NEWSLETTER
November 2016

What will be the consequences of Trump’s triumph for the transatlantic security relationship and the geopolitical role of Europe? How will it affect the global struggle against climate change? Will there be a major shift in worldwide trade? The Institute for European Studies’ senior experts will provide guidance during an interactive, multidisciplinary debate on 23 November 2016 at lunchtime. Click here to be added to the list of invitees!

Sebastian Oberthür advises UK House of Commons on post-Brexit climate and energy policy

IES professor Sebastian Oberthür was part of a group of 4 researchers who provided written evidence to the UK House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee on the future of UK climate and energy policy. Among their main findings was that the UK has indeed played a strong role in the development of EU climate policy, without which the EU’s role to help broker global deals like the Paris Agreement would have been weaker.

Lisanne Groen successfully defends her PhD thesis

We are pretty sure that IES’ Lisanne Groen will always have fond memories of Thursday 13 October 2016, the day on which she successfully defended her PhD thesis on the impact the EU has had in multilateral climate and biodiversity negotiations. In front of a jury of 6 people, and promoter Prof. Sebastian Oberthür, Lisanne elaborated on the subject, methodology and main findings of her research, as well as on some lessons to be learned for policy-makers and a number of ways to further deepen and refine her research results in the future.

IES students meet King Filip of Belgium

On Wednesday 19 October 2016, a delegation of our LLM and EuroMaster students got the opportunity to share their ideas on the future of Europe with H.M. King Filip of Belgium. They were part of a group of VUB students who were invited to attend the Journées de Bruxelles. The event was held at Bozar, Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.

Upcoming events

Tracking NATO's revival: From Warsaw to Brussels
Full-day roundtable event

The Warsaw Summit in July 2016 confirmed NATO’s rebirth as an alliance focused on deterrence and defence against all emerging challenges to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. Key decisions were taken with respect to the ongoing adaptation of the alliance’s military posture and its preparedness to deal with terrorism and hybrid warfare. On 22 November 2016 the IES, in cooperation with the Baltic Defence College and NATO, organises a public roundtable to assess the outcomes of the Warsaw Summit and pave the way forward to the Brussels Summit in the spring of 2017. If your focus is on international defence and security, this is an event you cannot afford to miss!

A Science Diplomacy approach for Belgium?!
Morning seminar with networking lunch

On Thursday 1 December, the seminar on “A Science Diplomacy approach for Belgium?!” will bring together experts and practitioners with an interest in science, innovation, international cooperation and diplomacy with a view to discussing existing practices and approaches around the world, and to reflecting on a science diplomacy strategy for Belgium. IES’ Luc Van Langenhove will present the Horizon 2020 Project on “European Leadership in Cultural, Science and Innovation Diplomacy” (EL-CSID).

Managing Societal Security in the European Union
Full-day conference

This conference on 2 December brings together academics and policy makers working in various fields of Societal Security. It will address some of the most critical policy issues in today’s EU policies. Specifically, participants will discuss policy-relevant research and its implementation at the European Union level regarding: 1) Privacy and data protection; 2) Health, epidemics and environment; 3) Terrorism and counter radicalization; and 4) The EU’s role in reinforcing cultural diplomacy for sustaining peace and security.

European Identity and the EU Civil Service
Lunchtime Policy Forum

In his 2016 SOTEU address, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spoke of an ‘existential crisis’ in Europe in which ‘many [Europeans] seem to have forgotten what being European means.’ This Policy Forum on 7 December, bringing together panelists from academia and EU institutions, proceeds from a recognition of the need for scholarly approaches that seek to examine the question of European identity in its multiple dimensions, both theoretical and empirical and within institutional and socio-spatial fields alike. What forms does European identity take as a mode of self-recognition in the 21st century and to what extent can we speak of a European society?

The EU Enlargement and Gay Politics in Central and Eastern Europe
Evening Policy Forum (18:00 - 20:00)

LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) rights have acquired symbolic value in EU politics and discourse, both in its internal and foreign policies. Yet such symbolic politics stand in sharp contrast with the limited actual EU powers and legislation in the field. The aim of the book, which will be presented and discussed at this Policy Forum on 14 December, is to answer the question of what the impact of EU enlargement has been on gay politics in Central and Eastern Europe.