publique dans l’Union / Public debt issuance in the EU’. Several senior EU, ESM, national and regional officials responsible for public debt issuance will make presentations including: Dr. Bob Kieffer, Directeur du Trésor, Luxembourg; Dr. Christian Engelen, DG Budget, Commission; Gabriela Olariu and Stefano Finesi, Legal Team, ESM), Etienne Devreux, Cellule Dette publique, Région wallonne). Please register at Eventbrite (via the link on the event notice).

Conference “EU Agencies before the Court of Justice”, in collaboration with University of Maastricht and Law Network

Professor Barbara Allen, from Carleton College (US), gave a seminar on understanding the European Union through the lens of polycentricity (and the work of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom).

“The Coherence of the EU’s Policy in the Middle East”, discussion debate, with Ramin Forghani, Javad Keypour and others. Maison du Savoir, Room 3.380, Belval campus (no registration required).

Workshop “The Politics, Law and Political Economy of European Banking Union: The First Decade of Operation”, organised by Professor David Howarth and funded by his FNR funded CORE project focused on the Single Supervisory Mechanism. Most of the papers of this workshop were subsequently peer-reviewed and included in a special issue of the Journal of European Integration (2023).

Enrique Feás of the Spanish Real Instituto Elcano spoke to University of Luxembourg staff and students on developments in EU tax policy.

Enrique Feás, from the Real Instituto Elcano, Madrid and a Spanish diplomat, gave an RSI sponsored talk on “EU Trade Policy and Multipolarity”.

Webinar “Taking Back Control? The Referendum and the Enduring Effects of Brexit on British Politics“. Professor Daniel Stevens, Professor at the University of Exeter explores the reasons an EU referendum was called in the UK and why the Leave side won. He considers the enduring effects the referendum has had on British public opinion, focusing in particular on the influence of the Leave/Remain identity.

Public Forum “The War in Ukraine” – Event supported by supported by the Department of Social Sciences, the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, and the Robert Schuman Initiative. Panel discussion held at University of Luxembourg’s Maison des Sciences Humaines, with about 50 attendees, organized and moderated by Prof. Josip Glaurdić of the Institute of Political Science. Panelists: Dr. Viktoria Boretska (Research Associate, C2DH). Prof. Matthew Happold (FDEF), Prof. Robert Harmsen (FHSE), and Prof. Eleftheria Neframi (FDEF). Panelists discussed the causes and consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as the efforts of the Western Alliance to assist Ukraine in its defense.

Dr. Huw Macartney, from the University of Birmingham gave a FinLux-RSI sponsored talk on Fintech in the US, UK and the EU.

Professor David Howarth’s research project, Banking on Europe started. This project is funded by the UK ESRC and Luxembourg’s FNR through the INTER programme. The project is run with Professor Dermot Hodson at Birkbeck College, London. The project builds on EU Economic Governance activities funded by the University of Luxembourg’s Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. The project runs for three years and focuses upon the creation, operation and accountability of a range of pan-European financial mechanisms, from the European Investment Bank to the Next Generation EU mechanism created to provide funding to help EU member states cope with the macro-economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The project’s website can be found at https://bankingoneurope.eu

Webinar “La sauvegarde de l’État de droit à travers l’alliance du droit européen et du droit issu de la Convention européenne de sauvegarde des droits de l’homme. Exemples de la Hongrie et de la Pologne”

Conference “Small States in EU Policy-Making: Strategies, Challenges, Opportunities”. The European Union both offers benefits and poses challenges to small member states. On the one hand, from the perspective of shelter theory, the European Union contributes to the security of small states and provides benefits of ‘scale’, such as access to a larger market. On the other hand, the question is to what extent small states can influence decision-making in a Union that contains many states and, in particular, much more populous states. In this context, the aim of the workshop is to analyze the strategies of small states in European Union politics now that the many ‘new’ member states that joined since 2004 have had ample time to settle in.

