News


April 09, 2021

  

Proceedings of Spring School “EU External Energy Policy” online now

 

From March 15 to 17, the COST Action ENTER Spring School on “EU External Energy Policy – Hydrogen Governance in the EU” of Working Group 2 took place. The Spring School was organized by Jan Osička (Masaryk University) and Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt).
Highlights of the program were:
•    State of the art of the EU external energy policy and the emerging role of hydrogen
•    European hydrogen strategy and its role in EU’s energy transition
The keynote presentations were given by:
•    Andris Piebalgs, former EU Energy Commissioner
•    Katja Biedenkopf, University Leuven
•    Roland Roesch, IRENA Technology and Innovation Center
We are pleased to announce that all presentations as well as the subsequent discussions can now be accessed online. All presentations including the presentations from the two panels can be found here.


February 11, 2021

  

Upcoming Spring School: EU External Energy Policy – Hydrogen Governance in the EU

 

Our next Spring School is upcoming! The Spring School will address “EU External Energy Policy – Hydrogen Governance in the EU. Between internal business cycles and international value-added chains”.
The Spring School is organized by Jan Osička (Masaryk University) and Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt). Program highlights are:
•    State of the art of the EU external energy policy and the emerging role of hydrogen
•    European hydrogen strategy and its role in EU’s energy transition
Please find detailed information on the Spring School and on participation opportunities here.


August 14, 2020

 

Great News!

 

The European Commission has decided to fund the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “EU Expertise at School” (@school).


July 02, 2020

  

The Emerging Harder Soft Governance of the EU Renewable Energy Expansion

 

Deploying renewable energy technologies is a key way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the EU’s own Environment Agency warned in late 2019 that current policy efforts are insufficient to reach the 2030 renewable energy targets.
In a new open access paper, COST Action ENTER member Jonas Schoenefeld and COST Action ENTER chair Michèle Knodt show that the EU’s 2020 Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC) requires that the Member States must collectively achieve 20% of their energy consumption from renewables by 2020 and sets binding, country-level targets. By contrast, the new 2030 Renewables Directive (2018/2001) no longer allocates targets to individual countries. How can the EU reach its renewable energy target without individual Member State targets?
The EU has turned to “harder soft governance” (HSG) in order to address this problem. Late in the negotiations of the new Energy Union, a formula appeared in the annex (II) of the new regulation (2018/1999), which allows the Commission to calculate indicative Member State renewable energy targets. Member States must also periodically submit National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) to the Commission under the new Energy Union, detailing how they will proceed in the areas of energy and climate change policy. In addition, the high-level State of the Energy Union reports contain a growing amount of information on renewable energy, another source of public pressure on the Member States.
The emerging HSG reflects EU ambitions to lead the global renewable expansion, but also the ambivalence among the Member States about the precise direction of travel. These new governance tools matter: both the EU’s international credibility, and the future sustainability of natural systems depend on the continued growth of renewable energy in Europe.


Schoenefeld, Jonas J.; Knodt, Michèle (2020): Softening the surface but hardening the core? Governing renewable energy in the EU, in: West European Politics
 


June 03, 2020

  

Open access available for scientific article “What’s next for the European coal heartland?”

 

COST Action ENTER is proud to announce that the article “What’s next for the European coal heartland? Exploring the future of coal as presented in German, Polish and Czech press” published in Energy Research & Social Science by our action members Jan Osička, Jörg Kemmerzell, Maksymilian Zoll, Lukáš Lehotský, Filip Černoch and Michèle Knodt is accessible open access now.


June 02, 2020

  

Open access available for scientific article “Perceptions of EU mediation and mediation effectiveness”

 

COST Action ENTER is proud to announce that the article “Perceptions of EU mediation and mediation effectiveness: Comparing perspectives from Ukraine and the EU” published in Cooperation and Conflict by our action members Natalia Chaban, Ole Elgström and Michèle Knodt is accessible open access now.


April 08, 2020

  

Action Chair Michèle Knodt on Hessischer Rundfunk about the European lessons from the Corona crisis

 

Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt was interviewed on European lessons of crisis management. Click here for the interview: politikwissenschaft.tu-darmstadt.de



November 28, 2019

 

ECSA Germany Conference:

 

Regional- and Cohesion policy of the EU

 

ECSA Germany (Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt) together with the Schader-Stiftung carried out a conference on the regional- and cohesion policy of the EU. Different disciplines form political sciences and economics up to law discussed recent developments within the European Structural Investment Funds towards the use of a conditionality instrument.


