Vol. 8 • Issue 38 • April - June 2012

News letter

European Union in International Affairs Conference a Resounding Success

Continued on p. 2

Introducing the new cluster

EUPERFORM-DYNAMUS workshop: The EU and multilateral institutions

Risks and Opportunities for Civil Society in a Time of Crisis (ROCCS)

Multilevel governance of immigration

Illegal immigrants in Israel

The future of the ICC

European Social Science & History Conference

Keynote at InterACT

International conference in religious accommodation

Bridging the Gap: Improving EU Teaching

Decoding the EU online course

E-learning: new platform

Hendrix semester abroad

POLI research grants

BISA-ISA conference

IES successful in Jean Monnet Application: IES Autumn Lecture Series

Policy Forum: The EU and the Arctic: Breaking the Ice

Policy Forums: CSDP missions & role of EU special representatives

EP study on Sahel

Associates’ News

USC Brussels program

Successful Jean Monnet Chair application

Policy Briefs Launched

Academic Articles

New Book: International History and International Relations

3 4 6 8 10 11

Economic Governance Migration & Diversity Educational Development Foreign & Security Policy Environment & Devt. IES Publications

The Institute for European Studies (IES-VUB)

hosted the third European Union in International

Affairs (EUIA) conference from 3-5 May 2012 at

the Paleis der Academiën in Brussels. The biennial

conference was co-organised by the Institut d’Études

Européennes at the Université Libre de Bruxelles

(IEE-ULB), the United Nations University Comparative

Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) and Egmont

– the Royal Institute for International Relations.

Approximately 300 participants from over 130

different academic and policy-related institutes,

covering 40 countries attended the conference.

Senior as well as junior researchers delivered more

than 150 academic paper presentations. Highlights

of the conference included the three keynote

speeches and the four Policy Link Panels, which

brought together academics and policymakers to

debate some of the most important issues currently

facing the EU in international affairs.

The conference was officially opened by the keynote

speech of Herman Van Rompuy. The President of

the European Council focused on the impact of

the Lisbon Treaty on foreign policy with a specific

emphasis on the new permanent Presidency

of the European Council, the office of the High

Representative and the newly created diplomatic

service of the EU. Van Rompuy further elaborated

on the crucial role of the European Council in

identifying the strategic interests and objectives

of the European Union. He referred to the relations

of the EU with the US, Russia and China, and to the

role of the EU in solving the Libya crisis. There was

then time for a few rounds of questions, which was

highly appreciated by the audience.

On the first day, panels covered topics such

as EU-Africa relations, the EU’s role in climate

change negotiations, and the EU as a global

conflict manager. The first Policy Link Panel of

the conference, which brought together high-

level academics and policymakers in a roundtable

format, concerned the EU’s response to the Arab

Spring. The panel proved very popular, with over

80 participants, and the discussion was lively.

Richard Whitman (University of Kent) controversially

asserted that the Arab spring was a policy success

for the EU, whereas Antonio Missiroli (Bureau of

European Policy Advisers) argued that, instead

of the so-called renationalisation of EU foreign

policy, we have instead been experiencing a

Europeanisation of domestic politics.

The second day’s agenda included items as diverse

as EU trade policy, human rights, the EU’s credibility

in international security, and EU peacemaking.

2 3(continued from p. 1)

Economic Governance

Introducing a New Cluster at the IES

IES research is organised in academic clusters. The clusters serve two purposes: they group academic

themes that are related in substance and they function as administrative units to manage the IES

academic personnel. The IES Strategic Plan 2011-2015 foresees changes in the cluster structure of the

Institute. One of the main elements is the creation of a new academic cluster on ‘European Economic

Governance’. This new cluster builds on and replaces two existing clusters, namely those on Information

Society and European Economics. The new cluster is planned to allow streamlining of internal structures

as well as to enhance the potential for substantive synergies and multidisciplinary research on issues

related to European economic law, economic policy and economics.

EUIA Conference Report

The new European Economic Governance cluster

is composed of the former members of the

Information Society cluster and the Economics

cluster, with Senior Research Fellow, Harri Kalimo,

as the cluster coordinator.

Harri will be joined by postdoctoral Research Fellow

Jamal Shahin, doctoral researchers Trisha Meyer

and Marie Lamensch (from the former Information

Society cluster). Associate/visiting researchers Rami

Nissilä and Karim Hamza has also become active

members of the Information Society cluster during

their stay at the IES. In addition, the members of the

former Economics Cluster, Assistant Professor Selen

Guerin (ES faculty) and doctoral researcher Cem

Tintin, will further strengthen the cluster.

The strategy of the Information Society cluster was

focused on two general themes: the EU Digital Single

Market (e.g. copyrights, online content, e-commerce

and taxation) and e-governance (governance and

online democracy, participation and engagement).

The economics cluster on the other hand was mono-

disciplinary, focusing exclusively on economics, and

more specifically on trade.

Overall, the existing and planned research

themes in the Information Society and Economics

clusters merge well in the new European Economic

Governance cluster. The themes extend from

economics-related public sector topics to private

sector issues, and from on-line to off-line matters.

The new cluster has also many links to other IES

research clusters, just as the Europe 2020 strategy

links economic competitiveness with a participatory

and inclusive society and sustainable development.

The CORPUS and ROCCS are good examples of cross-

cutting projects.

In the quest to build commonalities within the

cluster, the first PhD call in the Economic Governance

Cluster built on the theme of ‘value balancing in EU

economic law’. It takes a cross-cutting approach

by combining research in three areas of economic

law, trade, competition and Intellectual Property

Rights. The research project of the starting PhD, Max

Jansson, plans to analyse economic value balancing

tests in selected parts of these areas of law through

the case study of energy law in the EU and the US.

This challenge of a coherent parallel management

of economic and non-economic values lies at the

very heart of modern social market economies, as

they strive to combine maximum wealth creation

of capitalist systems with all the social values of

an inclusive and sustainable society. The task of

balancing economic and non-economic values

usually falls on law as the central structure of

governing societies. The legal system is, however,

under increasing strain in meeting that task. This

due in particular to two trends that are transforming

the welfare state: globalisation, on the one hand,

and fragmentation into a polycentric society of

numerous functionally differentiated spheres, on

Moreover, we saw a further three Policy Link Panels

on the regulation of the financial industry, European

defence policy after the war in Libya, and the future

of the EU after the ‘crisis’. Renowned speakers

such as Olivier Guersent (Head of Cabinet Michel

Barnier), Mathias Dewatripont (Director National

Bank of Belgium) and Claude-France Arnould (Chief

Executive EDA) shed light on these issues.

The panel on ‘Europe in crisis’ painted a particularly

intriguing picture of the state of the EU, with the

presentation of many diverging views. While there

is currently a decline in public support for the EU,

it was also argued that European politics are closer

to European citizens than ever before. The tensions

were also explored of pleasing markets versus

pleasing the electorate, and the difficulties of trying

to change community rules in a crisis context. The

Policy Link Panel on European banking regulation

also revealed differing viewpoints, exemplifying

the challenges ahead. The panel highlighted that

remedial policy in response to the crisis is a matter

of urgency.

Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen delivered

the second day’s keynote speech on behalf of

the Danish Presidency. As this took place at the

Stanhope hotel during the conference dinner, it

provided a welcome opportunity for all participants

to discuss their particular interests in an informal

context. All were eager to thank the conference

coordinators for a well-organised and diverse event

and for the opportunity to hear and interact with

such numerous and varied panels.