Robert Schuman Lecture at the University of Luxembourg Webinar: “Luxembourg, the first capital of a United Europe”. In July 1952, Luxembourg City was chosen as the provisional location of the ECSC. On 10 August 1952, the High Authority moved into the building that now houses the Spuerkeess bank. Later that year, on 10 December, the ECSC Court of Justice held its formal inaugural session at the Cercle Municipal, on the Place d’Armes. The judges’ chambers were housed in the Villa Vauban. From 1952 to 1954, the Special Council of Ministers regularly met in the great chamber of Luxembourg City Hall. Luxembourg City therefore became one of the seats of the European Communities, alongside Strasbourg, which hosted the Common Assembly, and Brussels from 1958 onwards following the creation of the European Economic Community and Euratom. The merger of the Community executive bodies in 1965 confirmed Luxembourg’s role as Europe’s legal and financial headquarters. It was only in 1992 that the Edinburgh European Council enshrined Luxembourg, Brussels and Strasbourg as “permanent capitals” of the European Union.

The ECSC Treaty marked the start of Luxembourg’s European vocation as a founding state and leading player in the European integration process, and that of Luxembourg City as the “first capital of a united Europe”. https://www.uni.lu/en/news/1st-robert-schuman-lecture-luxembourg-the-first-capital-of-a-united-europe/

Workshop “Italy and the European Investment Bank”, in partnership with the University of Padova. The Workshop “Italy and the European Investment Bank” will take place on 10 December 2020. The Workshop aims at analysing the role and policy of the EIB in Italy. It will be hosted by the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies of the University of Padova in cooperation with the Institute of Political Science and the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs of the University of Luxembourg. The Workshop will take place remotely due to the Covid-19 measures. The Workshop is the second leg of the Conference “Analysing the European Investment Bank: interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past, present and future of the world’s biggest lender”, which took place at the University of Luxembourg on 10-11 July 2019. The Conference had been attended by 25 prominent scholars from top universities in 9 EU countries and the USA, with well-known track records on European Investment Bank (EIB) research. The works presented examined the EIB from different backgrounds such as economy, history, law and political science. The Workshop focuses on EIB activity in Italy, as one of the bank’s founding shareholders, one of its prime beneficiary countries and a decisive contributor in the bank’s evolution from an institutional and organizational perspective. The organisation of a specific event dedicated to Italy was deemed necessary as a result of the large number of proposals received on the topic following the Call for Papers for the first Conference issued in 2018. The Workshop provides the opportunity for an in depth academic discussion. The organisers will seek to publish the papers presented in Padova as a special issue of an international journal.

“Pro Europa 1919-2019”. Lecture du Professeur René Leboute (Université du Luxembourg). Puisant ses racines dans l’antiquité gréco-romaine, forgeant sa teneur dès l’apparition des premiers États-nations au Moyen-Âge, et se profilant de manière résolue à l’époque contemporaine, l’idée européenne s’est effectivement concrétisée au XXe siècle. Avant qu’elle ne devienne un véritable projet politique, l’idée européenne est restée limitée au cercle des visionnaires, qui ambitionnaient de préserver la paix par la construction d’une Europe unie. Ces projets intellectuels sont restés souvent utopiques, tant que les puissances politiques ne les prenaient pas en charge. Entre les guerres successives du XXème siècle, il a fallu attendre les réflexions issues des mouvements de résistance au totalitarisme pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, pour voir émerger un nouvel espoir: dépasser les antagonismes nationaux et créer les conditions d’une paix durable par le biais d’une organisation structurée de l’Europe, fondée sur des intérêts communs, sur l’égalité des États et le respect du droit. Ce processus a mené à l’Union européenne que nous connaissons aujourd’hui, dont la construction ne s’est pas faite sans heurts et dont l’avenir est empreint de difficultés. L’Europe aura a résoudre un double défi, généré à la fois par les ambitions différentes des États membres, par les phénomènes populistes, nationalistes, d’euroscepticisme et de désunion qui minent sa solidarité interne – le Brexit faisant largement preuve -, ainsi que par les contrariétés que notre continent aura à surmonter à l’international, afin de rester un compétiteur marquant vis-à-vis des États-Unis d’Amérique ou de grandes puissances émergente.Tous ces sujets préoccupent depuis longtemps le réputé historien René Leboutte Professeur émérite à l’Université du Luxembourg qui nous livre son analyse dans l’ouvrage Pro Europa 1919-2019 présenté lors du webinaire programmé le 19 novembre 2020 à 14h00.