November 11, 2019

  

Workshop: New Opportunities for the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership

 

On November 8, 2019 the Jean Monnet Network on EU-Canada Relations is excited to be hosting to a one-day policy workshop, New Opportunities for the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership, at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany, our Jean Monnet Network partner (Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt). Bringing together Canadian and European researchers, this research workshop will focus on EU-Canada cooperation on multiple foreign policy fronts under the framework of the EU-Canada Strategic Partnership, including defence, the Arctic, and other common challenges.

 

This event is an activity of the Jean Monnet Network on EU-Canada Relations, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, by Carleton University, and by partner Institutions. Find workshop agenda and further information.


October 08, 2019

  

COST Action ENTER members participate at prestigious annual UACES conference

 

Members of the Jean Monnet Network “Crisis, Conflict and Critical Diplomacy: EU perceptions in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine” (C3EU) (2015-2018, https://jeanmonnet.nz/c3eu/) presented final results of their research at the prestigious annual UACES conference in Lisbon, Portugal (1-4 September 2019).  Papers by C3EU partners Patrick Müller, Alister Miskimmon, Ben O’Loughlin, Natalia Chaban, Michèle Knodt and Šarūnas Liekis — all current members of the COST Action ENTER that studies EU foreign policy — were a part of the UACES 2019 Panel “Understanding EU crisis diplomacy in the European Neighbourhood: Strategic Narratives and Perceptions of the EU in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine”. The Panel showcased Special Issue with a high-impact European Security journal.  Special Issue “Perceptions and Narratives of EU Crisis Diplomacy” with European Security (Volume 28, Issue 2, 2019, co-edited by Natalia Chaban, Alister Miskimmon and Ben O’Loughlin) is now published first online.

 

From left to right, Prof Ben O’Loughlin, Prof Alister Miskimmon, Prof Patrick Müller and Prof Natalia Chaban

 


March 28, 2019

  

„Neues Narrativ“/ “New Narrative”

 

Action Chair Michèle Knodt in an interview at the Frankfurter Rundschau media house.
National isolation, ongoing disputes about how to deal with refugees, rising populism: the EU is not in a good state. “How to change Europe?” was therefore the central question at the discussion of the Frankfurter Rundschau and the Karl Gerold Foundation on Wednesday evening in Frankfurt’s Haus am Dom, which was moderated by FR editor Andreas Schwarzkopf. The answer was as simple as it was complicated: The EU needs “a new narrative”.

 

Read the article here


December 20, 2018

  

COST Action Kick-off meeting, Brussels October 2018

 

 

Two scientific workshops and the first COST ENTER Springschool in Darmstadt, Germany, were off to a strong start in March 2019. The events were co-hosted with the Second Management Committee Meeting of COST Action ENTER (CA17119).

 

>>read more

 

WG2 Workshop: EU’s Climate and Energy Policy

The Union’s role in developing international climate regimes and organizing international energy markets have, together with ambitious climate and energy policies followed by several European countries, elevated the importance of both climate and energy policies within many of the EU’s policy arenas. The workshop provided both substantive and ideational account for the Union’s engagement in climate and energy politics. It opened with an overview of the contemporary energy and climate policy landscape in the EU, focusing on the main political trends which come along the increasingly closer entanglement of the two. Within the ideational reflection of these trends, the workshop focused on the self-perception of the key climate and energy actors both at the European and the national level, as well as the reflection of the Union’s position in the international climate and energy regimes by third parties such as non-European countries and international institutions. Finally, the workshop nuanced these reflections by engaging policy practitioners. Throughout the workshop, questions such as “What is the current state of the EU’s climate and energy policy?”, “What ideas are attached to it?”, “How do these ideas resonate among the member states and outside the EU?”, “Are there any competing narratives in the perception of the EU as a climate actor?” were raised and discussed. 