The third and final day once again covered

an impressive range of topics such as: cyber-

governance, EU-Africa relations, EU and the Western

Balkans, and EU energy policy, among many others.

The conference concluded with the final keynote

speech by Pierre Vimont, the Executive Secretary

General of the European External Action Service

(EEAS). His speech elaborated the identity and role

of the EEAS in a changing global environment. He

spoke of the application of the Lisbon Treaty and the

need to provide more continuity in European foreign

policy, making a plea for the creation of a deputy

Risks and Opportunities for Civil Society in a Time of Crisis (ROCCS)

How have civil society organisations reacted to the EU’s financial crisis and what is the forecast in the

years to come, as governments respond to the fall out? Has the capacity of civil society organisations

to participate in decision-making processes changed? If so, what are the consequences of this change

for participation and democracy in the EU?

These three questions will form the basis of a study initiated by the President of the European Economic

and Social Committee. It will examine the interactions between organised civil society and national

(and EU) decision-making processes in light of the drastic political and economic consequences that

the crisis has implied for European society. This study will analyse the impact of the crisis on Civil

Society Organisations (CSOs) in the EU by first examining trends in terms of the evolving relationship

between CSOs and public institutions in light of recent austerity measures. The study will focus on

a few cases to highlight how different countries in the EU have reacted to these changes. Finally,

the study will focus on risks and opportunities for CSOs in this time of crisis and beyond.The study,

carried out by the IES, will be delivered in October 2012.

Contact: Prof. Dr Jamal Shahin

j a m a l . s h a h i n @ v u b . a c . b e t w i t t e r : @ j s h a h i n

www.ies.be/roccs

to the High Representative together with more

coordination with the rotating European Presidency.

He asserted that the EEAS must become more

ambitious, imaginative and assertive to take on the

multiple challenges of the ongoing financial crisis,

the weakened credibility of the European model,

and the increased competition from BRIC countries.

It will undoubtedly take some time to establish a

new identity for EEAS. Nevertheless, Vimont cited

the speed at which a common position over Libya

had been reached as an example of this emerging

assertiveness. The speech was followed by a round

of questions from the audience who were keen to

learn more about the future of EEAS.

The EUIA III conference

was a r e sound ing

s u c c e s s w i t h

participants praising its

organisation, diversity

and the opportunities

it presented to examine

the implications of

theoretical insights in

practice and vice versa. Moreover, the conference

has built on previous editions and further deepened

the relations among the growing number of

academics and policy-makers working on the EU

in international relations, from legal, political

and economic perspectives. On the basis of the

overwhelmingly positive feedback, the conference

coordinators are already planning the next edition

– EUIA IV – which will take place in 2014.

A great deal of thanks

are due to the many

i n d i v i d u a l s w h o

have helped in the

organisation of the

conference, and also

to the various institutes

that have provided the

support to ensure that

this conference can take place. Visit the website for a

photo gallery and more information about the event:

www.ies.be/conference/euia2012

the other.

We wish Max all the best as he joins the IES and

we look forward to informing you about further

synergies within this new cluster in the coming

months.

EUPERFORM – DYNAMUS Workshop: ‘The

European Union and Multilateral

Institutions: Towards an Anthology on

the State of the Art’

On 7-8 June 2012, Jamal Shahin and Lisanne

Groen attended a two-day Joint Workshop

of EUPERFORM (an ESF research network)

and DYNAMUS (a research project funded

by the Spanish Ministry of Science and

Innovation), at the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis

Internacionals (IBEI). The workshop focused on

the EU and multilateral institutions. Jamal and

Lisanne are both members of the EUPERFORM

network. Jamal participated in the workshop as

a chair of two sessions on 8 June (‘Towards the

assessment of EU performance in international

institutions’ and ‘The limitations of a single voice

in EU foreign policy’) and Lisanne presented a

paper about the conceptual framework of her

PhD project in a session entitled: ‘Towards the

assessment of EU performance in international

institutions’. Lisanne’s PhD project focuses on

explaining the changing performance of the EU

over time in the UNFCCC and the CBD.

www.ies.be/euperform

4 5How public institutions deal with

ethnic and re l ig ious divers i ty ,

Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin

Senior researcher Ilke Adam participated in a

ground-breaking, exploratory workshop held on

24-26 May, 2012, at the Wissenschaftszentrum

Berlin. It brought together a group of

international scholars who focus on how

public institutions deal with ethnic and/or

religious diversities. Whereas existing research

consists mainly of single-case studies or cross-

national comparisons of one institution, or

internal comparisons of different organisations

representing one type of public institution, cross-

institutional comparisons are rare in academic

research. The workshop’s focus fills a critical

void in current scholarship, creating connections

between public institutions that existing studies

have failed to address and, in addition, laying

synergistic groundwork for future cooperation.

Ilke presented a paper on how Belgian schools

and hospitals deal with religious diversity. Ilke

is keen to stay involved in the future cooperative

efforts of this emerging research network.

Migration Diversity

‘The circulation of ideas and models: the

transformation of immigrant integration

policies’: two panels at the European

Social Science and History Conference,

Glasgow

Do EU member states seek inspiration in other

member states when reforming their immigrant

integration policies? How does the EU stimulate

this process of policy diffusion? These questions,

amongst others, were debated in two panels at

the European Social Science History Association

Conference in Glasgow (14-16 April ). The panels

were co-organised by Saskia Bonjour (Leiden

University) and IES’ Ilke Adam.

One of the panels investigated the transfer of

models and ideas between political entities,

whether national or local, to inquire if and

how policy transfer contributes to convergence

of migrant integration policies. Immigrant

integration policies reflect conceptions of

identity and belonging, of social cohesion, of

citizenship and statehood. Perhaps this is why

these policies have often been considered as

country-specific, even determined by ‘national

models’. However, migrant integration policies in

Europe present a certain degree of homogeneity

in institutional design and orientation, even

if they are introduced in countries with very

different migration histories and implemented

in very different contexts. IES senior researcher

Ilke Adam demonstrated how soft European

instruments on immigrant integration contribute

to reducing the differences between Belgian

regional immigrant integration policies.

Other contributors to the panel focused equally

on the role of European policy diffusion tools

starting with two historical papers showing that

policy diffusion with regard to migrants with

social rights in the 19th century, happened long

before the existence of EU policy diffusion.

Several IES researchers are involved in the current

academic debate on the multilevel governance

of immigration and immigrant integration.

Immigration and immigrant integration policies

have been high on political, public and academic

agendas in Europe for the last two decades.

Scholarly accounts of policy dynamics in this field

still tend to focus exclusively on the national level,

which echoes the still very dominant focus on so-

called ‘national models of integration.’ The recent

academic debates on the multilevel governance

of immigration and immigrant integration take as

their starting point the proposition that these policy

issues are shaped in interactions between policy

actors at the local, national, regional, European

and international level. Several IES researchers (Ilke

Adam, Mathijs van Dijk and Hannelore Goeman)

have participated in this debate though their recent

publications, participations in conferences or

projects on the interactions between the different

levels of immigration governance: the global;

European, national and regional levels. Ilke Adam

recently co-organised a session on this theme at the

Politicologen-etmaal, the conference of the Flemish

and Dutch political science associations. Mathijs Van

Dijk participated in this session by presenting his

PhD research design on the interactions between the

EU and International Organisations in the context of

the EU’s Global Approach to Migration and Mobility.