Conference “50th anniversary of the Werner Report”. This event marked the 50th anniversary of the Werner Report, and analysed the role of Economic and Monetary Union at a time of uncertainty as to the wider European project, via an interdisciplinary approach that drew on historical and archive research and took into consideration the theoretical debates in the literature and the various methodological challenges. We began by looking at the Werner Report, which was a blueprint for Economic and Monetary Union; several of its recommendations are still on the agenda today. Through the collaboration between Robert Triffin, Jean Monnet and Pierre Werner as reflected in the archives, we highlighted the key role of various figures, networks and institutions in monetary unification and in shaping Economic and Monetary Union. We then took a closer look at how Economic and Monetary Union created the monetary, financial and fiscal stability that Europe needed to overcome periods of difficulty such as the global financial crisis and its repercussion. Finally, we explored the multifaceted future challenges facing Economic and Monetary Union.

Online Workshop ” Reforming the Institutions of Eurozone Governance”. Programme and special issue of the journal Politics and Governance.

Conference “The Internet and the European Market from a historical perspective” This conference, organised by the Robert Schuman Initiative for European Affairs with the support of the C²DH, examined the relationship between the Internet, EU regulation and market integration from a historical perspective. The speakers will analyse how the development of the Internet has facilitated market integration while also creating major regulatory challenges at the EU level, e.g. peering between ISPs, the taxation of electronic commerce, data protection issues, etc. We are also honoured to welcome Dr Viviane Reding, who will speak about her action as European Commissioner for Information Society and Media (2004-2010).

Conference “Analysing the European Investment Bank: Interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past, present and future of the world’s biggest lender”, Luxembourg. This conference brought together scholars from different disciplines (economy, history, law and political science) with a threefold aim: to investigate whether and how the EIB contributed to the economic development and integration of the European Union; to examine the evolution of the EIB as an institution; and to explore its future prospects. Our goals were to understand which political, economic and institutional factors influenced the trajectory of the EIB and its policies, which events can be considered milestones and decisive turning points in this process, which personalities played a relevant role, and how the EIB contributed to the tasks pinpointed by the Treaty of Rome. We want to identify the distinctive operational phases that have come to characterise concrete periods of the EIB’s existence and offer a periodisation of the entity`s trajectory. We also want to ascertain how internal changes and the changes in the international economic and geopolitical context influenced the EIB, and how the EIB responded and adapted to these changes and to the changing EU institutional environment. We want to offer a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the most salient trends and changes in the EIB’s operations by looking at the patterns of loan allocations and the evolving origins of its funding sources. We also wish to look forward and to consider the EIB’s future role in a globalized, multipolar political and economic environment. Many of the papers from the conference were reproduced in a Routledge edited volume focused on the EIB.

Colloque “La surveillance prudentielle du secteur financier: la dimension européenne”, en partenariat avec l’OLDE. Ce colloque a pour objet d’éclairer, sous l’angle juridique, le mécanisme de surveillance unique établi par la règlement (UE) 1024/2013 du Conseil et, en particulier les relations complexes entre la Banque centrale européenne et les autorités compétentes nationales dans la mise en oeuvre de cette surveillance. Le contrôle juridictionnel des procédures établies au sein du MSU fera l’objet d’une attention particulière.

9th conference of the Tensions of Europe network, “Decoding Europe – Technological Pasts in the Digital Age”. This conference investigated the way in which our approach to European technological pasts is influenced, shaped and may even be transformed in the digital age, and, conversely, how the digital present and future of Europe is the result of long-term historical trajectories and patterns.

“European Strategy in the 21st Century”. Public lecture by Professor Dr. Sven Biscop (Ghent Institute for International Studies, Ghent University; Director of the Europe in the World Programme, Egmont – The Royal Institute for International Relations, Brussels).

Roundtable ‘Opinion 1/17 of the Court of Justice of the European Union’. On 30 April 2019 the Court of Justice of the European Union held, in Opinion 1/17, that the mechanism for the resolution of disputes between investors and States provided for by the free trade agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is compatible with EU law. The round table brought together members of the European institutions, academics and young researchers to discuss questions, such as the autonomy of the EU legal order and the access to an independent tribunal, raised by the creation of a Tribunal and an Appellate Tribunal and, in the longer term, the establishment of an ‘Investment Court System’ (ICS).

