European Union. A Political Journey

College will host a major seminar serie entitled European Union: A Political Journey between November 3rd  and November 17th.  The series has been organised by College undergraduate L Ferrero (Political Science, Yr 2) and Volta representative for Acersat, the office of the University of Pavia that acts in support of a number of student's cultural and events.

The 'political journey' of the European Union has met remarkable challenges in the last 10-12 years. The social consequences of 2008 Financial Crisis hit the people of Europe in a major way and it was widely perceived that the financial tools and procedures available produced a slow and inadequate response to the social damage created by the crisis. But this was just the first of the last wave of challenges that the European Union had to face. The migrant crisis resulting from both the lasting conflicts in the Middle East and the social and political instability of large areas of the African continent has been met with indifference and limited responses at central European level leaving countries such as Italy and Greece at the mercy of events and unable - in many instances - to prevent huge human tragedies and loss of life.  Connected with the migrant crisis Europe has witnessed a remarkable surge of nationalism in many countries leading, in the case of the United Kingodom to a referendum that decided to take the country out of the European Union.  Finally, the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated once more sharp divisions among member states although, in this instance, the institutions of the European Union have been able to agree a set of financial measures that may considerably assist the strain caused by the Covid emergency on the like of millions and millions of European citizens.

The seminar series European Union: A Political Journey basically asks the question as to whether the European Union has the ability to withstand these challenges and set a clear roadmap for the Union in years to come.  Speakers at the series will include Emma Bonino, one of the strongest advocates of the European project and herself a European Commissioner between 1994 and 1999 as well as four major scholars in the field of European Studies: Sophie Heine (Oxford University), Cetta Mainwaring (Glasgow University), Jerome Creel (Ecole Superieure du Commerce in Paris) and Simon Usherwood (Surrey University).  All College students are warmly invited to attend the events of this seminar series.

Seminars will be held online due to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic at 11.00 am on November 3rd, 10th, 12th adn 17th. The poster of the series can be downloaded here.

The links for connecting to the seminars via zoom are below.  Further information about the seminar series can be found on the relevant seminar pages accessible from the Seminars/Colloquia page of the College website. The webcasts of each seminar will be uploaded on the seminar pages for students unable to attend the seminars live on the above dates.

E Bonino and S Heine, 3rd November at 11.00 am
European Union is our destiny. Populism is the worst enemy this vision (1)  &
European federalism at a cross road: Why we need to rethink federalism around the idea of sovereignty (2)
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqce6hrDwiHtQF720qSvVyQLQPYIWE6WqJ

C Mainwaring, 10th November at 11.00 am
Constructing “Europe”: Reflections from the Mediterranean
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUofumpqzwpH9FgQKEr_VOZxA5uuMwLYEcA

J Creel, November 12th at 11.00 am
Convergence in the euro area and the consequences of Covid-19 crisis
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIocO-qpzIvHdTpHvGrPen-B1Mkos-DBafS

S Usherwood, 17th November at 11.00 am
Where next for EU-UK relations ?
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcu6hrjkpGNN84UBRtQHFBrnuB98-Ioq1

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