With the help of remote technology, Ilke Adam also

participated in a workshop at Edinburgh University

on 18-19 June, in the framework of a book project

on the multilevel politics of immigration which

will especially focus on key issues relating to the

governance and party politics of immigration in

multi-level states including Scotland-UK, Flanders-

Belgium, Catalonia-Spain and Quebec-Canada. Ilke

presented a draft chapter on multilevel governance

of immigration in Belgium. She focuses on the

interactions between the central state and the

regions in immigration policy-making, and how the

Europeanisation of these policies influences these

interactions.

Illegal Immigrants cause turmoil in Israel

– an Identity Crisis ?

Senior Research Fellow Richard Lewis made a

presentation on his research into race relations

and national identity in France at the Ruppin

Academic Center’s second international conference

held at their campus in Israel, May 20-22. The

topic was very opportune because, at the time

of the conference, there were demonstrations

and disturbances in south Tel Aviv which is the

main refuge of mostly illegal African immigrants

who cross the Sinai desert from South Sudan and

Eritrea to find work and refuge in Israel. There are

estimated to be some 60,000 such refugees in

Israel. Combined with over 300,000 legal migrants

who have been admitted to the country mostly to

do menial jobs, as well as the 1.5 million Arab

citizens, this has caused controversy on the nature

and identity of the Jewish state, itself created as

a refuge against persecution. Israelis are asking

themselves the question: what is the nature of our

country?; in much the same way as the French are

questioning immigration.

Government statements show their determination

to deal firmly with illegal migrants and there

are media reports that some have already been

expelled. Such expulsions are also controversial

given Israel’s humanitarian ‘vocation’ and history.

The future of the International Criminal Tribunal

In April and May, the two final Policy Forums were held in the series

entitled ‘The International Criminal Court’s Second Decade: Quo Vadis?’

On 27 April, the policy forum was dedicated to the ICC and the

prosecution of gender-based crimes. Dianne Luping from the Office of

the Prosecutor of the ICC discussed the track record of the prosecutions

of gender-based crimes in the seven situations currently referred to

the Court. She discussed the difficulties in prosecuting such crimes,

especially with regard to the collection of evidence.

On 26 May, the series was concluded with an interesting discussion

on the politics of the ICC. With presentations on both the EU, the US,

the China and the NGO-community perspective on the Court, a wide

variety of viewpoints were discussed by both the panelists and audience.

Keynote lecture at InterACT – mainstreaming of cultural diversity in the arts and

cultural sector

In November 2004, the Justice and Home Affairs Council adopted the eleven Common Basic Principles

for Immigrant Integration Policy in the EU. The first of these principles states that “immigrant integration

is a two-way process of mutual accommodation”. It involves adaptation by immigrants as well as by the

receiving societies. The recent focus of the member states’ integration policies seems to lie on fostering

the immigrant adaptation process, through the organisation of compulsory immigrant adaptation

classes. In addition, over the last decade, mainstream organisations in receiving societies have started

to adapt to the increasing multicultural context. The initiatives promoting the mainstreaming of cultural

diversity or ‘inter-culturalisation’ are sometimes initiated bottom-up, and on other occasions stimulated

by public authorities.

In Brussels, the arts and cultural sector functions in an extremely multicultural environment and wants

to diversify its programming policy, its hiring policy and its audience. On 15 June, Ilke Adam was a

keynote speaker at a training workshop organised by BKO, RAB and Lasso on the mainstreaming of

cultural diversity in the Brussels arts and cultural sector. She introduced the participants to different

concepts of immigrant integration, thus helping participants to understand why organisations that want

to become more diverse follow different strategies to reach the same objectives.

From the global to the local level : the IES migration team weigh in on the academic debate on the multilevel governance of immigration

IES co-organised international conference

‘Religious accommodation in Belgium and

Canada’, Brussels, 27-28 April

What happens when the faithful of a minority

religion ask to adapt general rules or practices, to

be able to follow their faith? How do employers,

school directors or service providers react to these

demands? What does the law require in these

situations and what are the normative arguments in

favour or against these types of requests?

In the USA or Canada, these questions have for a

long time been dealt with under the legal concept

of ‘reasonable accommodation’. In Belgium,

sociologists have been able to observe, over a

number of years, the development of the practice

of reasonable accommodation, without calling it

by that name. Today, due to the development of

the notion of ‘indirect discrimination’ in European

law, the question has been raised whether this legal

notion can be mobilised for religious practices in

Europe.

Together with several research centres from the

Université Libre de Bruxelles (IEE, GERME, MAM,

CDP, CENA) and the VUB (RHEA), the Migration

and Diversity cluster of the IES co-organised an

international conference on this topic of religious

accommodation in Belgium and Canada. The

conference united several experts from both sides

of the Atlantic, practising different disciplines

(philosophy, sociology and law). They engaged in

an interdisciplinary discussion on the philosophical

arguments, and the legal, sociological and political

contexts in which religious accommodation is

practised. More than 100 professionals and students

attended the conference.

6 7

POLI small research project grants for the EDU

This spring the EDU received two grants of €5000

each in the framework of the ‘POLI small research

projects’ scheme. This will be used in the context

of our EU-modules re-launch on the new platform.

A comprehensive survey of the various existing

online courses on offer on the topic of European

Studies will be carried and we hope that this

thorough market research will allow us to further

customize our modules to best match the needs

of the students and at the same time to place us

in a competitive position. Moreover, we will use

part of the grant to record short interviews with

practitioners from various EU institutions that we

will use to enrich the audiovisual aspect of the

EU-modules.

Brussels Workshop, 14-15 May 2012

On May 14-15 the IES organised the first workshop

on teaching the EU for secondary teachers, in the

framework of the ‘Bridging the Gap: Improving EU

Teaching’ project. We had the pleasure to welcome

22 teachers from 11 countries within and beyond

the European Union (Germany, UK, Romania,

Bulgaria, Lithuania, Italy, Macedonia, Albania, Latvia,

Luxembourg and Czech Republic). Whereas the first

day focused on the essential information on the

latest developments in the institutional structure

and decision-making process of the EU, the second

day was dedicated to exploring various teaching

tools and environments, including interactive class

activities, simulation games and the use of online

sources. The teachers worked in groups to exchange

good practice and the group leaders presented the

results in plenary.

You can watch the presentations on our website.

www.ies .be/training/bridging-the-gap/

workshop-may

EDU Educational Development Unit

‘Decoding the EU’ online course

In May 2012, the EDU organised the first edition of the ‘Decoding the EU’ online course. The course

consisted of four consecutive webinars, held each Wednesday at lunch-time and addressed the role

and functioning of the main EU institutions (European Commission, Council of Ministers, European

Council and European Parliament, as well as the complex decision-making process, with a focus on the

Ordinary Legislative Procedure). The webinars could be followed as stand-alone events or in conjunction

with our EU-modules, as a one-year online course. Taking advantage of the Brussels location but also

of the flexibility of the medium, we put together a team of lecturers with a balanced mix of academic

knowledge and practical expertise. The feedback received from the participants was positive, so that

we will consider organising similar online courses in the future.