“Mesures restrictives adoptées dans le cadre de la PESC: certains aspects de la jurisprudence du Tribunal de l’UE”. Lecture publique du juge Dimitrios Gratsias (Tribunal de l’Union). Après quelques rappels historiques et terminologiques concernant les mesures restrictives adoptées par les institutions dans le cadre de la Politique étrangère et de sécurité commune (PESC) de l’Union européenne, la présentation se concentrera sur les acquis jurisprudentiels en la matière et, notamment, sur les évolutions jurisprudentielles depuis l’entrée en vigueur du Traité de Lisbonne. Plus particulièrement, il y sera question, d’une part, de la base juridique des mesures restrictives telle qu’elle a été formulée depuis le Traité de Lisbonne et, d’autre part, du contrôle juridictionnel exercé par le juge de l’Union sur ces mesures, de son objet et de son intensité.

La présentation abordera également quelques questions spécifiques touchant au contrôle de la légalité des actes imposant de mesures restrictives, telles que la protection des droits de la défense et des autres droits fondamentaux des intéressés qui risquent d’être affectés par ces mesures ou encore la problématique particulière des mesures restrictives qui sont adoptées sur le fondement de décisions provenant
d’autorités nationales.

Conference “The Benelux, Regional grouping and the Dynamics of European Integration: Contemporary and Historical Perspectives”. The BENELUX and the Nordic Council both offer longstanding models of regional cooperation, which have, in various ways, often been cited as examples for the wider European integration project. More recently, both the Visegrád and Baltic states have seen the (re-) emergence of forms of regional cooperation in connection with their accession to and later membership of the European Union. Yet, though often cited, these experiences of (sub-)regional cooperation within the wider European project have been the object of relatively little systematic or comparative study. The present conference addressed this gap by bringing together specialists on these regional groupings with a view to providing a fuller understanding of both their historical significance and their possible future role relative to a potentially fragmenting European political landscape. The conference comprised both a keynote event on the evening of Monday 8 April and a one-day workshop on Tuesday 9 April, with conference sessions dealing with both the historical and contemporary dimensions of such regional groupings. The panels dealt both with the specific experiences of the BENELUX and with the experiences of other comparable groupings such as (but not limited to) the Nordic Council, the Baltic states and the Visegrád group. The papers presented dealt with such topics as: the manner in which such groups have allowed for the development of specific forms of (deeper/different) cooperation amongst their member countries; the use of such groups as a means to coordinate policy with a view to enhancing the collective influence of their members within wider fora; the role of such (sub-)groupings as potentially both accelerators and brakes in relation to wider processes of European integration; and the place assumed by such groupings within overall national foreign policies.

Roundtable “Bilateral Investment Treaties and the Autonomy and Values of the European Union – Threats or Opportunities”, with guest speaker Anders Neergaard, Head of Unit in the Legal Service of the European Parliament According to the Treaties, the Union shall uphold and promote its values and interests and contribute to the protection of its citizens in its relations with the wider world. Against this background, the presentation looks at how the Union shall contribute to a number of objectives such as sustainable development, free and fair trade, the protection of human rights, and to the strict observance and the development of international law. It then continues with the case law of the Court, according to which an international agreement cannot affect the allocation of powers fixed by the Treaties or, consequently, the autonomy of the EU legal system, considering that the Court is currently examining the compatibility of invest-state dispute resolution with this autonomy of the Union legal order. Taking the promotion of values and the autonomy of the Union legal order as a starting point and bearing in mind the recent criticism in the public debate against investor state dispute settlement, the presentation then looks at some existing “traditional” BIT’s and the awards rendered on this basis. Finally, it continues with a reflection on recent Union treaties on these matters.

“Judicialization of Investor-State Dispute Resolution: Competing Models of Legal Globalization”. Lecture by Prof. Joanna Jemielniak (Univeristy of Copenhagen). Public backlash against arbitration as the dominant method of investor-state dispute resolution has in recent years resulted in a number of reform proposals. Many of them aim at either supplementing or replacing the existing mechanisms with court-like forms of adjudication. The lecture will discuss two such proposals, which have enjoyed notable political support: the EU Investment Court System and the Belt and Road dispute resolution mechanism. Prospects for establishment of a multilateral investment court will also be examined, with regard to pending proceedings of UNCITRAL Working Group III, and to the EU-China BIT negotiations.