E-learning: the way to Chamillo

The transition process towards a new, open

source e-learning platform is underway. After

analysing the various choices available, Chamillo

was chosen due to its user-friendly interface and

interactive features and not least because of the

support provided by VUB technical staff. Chamillo

is an open source learning platform, allowing for

active and personalised teaching and learning.

It is currently being customised (thanks to Bram

Thielemans) to help us reach our pedagogical

goals and enrich the overall value of the EU-

modules. The customisation phase will end this

autumn and, following an intensive period of

testing, the new platform will officially become

the new home of our modules.

In parallel to this change, we took the opportunity

to do a complete overhaul of the current

modules. As of early next year, 5 modules will be

available, offering a total of 20 ECTS: EU History,

EU Institutions, EU Law and Decision-making,

EU Policies and EU Information Sources. Taken

together with our Summer School in Brussels

and Vienna it offers a Postgraduate Certificate

equivalent to 25 ECTS.

Alexandra at the BISA-ISA conference

On 20-22 June Alexandra Mihai took part in the

2012 International BISA-ISA Joint Conference

in Edinburgh. Co-organised by the British

International Studies Association (BISA) and

the International Studies Association (ISA), the

conference brought together around 1000

scholars from the field of International Relations,

from both sides of the Atlantic. The topics were

diverse, ranging from theories of International

Relations (IR), to political and legal aspects,

as well as the economic crisis, the challenges

ahead for the EU and last, but not least, teaching

International Relations.

Closely linked to the focus of her research,

Alexandra attended three panels and round

tables on teaching methods in politics and IR.

The first panel focused on the use of active

learning activities, such as simulation games

and the added value they bring to teaching

IR, especially in a cross-cultural context.

Examples from Europe, US and Canada showed

the benefits but also the challenges of using

such tools. The round table tackled the topic

of employability and skills in teaching IR. The

discussion focused around the need to address

students’ expectations and prepare them to

face the job market after graduation, with views

diverging as to whether it is the task of the

university professors to teach these skills. The

third panel addressed the ‘non-traditional’ forms

of learning, including Problem-Based Learning

(PBL), synchronous and asynchronous online

learning, as well as the intriguing issue of how

the classroom architecture and design influence

the way we teach.

Alexandra presented her paper on the use of

webinars for teaching European Studies and

the perception of lecturers on using this tool.

The results of the small scale survey show

that the synchronous e-learning platform is

seen as a flexible and convenient tool, but it

is best used in conjunction with face-to-face

and/or asynchronous e-learning, in a Blended

Learning approach, to allow teachers to reach

their pedagogical goals. The main conclusion of

the panel was that we, as teachers, should pay

equal attention to how we design or teaching

and learning spaces, be it physical or virtual, in

order to provide the students, and ourselves,

with a fruitful experience.

The conference was a great occasion to meet

colleagues interested in the topic of teaching

politics and IR and an opportunity to forge new

collaborations for future conference panels and

publications.

The workshop offered a great opportunity for

teachers across Europe to discuss their teaching

methods and share ideas on how to integrate EU

topics in their curriculum. The second workshop is

scheduled for 14-15 November.

Webinars

In the past three months the EDU has also organised

three of the six ‘Bridging the Gap’ webinars,

which are aimed at a

broader audience of

teachers , s tudents ,

a n d p o l i c y m a k e r s

interested in education,

and specifically in how

to integrate EU-related

topics in the secondary

school curricula across

Europe.

The webinars address specific teaching methods,

such as simulation games and the use of online

tools and platforms, as well as exploring various

opportunities for establishing partnerships among

schools in various countries. The webinars are free

of charge and open for everyone. You can visit our

website (www.ies.be/training/bridging-the-gap)

to register for the upcoming webinars in autumn-

winter 2012 and to watch the recordings of the first

three webinars.

Secondary schools seminars

In April the IES organised, together with the

Koninklijk Atheneum Brugge, part of their ‘Europe

week’ events, consisting mainly of a three-day

simulation game on EU foreign policy. This also

coincided with the first secondary school seminar

delivered in the framework of the ‘Bridging the Gap’

project. The game involved around 70 students

and proved to be a useful complementary activity

that enhanced the students’ understanding of the

complex EU decision-making process. Three more

such activities are planned for the second part of

the year, within Belgium and possibly also beyond.

Bridging the Gap: Improving EU Teaching

The Educational Development Unit of the IES is organising a series of training workshops and seminars in 2012 with the aim of

improving teaching EU issues in secondary schools throughout Europe. The ‘Bridging the Gap: Improving EU Teaching’ project

is part of the EU Life-Long learning Programme, ‘Learning EU in Schools’ stream. Various activities and outputs are foreseen

in the framework of this project, such as two teacher workshops in Brussels, four seminars delivered in secondary schools,

including simulation games on EU issues, six webinars aiming to address various teaching methods and environments, as well

as the delivery of an online module and a handbook on teaching the EU.

Hendrix Semester Abroad 2012

The annual Hendrix

Semester Abroad

programme has

been running for

four consecutive

years. Six American

students followed

courses a t the

IES and Vesalius

College for one

semester, focusing

on learning about the functioning of the EU and

EU’s role in the world. In parallel to their studies,

they had to do an internship, which allowed

them to familiarise themselves with the working

environment and at the same time get first hand

experience of some EU-related issues studied in

their courses. At the end of the semester they

defended their final paper and it was a pleasure

to witness, like each year, that the students had

absorbed and thoroughly processed the great

amount of information they received on the complex

EU structure. We look forward to welcoming the new

group of Hendrix students in January 2013.

8 9European Foreign & Security Policy

Policy Forums: The Impact of CSDP missions and the Role of EU Special Representatives

On 15 June 2012, Dominik Tolksdorf

organised a Policy Forum on ‘The

Role and Achievements of EU Special

Representativs in EU foreign policy’

which was attended by Philippe Lefort

(EU Special Representative for the South

Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia),

Pieter Feith (International Civilian

Representative in Kosovo and former EU

Special Representative in Kosovo), Marc

Otte (former EU Special Representative

in the Middle East peace process) and

several political advisors of the ten EUSRs that are currently involved in the EU’s conflict resolution

efforts. Issues discussed included the current setting of EUSRs within the EU’s foreign policy system

and the current status of international conflict resolution efforts in Central Asia, Kosovo, the South

Caucasus and Sudan.

On 22 June, the cluster hosted a book presentation for Senior Associate Susan Penksa, for her recently

published book (with Prof. Roy Ginsberg) The European Union in Global Security: The Politics of Impact.

The presentation and discussion focused on ways to assess the impact of the EU’s security policy, and

the way forward for CSDP.

Parliamentary Study on the Sahel

Prof. Dr Amelia

Hadfield, EDU

Di rec tor , and

EFSP postdoctoral

researchers Dr

Luis Simon and

Dr A lexander

M a t t e l a e r

r e c e n t l y

p u b l i s h e d

their report A

Coherent Strategy for the Sahel, undertaken at

the request of the Development Committee of

the European Parliament.

The report examines the main challenges

affecting the region and provides a critical

evaluation of the 2011 EU ‘Strategy for Security

and Development in the Sahel’, offering some

policy recommendations.

Luis, Alexander and Amelia presented the main

findings of the report before the Development

Committee on 18 June 2012, where they engaged

in a lively discussion with MEPs. They have also

been invited to speak about the security situation

in the Sahel before the Foreign Affairs Committee

of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives on 19

July. Last but not least, Alexander presented the

report to a broader audience on the talkshow

‘Trio’ of the Flemish public radio station Klara.