Conference on The Role of the Advocate General. (Organised by Professor Robert Harmsen.)

Seminar Series “The Political Science of the Court of Justice of the European Union”. (Organised by Professor Robert Harmsen.)

2018 European ASREC conference. (Organised by Professor A. Irmen.)

Summer school on the European Semester. (Organised and led by Prof. David Howarth, with special guest speaker, Professor Emmanuel Mourlon-Droul, University of Glasgow.)

Workshop “Codification of EU Administrative Law”. (Organised by Prof. Joanna Mendes.)

Seminar Series “Law, Language and Translation at the Court of Justice of the European Union”. (Organised by Prof. Robert Harmsen.)

Seminar Series “Historical Scholarship on the Court of Justice of the European Union”. (Organised by Prof. Robert Harmsen.)

Workshop “British Foreign Policy Post-Brexit”, with keynote speaker Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary, FCO UK. In September 2017, the British Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP said “As we leave the EU, the UK’s commitment to European security is undiminished. We will pursue a global foreign policy, and continue to work in partnership with our neighbours to promote peace, democracy and security in our continent and across the world.” As the UK sought to negotiate its future relationship with the EU27, including in the area of foreign policy, defence and security, Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (the senior official in the FCO), and a former British Ambassador to Germany and Israel, gave his views on the future of British foreign policy after Brexit and the prospects for a strong partnership between the UK and the EU in tackling the shared challenges we facein Europe and worldwide. Professor Amelia Hadfield of the Canterbury Christ ChurchUniversity and Dr. Sergiu Vintila, Policy Advisor at the European Parliament and Visiting Fellow in Political Science at the University of Luxembourg shared their views on how EU foreign and defence policy would likely evolve after the UK’s exit and the potential for a strong UK-EU partnership on foreign and defence policy in the future.

“The European Economic Area as a Model for Brexit?” Lecture by Prof. Dr. Carl Baudenbacher, President of thee EFTA Court and by Prof. Steve Peers (University of Essex). The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union poses complex and difficult questions about its future relationship with the EU. Although becoming a ‘third country’, the UK will nevertheless remain a major economic and political partner, requiring careful and creative reflection on the future governance of this relationship. This panel brings together the President of the European Free Trade Association Court – Professor Carl Baudenbacher – with a leading academic commentator on Brexit – Professor Steve Peers of the University of Essex – to discuss the possibilities and limits of one of the principal models to have thus far animated the debate. Can the current arrangements surrounding the European Economic Area provide an effective means to address the dilemmas posed by the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU?

“International responsibility of the European Union and its Member States: current challenges”. Lecture by Prof. Peter Jan Kuijper (University of Amsterdam)

Conférence “L’Europe après le Brexit et avant une initiative de relance”, avec l’intervention inaugurale de Herman Van Rompuy, Président honoraire du Conseil européen

Workshop “La fumée et le roti: interplay between national sovereignty and the EU legal order in the EU international relations”, with guest speaker Lucio Gussetti, Director and Principal Legal Adivser for Foreign and Security Policy and External Relations, European Commission. The previous ten years were marked by a significant number of cases before the ECJ involving the EU Institutions in matters concerned with the external action of the European Union. The pace of the interinstitutional litigation notably increased since the entry into force of the latest version of the Treaties. This workshop addressed in a structured and systemic way the apparent conflict between the role of Member states as actors in international sphere and the external action of the European Union as defined by the Lisbon Treaty.

“Ratification and provisional application of EU mixed agreements”. Lecture by Dr. Joni Heliskoski (Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs) The lecture explored the practice relating to the ratification and provisional application of mixed agreements, concluded by the European Union and its Member States, by addressing questions such as the following: How does the ratification of mixed agreements work in practice? Does EU law or public international law require the Member States to ratify mixed agreements and, if so, on what basis? Are there differences in that regard between different types of mixed agreements? What are the legal consequences if a Member State does not ratify a mixed agreement? What are the ways of alleviating the legal problems arising from either a delay in the procedure of ratification of a mixed agreement or the eventual failure of a Member State to ratify? How does the provisional application of mixed agreements work in practice? Is it possible for the provisional application to continue if a Member State refuses to ratify the agreement? Are there alternatives to provisional application as a means of bringing certain provisions of a mixed agreement into force pending the ratification procedure?

Conference “L’Europe competitive et la transformation de l’Etat-Providence”. (F. Allemand)

Seminar “A regulation for an open, efficent and independent EU administration”. (Prof. H. Hofmann)

Conference “EU Citizenship, federalism and rights”, co-organised by Prof. Dimitri Kochenov (University of Groningen) and Prof. Eleftheria Neframi (University of Luxembourg). Union citizenship is undergoing continuous evolution, given the constant tension between the EU’s origins as an international economic organisation and its federal aspirations. EU law adopts a “constitutional” approach to citizenship, as Union citizenship is meant to be the fundamental status of nationals of the Member States. There is the risk, however, that in the context of the division of competences between the Union and the Member States the rights derived from EU citizenship, instead of being universally bestowed on all EU citizens, turn into a compensatory device to enhance the life chances of those who are perceived as “contributing to the internal market”, leaving all the most vulnerable citizens in need of protection by definition outwith the scope of EU law. The Conference organized by the Amicale des référendaires of the Court of Justice of the European Union, the University of Luxembourg and the University of Groningen provided an opportunity of dialogue on the development of EU citizenship law.

Conference “To Give or to Grab: the Principle of Conferral of Powers Post-Lisbon”, with guest speaker Prof. Inge Govaere (University of Ghent, College of Europe). The conference explored the definition and application of the principle of conferral after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. It was argued that, from a sequential perspective, this is the first structural principle to be addressed in any given case. The Lisbon Treaty does not remain neutral in this respect but instead clearly (re-)affirms the Member States in their role of masters of the Treaties. Instead of offering stability, clarity and certainty, the Lisbon Treaty has triggered many cases with a renewed line of questioning. The main topics addressed at the conference were: What types of conferral can one identify in the Treaties (full, crippled, split) /How does this (potentially) impact the case-law of the Court of Justice.

Conference “Shaping the Europe of the Future”, with guest speaker Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. To help us understand the Europe of today and discuss the Europe of the future, the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), with the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg and their partners, is pleased to invite you to the conference “Shaping the Europe of the future” with guest speaker Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission. The conference also included a round table on the future of Europe featuring eminent European figures: Jacques Santer, Honorary Minister of State, former Luxembourg Prime Minister, former President of the European Commission; Viviane Reding, Member of the European Parliament, former Vice-President of the European Commission; Claude Turmes, Member of the European Parliament; Yves Mersch, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, former President of the Banque centrale du Luxembourg

Conference and workshops: “The metamorphosis of the European Economic Constitution” (Prof. H.Hofmann). The conference was a forum of discussion and exchange of ideas about the theoretical framework of the transformations in terms of shift of powers and competences (in Day/Part I) as well as of the challenges and consequences for the understanding of the concepts (in Day/Part II). Overall, the conference explored how the transformations of the European Economic Constitution of the past years have changed EU public law, modes of government and governance.

Conference “International dimension of EU agencies or agency-like bodies” (Prof. H.Hofmann): organised with TARN (The Academic Research Network on Agencification of EU Executive Governance) which promotes multi- and interdisciplinary research about the agencification of EU executive governance and encourages dialogue between academia and practitioners.

Workshop “Reforming Banking Union”. (Prof. D. Howarth). This workshop brought together two dozen academics and practitioners working on major Banking Union topics. The papers from this workshop were subsequently published in three special issues of the Journal of Economic Policy Reform and as an edited volume with Routledge.