Eva Gross draws lessons from the end of

the EU Police Mission (EUPM) in Bosnia and

Herzegovina

On 14 June, Eva Gross spoke at

a policy forum at the European

Policy Centre (EPC): ‘After the

EU Police Mission in Bosnia and

Herzegovina – Lessons learned for

the CSDP?’ Speakers - including

Stefan Feller, Head of the EUPM mission and

Hansjörg Haber, Director of the EU Civilian

Planning and Conduct Capability in the European

External Action Service (EEAS) – analysed the EU’s

engagement through the EUPM in Bosnia and

Herzegovina, the lessons learned for CSDP, and

the future development of the policy. Earlier in

the month, Eva also presented a paper entitled ‘EU

responses to the Arab spring: assessing the role and

impact of the European External Action Service’ on

1 June at a workshop on ‘Critical Perspectives on

European-MENA relations’ at the School of African

and Oriental Studies (SOAS), London.

Joachim Koops advises UN

J oach im Koops has been

appointed as Advisor to the

Head of the Partnership Unit of

the United Nations Department of

Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO).

From May - June he advised

the Head of the United Nations Liaison Office for

Peace and Security (UNLOPS) on the UN’s inter-

organisational relations with the EU and NATO. In

July - August 2012 he will work at UN HQ in New

York on the same issue.

Dominik Tolksdorf awarded Post-doctoral

Research Fellowship

Dominik Tolksdorf, IES

Senior Assoc iate , has

been selected as a fellow

at the American Institute

for Contemporary German

Studies (AICGS) at Johns

Hopkins Univers i ty in

Washington where he will

conduct research on the project ‘EU-US cooperation

in supporting constitutional reform in Bosnia and

Herzegovina’. Furthermore, Dominik was awarded

a Transatlantic Post-Doctoral Fellowship for

International Relations and Security (TAPIR). Thus,

from November 2012 to October 2014, Dominik

will conduct research on ‘EU-US cooperation in

assisting rule of law reform in Kosovo’ at Johns

Hopkins University, the Institut Français des

Relations Internationales (IFRI), and the EU Institute

for Security Studies (EUISS). A big congratulations

to Dominik!

Sigrid Winkler presents paper and book

project

Sigrid was in Hong Kong for

the conference ‘China, Cross-

Strait Relations and Regional

Security’ on 24-25 May where she

presented a paper on the impact

of improved cross-Strait relations

during the first term of Ma Ying-jeou’s presidency

in Taiwan on Taiwan’s participation in international

organisations.

On 22 June, Sigrid presented her book project on

EU-Taiwan relations in international organisations at

a Taiwan Fellowship Colloquium organised by the

Centre for Chinese Studies in Taipei.

USC Brussels programme - 5th edition

30 June marked the successful completion of the 5th

edition of the University of Southern California Summer

School. 11 students from the University arrived on 26

May to spend five weeks in Brussels - taking a course

on European Foreign and Security Policy at the IES

(convened by Luis Simon). They also carried out an

internship in a Brussels-based organisation dealing

with foreign and security policy issues. We were happy

to have two students, namely Rayven and Jordan, as

interns at the IES.

EU-Russia Relations

On 7 June, Amelia Hadfield took part in an interesting

1-day workshop entitled ‘The EU and the BRICS in

the Wake of the Eurozone Crisis’, which was held

at the Aston Centre for Europe. With contributions

from European and Asian colleagues, and with an

audience that mixed academics with civil society,

the workshop examined the EU’s wide-ranging

relationships with the BRICS, the volatile nature

of some of these relationships (like Russia), and

explored whether the concepts of ‘BRICS’ existed

in practical terms. Invited to speak on the role EU-

Russia trade, investment and energy relations within

the BRIC context, Amelia concluded that whilst core

interdependencies buoyed the relationship, grave

problems about perceptions and insecurities over

energy supplies continued to keep the EU-Russia

relationship challenging.

Commission Personality Disorder?

Between 20-22 June, Amelia took part in the

2012 International BISA-ISA Joint Conference in

Edinburgh. In addition to attending panels on EU

political and economic developments and progress

in blended learning, she joined fellow colleagues

for a panel surveying challenges to European

security. Entitled ‘Entrepreneur, Reformer or

Bully? The European Commission’s Adventures

in Energy Policy’, Amelia’s paper investigated the

seemingly separate ‘personalities’ displayed by the

Commission in developing European energy security,

from discourse entrepreneur to market reformer to

institutional intimidator, by tracing major and minor

policy developments, the responses of the Member

States, and the multi-layered policy nexus that now

typifies European energy security.

The IES is delighted to annouce that

Dr Amelia Hadfield’s bid under the

Jean Monnet Chair project has been

successful. Understanding the EU’s

widening diplomatic engagements is a

challenge for scholars, students, and

the interested public alike. Dr Amelia

Hadfield’s Jean Monnet Chair project Springboard Brussels 2015 focuses on teaching the modes

of EU foreign policy innovatively and excellently to a wide cross-section of students. Springboard

Brussels 2015 ensures first that students positively benefit from high quality teaching on EU

foreign policy and secondly that academics, students and civil society are beneficially influenced

via innovative blended learning format. The impact of its 6 activities will help propel teaching and

learning on EU foreign affairs more effectively into the VUB-IES‚ inter-institutional relations with

other universities and to more genuinely connect with civil society elements via blended learning:

• QUO VADIS EU: A compulsory 60-hour advanced class on EU foreign policy within the VUB-

IES EuroMaster. The module supports 4 webinars, teacher training sessions and an annual

public colloquium.

• EU REDUX Hendrix: A permanent module for US undergrads from Hendrix College providing

a comprehensive overview of EU institutions and decision-making methods, public and

foreign policy.

• EU REDUX VeCo: The centerpiece of an MSc in European Union Studies newly co-instituted by

the IES and Vesalius College, providing advanced grounding in EU institutions and decision-

making methods, public and foreign policy.

• EU Foreign Affairs Podcasts: The 5 IES online modules support Dr Hadfield‚s current blended

learning and will anchor the production of 8 x 15 minute podcasts on breaking EU fp issues.

• IES Online Diplomacy Depository: A practical series of public webpages listing ALL EU foreign

policy modular readings used by Dr Hadfield, and a number of key EU primary documents

and secondary analyses.

• IES Diplomacy in Action Webinar Series: Six 1 hour webinars convened by Dr Hadfield featuring

academics and practitioners from ENP states & Strategic Partners (Russia, US, China)

IES successful in application for Jean Monnet Chair project: ‘Springboard Brussels 2015’

Amelia Padurariu travels to Sarajevo

PhD researcher and IES associate, Amelia

Padurariu, conducted field research in Bosnia

and Herzegovina and, in this context, attended

the EUPM end of mission seminar in Sarajevo

on 8-9 June.

Associates’ News

10 11IES Publications

Boone, Laura. 2012. ‘Book Review. Reducing Air Pollution from

Marine Vessels to Mitigate Arctic Warming: Is it Time to Target

Black Carbon’. Carbon and Climate Law Review, vol.1 pp. 13-20.

Devuyst, Youri. 2012. ‘The European Union’s Competence in

International Trade after the Treaty of Lisbon’. Georgia Journal

of International and Comparative Law.