“Repealing (but Retaining?) EU Law: The Constitutional Realities of Brexit”. Public lecture given by Prof. Gordon Anthony (Queen’s University Belfast). One of the outcomes that “Brexit” was supposed to achieve was an end to the primacy of EU law in UK courts. However, was apparent that there would be a difference between the form and substance of any such change. The UK Government’s proposals for a “Great Repeal Bill” acknowledged that much of the corpus of EU law would have to remain in force at the time of Brexit and that pre-Brexit rulings of the CJEU would continue to have effects in the courts after any (or no) Brexit agreement was reached. This lecture considered the constitutional implications of these proposals, how they might work in practice, and what they might mean for the common law’s relationship with EU law more broadly. It also considered some of the challenges that the courts might encounter in the particular areas of discrimination law and environmental law, where the overlay of domestic, European and international standards may complicate any idea of repeal.

Workshop “Access to Justice and Restrictive Measures in the Context of the CFSP – The Rosneft Case”. Judicial protection is a core EU value, but in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice is limited. In the Rosneft case, the Court interpreted extensively the scope of its jurisdiction with regard to restrictive measures in response to actions of Russia to destabilise the situation in Ukraine, holding that it can give preliminary rulings on the validity of a CSFP act providing for sanctions against individuals and entities or impacting on other EU policies. The round table addressed the important legal issues raised in the context of EU restrictive measures, such as judicial review of CFSP acts, EU security objectives, Member States’ enforcement powers, discussing the impact of the Rosneft judgment.

Workshops of Prof. E. Neframi – EU competence and the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement with the Republic of Singapore (CJEU, Opinion 2/15, pending), co-organized with Max Planck Institute for International, European, and Regulatory Procedural Law, Luxembourg

Deuxième Table ronde dans le cadre du Livre Blanc sur l’Avenir de l’Europe “La parole est aux citoyens”

“Europe and reformation: Religion, Politics and Society”. Public lecture by Professor Dr. Lukas Sosoe (University of Luxembourg)

Roundtable “External Competences of the EU: between Commercial Policy and Harmonisation” (Prof. E. Neframi). In Opinion 3/15 of 14 February 2017, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice held that the European Union has exclusive competence to conclude the Marrakech Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. The analysis of the Court covers topical issues related to the choice of legal basis and the nature of EU external competence, such as: the scope of the common commercial policy in relation to the objectives of promoting non-discrimination and of facilitating the circulation of accessible format copies; the significance of a minimum level of protection of copyright and related rights introduced by Directive 2001/29; and the interpretation of the criterion of affectation of EU rules (ERTA doctrine).

Seminar of Prof. Kenneth Dyson: “On the uses and abuses of tradition in political economy. The Case of Ordo-liberalism, the German Economy, and the Euro”.

Conference “The Informal Construction of Europe”. 13th History of European Integration Research Society (HEIRS). European integration is more than a sequence of treaties: today’s European Union has been shaped to a significant extent through informal exchanges and procedures. This year’s HEIRS Conference shed light on these informal aspects in the construction of Europe, with a focus on individual actors as well as institutions and organisations.

Event/Conference “Maastricht & Architects”. Moderated by Andreas Fickers, Director of C2DH and introduced by Yuriko Backes, Head of the European Commission Representation in Luxembourg, this conference presented a historical evocation of the Maastricht process by a privileged actor, Jean-Jacques Kasel, and a reflection on the alchemy of the euro through the Architects of the Euro research project. Intellectuals in the making of the European Monetary Union, led by Kenneth Dyson (Cardiff University / British Academy) and Ivo Maes (National Bank of Belgium / Catholic University of Louvain), together with two authors, Elena Danescu and David Howarth from University of Luxembourg.

Workshop “European Union Diplomacy. From Dream to Reality” (Prof. E. Neframi).

Robert Schuman House hosts a meeting of Angela Merkel and Xavier Bettel. On Thursday January 12th the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, hosted the German Chancelor Angela Merkel at the seat of the Robert Schuman Institute for a working meeting. The Maison Robert Schuman is the birthplace of Robert Schuman and is a historic venue fitting for the discussion of matters of relevance to European affairs by academics and governments alike.

Dinner of External Fellows (Prof. Dr Herwig Hofmann and President of University of Luxembourg – Prof. Rainer Klump). On January 12th, the Robert Schuman Institute held its first Fellows Dinner at which the President of the University of Luxembourg Professor Reiner Klump was present himself as to greet the new Fellows and give a welcome address. At the event in the Cercle Munster, Fellows had the chance to meet each other in person and exchange views and research plans for this new year. The programme of the institute for 2017 is regularly updated on the Uni.lu/RSI web. The Fellows of the Robert Schuman Institute are a distinguished group academics and professionals active in Luxembourg and around the world. For more information on the Fellows of the Institute please consult here.