Devuyst, Youri and Jing Men. 2012. ‘Political Dialogue as an

Instrument of EU Diplomacy: the Case of China’ College of

Europe Studies No 15.

Gouritin, Armelle. July 2012. ‘La question du droit à

l’alimentation.’ in Sentinelle.

Gouritin, Armelle and Bourel, Michel. July 2012. ‘Une réforme

institutionnelle a minima aux modalités de mise en œuvre

imprécises’. in Sentinelle.

Gouritin, Armelle. ‘Droits environnementaux, Convention

d’Aarhus, Droit de l’Union Européenne, accès à la justice’. in

Sentinelle.

Gouritin, Armelle. 2012. ‘Vers une normativité du droit à

l’alimentation devant les Cours régionales des Droits de

l’Homme ? Complémentarité, paradoxes et apports du « droit

à l’environnement ‘, in C. Cournil and C. Colard-Fabregoule

(Eds.) Changements environnementaux globaux et droits de

l’Homme, Bruylant, pp. 391-417.

Gross, Eva. 2012. ‘The end of the EU Police Mission in Bosnia

and Herzegovina : What lessons for the Common Security and

Defence Policy?’ European Policy Centre.

Koops, Joachim. 2012. ‘NATO’s Influence on the evolution

of the EU as a Security Actor’ in Oriol Costa and Knud Erik

Joergensen (eds.) The Influence of International Institutions

on the European Union: When Multilateralism Hits Brussels,

PalgraveMacMillan.

Koops, Joachim, Zuber, Robert and Fiott, Daniel. April 2012.

Operationalising the Responsibility to Protect: A Contribution

to the Third Pillar Approach. Madariaga College of Europe

Foundation, Global Action to Prevent War, the Global

Governance Institute and the International Coalition for the

Responsibility to Protect, Brussels.

Meyer, Trisha. ‘Graduated Response in France: The Clash of

Copyright and Internet.’ in Journal of Information Policy 2

(2012): 107-27.’

Simon, Luis. April 2012. ‘CSDP, Strategy and Crisis Management:

Out of Area or Out of Business’ in The International Spectator.

In May the IES was proud to

launch its new ‘Policy brief’

series. The first edition, ‘EU

2020 Renewab l e Ene rgy

Goals Insufficient’ written by

IES researcher Claire Dupont,

comments on renewable energy

policies to 2020.

It is clear that any action to

combat climate change must

involve extensive efforts in

reducing the greenhouse gas

(GHG) emissions from the

energy sector. In the EU, nearly

80% of total GHG emissions

come from the energy sector

(European Commission, 2011, p. 21). Any credible action within the EU

on combating climate change therefore requires deep shifts in the way

we produce and use our energy. Claire’s paper highlights that renewable

energy policies to 2020 are insufficient to meet the EU’s long-term

climate policy objectives of reducing GHG emissions by between 80

and 95% by 2050. These objectives aim to avoid an increase in global

temperatures of more than 2°C. Such an ambition would likely require

a very high share of renewable energy (in the range of 80 to 100%) in

the overall energy mix of the EU, given current uncertainties about the

feasibility of potential technological developments (e.g. carbon capture

and storage technology).

In June the second Policy Brief

was published: ‘The Role of

EU Special Representatives

in the Post-Lisbon Foreign

Policy System: A Renaissance?’

authored by Dominik Tolksdorf,

Senior Associate Researcher of

the IES.

EU Special Representatives have

been deployed since 1996 in

order to contribute to the EU’s

crisis management efforts

in various crisis regions. As

they are not part of the formal

hierarchy of the European

External Action Service and

thus a rather flexible foreign policy instrument at the disposal of the

Member States, new special representatives have been appointed in 2011

and 2012. This Policy Brief argues that the representatives’ autonomy

must not necessarily lead to ‘clashes of competence’ with the EU’s

diplomatic service.

Academic ArticlesIES Policy Briefs Launched

Environment Sustainable Development

IES successful in Jean Monnet application: IES Autumn Lecture Series

EU Energy Policy: on the Road to

Decarbonisation?

With a positive response for its application to the

Jean Monnet Life-Long Learning programme, the IES

environment and sustainable development cluster

is now busy organising the next Autumn Lecture

Series. The 2012 series focuses on the theme: EU

Energy Policy: On the Road to Decarbonisation?

This is a topic of high relevance in the European

Union today. As highlighted by the European

Commission, decisions made in energy policy

today will largely determine the structure of our

energy system into the future. While there is general

acceptance of the need to move to decarbonisation,

little awareness of the implications of this goal is

evident in wider society. These lectures will fill a

gap in the policy discussions and raise awareness

among an audience drawn from wider society.

The topics of the lectures speak to the current

debates on energy policy in the EU (e.g. on energy

infrastructure, on energy efficiency directive, on

upcoming reviews of the internal energy market,

etc.), and broader EU strategies (such as the EU

2020 strategies) by placing them in the context of

achieving decarbonisation goals. These lectures

can play a crucial role in enhancing understanding,

and stimulating debate, on policy options to 2050.

As a follow-up to the lecture series, 2013 will see

the release of an edited book volume discussing

the main theme in more depth. Those attending the

lectures can look forward to a high-level academic

analysis to accompany the informative discussions

of the lectures.

The lectures will take place from October to

December 2012 on Wednesday evenings from

18:00 to 20:00 at the IES premises. Each lecture

will feature 2-3 high quality speakers with various

viewpoints, and mixed experience (from civil

society, policymaking and academia). Each lecture

will allow for discussion, comments and questions

between the speakers and the audience.

The current schedule for the lectures can be found

on the back of this newsletter.

Please go to www.ies.be for updates and event

registration (available soon).

Policy Forum: ‘The EU and the Arctic: Breaking the Ice’

On 21 May 2012, the IES hosted a policy forum,

organised by the Environment and Sustainable

Development cluster, in cooperation with the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel faculty department

Internationaal en Europees Recht (IERE). The event

focused on the current and future interest and

involvement of the EU within the Arctic. Prof. Dr

Erik Franckx (VUB) was assigned as moderator.

Mr Ramon Van Barneveld, Policy Officer at DG

MARE opened the policy forum by giving a

comprehensive overview of the objectives and

efforts of the EU within the Arctic, both now and

for the future. He highlighted the importance of

current developments and provided some insight

as to what will be expected from the upcoming EU

Arctic Communication.

Ms Anastasiya Kozubovskaya-Pellé, legal project

manager for the Aurora Borealis – European

Icebreaker project, presented us with a thorough

overview of this interesting research project.

The Aurora Borealis icebreaker is conceived as

one of the most advanced research icebreakers

in the world and will act as a multi-disciplinary

all season research platform. Ms Kozubovskaya-

Pellé explained why this research vessel is a true

opportunity for both Europe and the Arctic.

Mr Steffen Weber, Secretary-General of the EU

Arctic Forum, was the third and final speaker of

the event. Mr Weber built upon the presentations

of the previous speakers and further highlighted

the potential of the EU in the Arctic. As Secretary-

General of the EU Arctic Forum he was able to

share his knowledge from both the institutional

and industry perspective.

In the discussion following the presentations, the

audience posed questions on whether climate

change in the Arctic is taken for granted and

therefore accepted to be exploited. The audience

also questioned how, if at all, concessioning will

be handled in the future and how the peoples

from the North will profit from the Aurora Borealis

project.

12 13rights, social justice and Latin American literature.

Evgeny Postn ikov i s a

doctoral candidate in the

Graduate School of Public

and International Affairs at

the University of Pittsburgh.

Evgeny’s research interests

revolve around international

political economy, especially trade policy, and

EU external relations. His dissertation compares

domestic politics behind the inclusion of social

clauses dealing with labor and the environment in EU

and US bilateral trade agreements. Before moving to

the US he was educated in both Russia and Germany.

Evgeny is happy to be back in Europe and get a

first hand perspective on the issues he is studying.

Rayven Vinson is in her

second year at the University

of Southern California (UCS) in

the United States, and comes

from Baltimore, Maryland. At

USC, she’s pursuing a double-

major in International Relations

and Spanish. She’s here in Brussels with the USC

School of International Relations for a 5-week

summer programme. She will be interning at the IES

as well as taking a course in contemporary issues

in European foreign and security policy.

Irene Wieczorek is a PhD

researcher at the VUB under

the supervision of Paul De Hert

and she is part of the Research

Group on Fundamental Rights

and Constitutionalism (FRC).

Her field of analysis is European

substantive criminal law. She studied Italian law at

Trento University (2004-2010), French law at Paris13

(2006-2007), and European law both at Maastricht

University (2008-2009) and at the College of Europe

(2010-2011), where she also studied European

Politics and Policies and European Economics. After

her studies she was an intern for six months at

Eurojust (Sept 2011-March 2012), both within the

legal service and the Italian representation.

the University of Modern Science & Arts in Egypt,

and holds a Master of Business Administration

(MBA) from Edinburgh Business School (UK) and an

MPhil from the Maastricht School of Management

(Netherlands).

Marion Hascoët joins the IES

as a trainee in the Educational

D e v e l o p m e n t U n i t . S h e

graduated in European Project

Engineering from the University

of South Brittany (France) –

University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic)

and Universidad de Vigo (Spain.) Her thesis was

on ‘European Union policy on Corporate Social

Responsibility.’ She also holds a BA in International

Trade. Prior to joining the IES, she was training at

the European Agency for Development in Special

Needs Education

Jordan McKeen is a student

at the University of Southern

California (USC) in the United

States. Originally from Chicago,

Illinois, he’s entering his third

year at USC pursing a major

in International Relations with concentrations in

Foreign Policy analysis and European Studies. He’s

in Brussels for five weeks through a programme

offered by the USC School of International Relations

and he will be an intern at IES for four weeks, as

well as taking a class through IES-VUB covering

Contemporary Issues in European Foreign and

Security Policy.

Ewa Perfikowska recently

completed her traineeship at

the European External Action

Service where she worked on

EU-Latin America relations.

Before coming to Brussels she

studied International Relations of Europe at the

London School of Economics and wrote her MSc

thesis on the impact of China on EU development

policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Ewa also completed a

Master’s degree in Latin American Cultural Studies

at the University of Manchester where she devoted

her MA dissertation to the biofuel industry and its

implications for Latin America. Ewa has joined the

Environment and Sustainable Development cluster at

the IES to continue her research on biofuels and will

work with Harri Kalimo. Her interests include human

Ruxandra Cracea is currently

following the “Communications

Studies: New media and society

in Europe” Master Programme

at the VUB, and will join the IES

for a three month internship,

as part of her course. The

topic of her master thesis concerns the relation of

competition and cooperation between Facebook

and newspapers, a taboo subject among the parties

involved in the process of media consumption. Aside

rom her passion for the communication and social

media field she also enjoys going to film festivals,

traveling, volunteering, improving her French and

hopes to learn Flemish in the near future.

Astrid Edwards started in

April at IES as a ‘jobstudent’

and will be working with and in

the secretariat. She is currently

enrolled as a student at the

VUB in Communication Science,

with an emphasis on globalisation and Information

Society.

Brian Fraile is a visiting

researcher at IES. He is a Juris

Doctorate candidate at the

University of Pittsburgh School

of Law studying International

and Comparative Law with a

specific focus on Trade Law

and Policy. Prior to his legal studies, Brian obtained a

Bachelor’s of Science in Economics and a Bachelor’s

of Arts in Architectural Studies from the University

of Pittsburgh. While at IES, he plans to study the

economic impact of contract law and trade policy

on Eastern European nations. Outside of his studies,

Brian enjoys skiing, travelling, running, and sports.

Karim Hamza is a visiting

researcher at the IES, joining

the Eu ropean Economic

Governance to complete his

PhD in Political Science under

the supervision of Dr Jamal

Shahin. His research focuses

on the impact of network governance and social

media on states’ stability. Karim has a background

in project management and information systems,

both at a professional and an academic level. He

teaches at the American University in Cairo and

New faces @ the IES

Sigrid Winkler: ‘Was getan werden muss, damit Frauen “alles haben können”: Eine Replik

auf Anne-Marie Slaughter im österreichischen Kontext’ in: Der Standard (Wed, 04-07-

2012)

Ilke Adam : ‘Flandre: l’identité au coeur’ in: Migrations Magazine (Sun, 01-07-2012)

Sigrid Winkler: ‘Taiwan’s UN Dilemma: To Be or Not To Be’ in: Brookings (Sat, 30-06-2012)

Eva Gross: ‘Mission EUPM en Bosnie : trois leçons pour la PSDC in: Bruxelles2 (Mon, 18-06-

2012)

Alexander Mattelaer: ‘De Sahel: eyes wide shut?’ on: Klara (Sat, 09-06-2012)

‘Teachers from Targu-Mures at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels’ (Mureseni la Institutul pentru Studii Europene din Bruxelles)

in: Zi de Zi (Wed, 23-05-2012)

‘EU’s Olli Rehn signals end of ‘Merkozy’ austerity drive’ (40 Years PILC) in: The Telegraph, (Sat, 05-05-2012)

‘EU to Show Flexibility on Budget-Deficit Rules, Rehn Says’ (40 Years PILC) in: Bloomberg (Sat 05-05-2012)

Joachim Koops: ‘NATO and Afghanistan: Implications of the 2014 Withdrawal’ on: Radio France Internationale, Thu, (19-04-2012)

Claire Dupont : ‘Leading or muddling through? The EU and Durban’ in: Ideas on Europe: European Council on Foreign Relations (Mon,

2012-04-16)

‘Summer schools in EU studies are becoming more popular with universities and students’ in: European Voice - Special Reports - Courses

for all seasons (Thu, 12-04-2012)

IES in the media

IES Publications

I N T E R N A T I O N A L H I S T O R Y A N D

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

by Andrew Williams, Amelia Hadfield,

J. Simon Rofe

In collaboration with fellow authors Andrew J.

Williams (St Andrews) and J. Simon Rofe (SOAS),

Amelia Hadfield has published a new book entitled

International History and International Relations,

with Routledge (June 2012).

Providing students of international relations with

an in-depth historical analysis of some of the key

‘IR touchtones’, the text stresses the need to

bridge the gap between international history and

international relations, and to grasp the complex

context that underwrites themes of sovereignty,

war, peace, empire, international organisation

and identity.

The book is organised thematically around

these key issues with each chapter providing an

overview of the main historical context, theories

and literature in each area and applies this to the

study of international relations.