“L’Europe en mutation. Populations, intégration économique, société et gouvernance”. Lecture publique donnée par le professeur Thierry Grobois (Université Louvain, Belgique)

Workshop “Ageing population” (Prof. A. Irmen)

Book announcement “State aid, Law of the European Union” (Prof. Dr. Herwig Hofmann, Dr. Claire Micheaux). On the occasion of the publication of the book “State Aid Law of the European Union” (Oxford University Press, 2016), the Robert Schuman Institute of European Affairs and the Research Unit Law discussed the relation of state aid law and tax policy in the EU. Professor Claire Micheau, coordinator of State aid and tax cases at the DG Competition, gave an introduction to this timely topic addressing various criteria of decision-making in this area.

“The Future of the Europe”. Public lecture given by Prof. Paul De Grauwe (London School of Economics)

Roundtable “Banking Union: Quo Vadis?” (Prof. Dr. David Howarth). In June 2012, Banking Union was proposed by euro area heads of state and government as an institutional mechanism to resolve the sovereign debt crisis. Progress on the construction of Banking Union has been rapid with the establishment of the Single Supervisory Mechanism in November 2014. The ECB has been assigned the power to supervise the euro area’s largest (approximately 130) banks. Banking Union also involves the creation of the Single Resolution Mechanism, with the gradual centralisation of approximately 50 billion euros worth of resolution funds; and a fiscal backstop, with the possible earmarking of European Stability Mechanism funds to support banks. Banking Union also involves the application of the EU single rule book on banking regulation, recent legislation on recovery and resolution, and a degree of harmonisation of national banking supervisory practices. Euro area member states have yet to agree upon the fourth main element of Banking Union — a European Deposit Insurance Scheme — largely due to German government opposition. This Public Round Table involved the participation of both ‘practioners’ from the public and private spheres and academics. The event provided an opportunity to examine critically the state of play in the construction of Banking Union. The event also marked the recent publication of Professor Howarth’s book (with Professor Lucia Quaglia), The Political Economy of European Banking Union with Oxford University Press.

Workshop “Ageing, Culture and Comparative Development” (Prof. A. Irmen). Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon. Over the next 50 years, the median age of the global population was to rise to 36.2 years, the old-age dependency ratio for Europe will be close to 1/2 in 2050, implying significant changes in the population age distribution. Thus, a thorough understanding of the channels through which ageing affects societies is critical. The workshop emphasized novel channels associated with the phenomenon of aging such as the channel of culture. In addition, it addressed several question related to the comparative development of countries. What are the forces behind the differential economic and demographic development? Why have some countries developed so much earlier while others remain trapped in poverty? What are the proximate and ultimate determinants of long-run economic development?

Workshop : “Special Edition on Supranational Institution Activism in the EU”. This Workshop was organized by Prof. Dr. David Howarth (IPSE Research Unit and Institute of Political Science). The papers from this workshop were subsequently peer-reviewed and most appearsed in a special issue of the Journal of Contemporary European Research.

Opening of the Robert Schuman Initiative of European Affairs at the University of Luxembourg’s Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. To mark the official inauguration of the new interfaculty Robert Schuman Initiative of European Affairs, the President of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Professor Koen Lenaerts, spoke on “the Court of Justice in a changing world”.The President of the University of Luxembourg, Professor Rainer Klump, introduced briefly the Institute, its mission, its research and its fellows-programme.

The Future of a United Kingdom in the European Union. This Workshop was organised by Prof. Dr. H. Hofmann (RUL, Research Unit in Law). It examined the consequences of the European Council agreement for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It also looked at the broader questions raised by the conclusions of the European Council for the nature of Union law and Luxembourg.

Public round table on Saving the euro and saving Greece. This round table organised by Prof. David Howarth (IPSE, Research Unit and Institute of Political Science) involved the participation of a number of expert speakers including professors Michele Chang (College of Europe), Tal Sadeh (Tel Aviv), James Savage (University of Virginia) and George Pagoulatos (Athens School of Economics).