Providing a fresh approach, this work will be

essential reading for all students of international

relations and international relations theory.

h t t p : / / w w w . r o u t l e d g e . c o m / b o o k s /

details/9780415481793/

14 1540 Years PILC/LLM Celebration

Master Programmes

Pan-European forum on media pluralism and new media

by Mark Verheyden

The European Par l iament

Hemicycle in Brussels is not only

the beating heart of democracy

at European level, for one day it

was also a place of Civil Society

discussion. The organisers of the Pan-European

Forum on Media Pluralism and New Media succeeded

in creating a debate on new trends in media between

media professionals, politicians, and European

citizens.

The line-up of speakers was impressive. Of all

the top-notch participants that took part in the

event, three left the most memorable impression.

Both the Flemish Minister of Media, Ingrid Lieten,

and the Vice-President of the Commission, Neelie

Kroes, stressed that government regulation of the

media sector should only be used as a last resort

in guaranteeing media pluralism. The government

should however take an active role when it comes

to monitoring the media landscape. Media pluralism

also emerged as a key theme in the speech of

Hugh Grant. According to him, avoiding media

concentration is key in guaranteeing an informed

citizenship. Therefore, it should not come as a

surprise that a heated discussion broke out between

Mr. Grant and a board member of the Italian

company ‘Mediaset’. It was striking that media

industry representatives in general believed that a

certain degree of concentration actually safeguards

media pluralism.

Another point of discussion during the debate

was related to the question of whether New Media

are able to contribute to the empowerment of the

citizenry. The EU itself is said to be dealing with a

democratic deficit. Proof of an empowered citizenry

could therefore contribute to the legitimacy of

European politics with regard to media. Neelie

Kroes argued that Members of the European

Parliament (MEPs) will soon be legislating in the

field of the Internet. Whether this prediction

will become reality can be met with scepticism.

MEPs are only able to legislate when the ordinary

legislative procedure (called co-decision pre-Lisbon)

is applied. This is not yet the case in the field of

media and it seems unlikely that it ever will, due

to the subsidiarity principle. Furthermore (and I

quote from the European Parliament website), “the

EP has emphasized that the EU should stimulate

the growth and competitiveness of the audiovisual

sector whilst at the same time recognizing its wider

significance in safeguarding cultural diversity.”

(Nogueira, 2011, p. 4) This underlines that media

products still occupy a somewhat peculiar position

in the European Single Market.

IES student wins Franz Stein Memorial Award Competition

Congratulations to Viktoriya Petrikova, former IES-VUB student, who

has won the Franz Stein Memorial Award Competition for her article

“The New Common Commercial Policy: Who has the power to conclude

investment protection treaties post-Lisbon? – The EU and/or its member

states”, which formed part of her LLM thesis. The Franz Stein Memorial

Award Competition was sponsored in 2011 by Law Publishers Europe.

During the Conference, two key elements were

identified as future potential threats to the European

Media Industry. First, consensus emerged among

the panelists that nation states have to be cautious

not to be lured into the temptation of wanting to

control the media. This threat seems to become

reality in Hungary, where policy makers adapted

legislation that is in violation with Art. 7 of the

Charter of Fundamental Rights. Possibly even more

worrisome is a state controlled by the Media, as is

to a large extent the case in Italy where the tentacles

of the Berlusconi media empire reach (if not control)

the upper layers of the political system. A second

threat that should be countered is the dominance

of (mostly US) companies in the Internet sphere.

European industry has been able to secure a strong

position in a fair amount of media domains, but

seems to be losing the Internet race against mega-

corporations like Facebook and Google.

To conclude, the Pan-European forum on media

pluralism and new media can be called a success.

The debate is possibly only the start of a broader

movement towards closer cooperation across

borders in the field of media and communication

technology. The forum also proved that Civil Society

can be mobilized where vital societal interests

are concerned. The future of European media

industries is closely intertwined with the survival of

the European project as a whole. Both seem to be

clearly building on a key strength of Europeans, to

be ‘United in Diversity’.

This trimester IES-VUB EuroMaster student and

VUB PhD student, Mark Verheyden, writes on his

experience of the Pan-European forum on media

pluralism and new media.

This year marks 40 years of excellence of PILC (Programme on International Legal

Cooperation, now the LLM International & European Law). With over 1200 alumni, we

definitely have a reason to commemorate this special year.

To celebrate PILC’s 40th anniversary in style, IES organised a Gala Dinner and party at the

impressive Château Sainte-Anne in Brussels on Saturday 5 May 2012.

Our guest speaker, Olli Rehn, the Vice-President of the European Commission, gave a timely

and important speech that has been widely covered in the international press.

The event was a great success with over 130 alumni and members of staff present.

Congratulations to all staff involved in making this a big success! For a photo gallery of the

event go to www.ies.be/pilc40

16Contributions to this Newsletter:

I l k e Adam - C l a i r e Dupon t - L i sanne

Groen - Eva Gross - Amelia Hadfield - Harri

Ka l imo - Joach im Koops - R ichard Lewis -

Alexander Mattelaer -Trisha Meyer - Alexandra Mihai

- Dominik Tolksdorf - Marie Tuley - Mark Verheyden -

Sigrid Winkler

Edited by:

Marie Tuley

Pictures courtesy of IES

Newsletter of theInstitute for European Studies

Published by

Anthony Antoine

Institute for European StudiesVrije Universiteit Brussel

Pleinlaan 2 (IES)B-1050 Brussels (Belgium)

www.ies.beies@vub.ac.be

Events Calendar

Date Event

Fri 28/09 10 Years IES

Official opening of the Academic Year - LLM & EuroMaster

Wed 03/10 Autumn Lecture Series: Introduction to the EU’s energy acquis

Wec 10/10 Autumn Lecture Series: Introduction to the EU’s climate acquis: policy gaps?

Wed 17/10Autumn Lecture Series: Decarbonisation by 2050: roadmaps and scenarios

compared

Wed 24/10 Autumn Lecture Series: Decarbonising the power sector: opportunities and

challenges

Wed 31/10 Autumn Lecture Series: EU gas pipelines and electricity grids in 2050

Wed 07/11 Autumn Lecture Series: Decarbonising transport and industry

Wed 14/11 Autumn Lecture Series: The role of energy efficiency improvements to

decarbonisation

Wed 21/11 Autumn Lecture Series: Evolving external energy interdependencies: past

partners

Wed 28/11 Autumn Lecture Series: Evolving external energy interdependencies: new and

emerging partners

Wed 05/12 Autumn Lecture Series: EU decarbonisation in 2050: views from abroad

12:00P o l i c y F o r u m

Policy Forum and book launch ‘Economic Efficiency: The Sole Concern of Modern Antitrust Policy?’ with Dr. Ioannis Lianos, University College London, and Dr. Ben Van Rompuy, IES Asso-ciate Researcher

Location: IES conference room

15:00E x p o R e c e p t i o n

17:00I n a u g u r a l L e c t u r e

Mr. Allan Rosas, Judge at the European Court of Justice will deliver a guest lecture on ‘The EU Constitutional Order: some particularities’. Opening of LLM & EuroMaster academic year.

Location: VUB room D.002 (building D)

An afternoon reception and desert buffet to celebrate our 10th anniversary.Speaker: VUB Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Jan Cornelis.

Location: IES Event Space

1010 Years IESFriday 28 September 2012