WG4 Workshop: Communicating EU Foreign Policy

 

Twelve researchers from all across Europe convened to discuss EU foreign policy with a focus on the communicative and discursive dimension of Europe an policy-making and diplomacy. Several participants discussed regional challenges to EU foreign policy with regard to their discursive dimension: be it the EU’s contested reputation in Macedonia and the Kosovo (Mare Ushkovska), or the EU’s strategic standing in the Middle East region (Nuri Korkmaz). Two participants zoomed in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Taylon Ozgur Kaya focusing on the ways in which the EU exerts discursive power in the Israeli-Pal

estinian conflict, and Bill Kappis exploring a very special relationship – the new and unexpected diplomatic alliances between Greece and Israel. Furthermore, Asligul Sarikamis highlighted the EU’s Sahel strategy and documented how European policy frames towards Africa have been redefined with regard to the security-development nexus. Franziska Müller explored how EU-Africa relations reflect the EU’s new role as  a “normative power”, and how this role becomes contested throughout the Post-Lomé process and the negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements. Norm promotion stood also at the centre of Dale Mineshima-Lowe’s contribution, which examined how the EU’s normative power is challenged by its current internal strife.

Other scholars zoomed in on European diplomacy. Heidi Maurer investigated the specific diplomatic qualities only a supra-national structure such as the European ones can create and concluded that the EU has created a unique diplomacy system, whose qualities are still underestimated. Martin Chovancik concentrated on the signaling aspect of EU restrictive measures and assessed the signaling aspect of sanctions regimes. Sanctions also were the subject of Emma Scott’s work, whose comparative analysis investigated how different EU member states refer to the nuclear deal with Iran. Catarina Thomson provided an ‘inside view’ by presenting the first-ever UK Security Survey, which captures security preferences of UK security elites, thereby demonstrating the growing breach that exists between British political elites and mass audiences since the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. Aziz Elmuradov brought in a complementary perspective, by presenting a historiographic analysis of Russian geopolitical standpoints and foreign policy attitudes towards Europe, in light of pre-existing views on the Self and the Other. In a final wrap-up session the Working Group members developed an agenda for their future research, and concentrated on a number of conference panels. Future themes might focus on EU-Middle East relations, securitization and the security/development nexus, and also on threats to the liberal order.

 

WG1 Spring School: (Re-)Conceptualizing or (Re-)Theorizing how the EU faces New Realities

 

 

During the four days, 25 young researchers from 13 different countries were taught by 10 internationally renowned scholars about cutting-edge ways to conceptualize or theorize contemporary EU foreign policy as well as the new realities the EU is facing. The contestation of the liberal world order, the international turbulence and the increasingly conflict prone neighbourhood of the EU were analysed including their linkages to EU-domestic conflicts, marked by austerity, Brexit, nationalism, protectionism and populism. The main outcome of the school was that it seems necessary to broaden our perspectives and to reconsider traditional theories that appear outdated due to their limited ability to develop a far-reaching comprehension of dis-jointed realities. Scholars thus face the significant challenge it is to re-conceptualize and re-theorize the EUs foreign relations in a changing world. Within this context, the students had the chance to engage with 10 lecturers who elaborated on these issues. The training school came to a conclusion with a round table in which all lecturers participated and the importance of a multi-layered, multi-cultural and interdisciplinary approach was highlighted, an approach that enables us to understand the complexity of the EU facing new realities of the world.


October 5, 2018

  

COST Action Kick-off meeting, Brussels October 2018

 

by Katharina Kleinschnitger

 

 

COST-Action "EU Foreign Policy Facing new Realities: Perceptions, Contestation, Communication and Relations" (ENTER) lead bei Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt and Prof. Dr. Patrick Müller started with a kick-off meeting in Brussels at the COST headquarter.

>>read more


September 5, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Communicating the Near Eastern Neighbourhood: Media Frames and Images of External EU Relations

 

by Katharina Kleinschnitger

 

The European Union (EU) aims to develop “special relations” with the eastern and southern neighbourhood of the enlarged EU. What exactly these privileged and special relations entail is still not clear, and the tailored Action Plans do little to clarify this point. Almost fourteen years after launching the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), it is time to take stock of the relations between the EU and its target countries. “One size fits all” is old news. Focusing on the eastern dimension of the ENP, this paper examines Germany’s internal media perception of individual EU relations with the “near” neighbours of the Eastern Partnership (EaP). 

>>read more


August 25, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Flaws in the EU 2030 Energy Policies: Stakeholder perception of the Clean Energy Package

 

by Michèle Knodt and Marc Ringel

 

With the interinstitutional agreement of June 2018 on key directives of the EU Winter Package, the outline of the 2030 framework of EU climate and energy policies is clearly set. This contribution presents an overview on the outcomes of the negotiations in the fields of governance, energy efficiency and renewable energies. We review the supporting negotiation documents and present a screening of stakeholder reactions to the new 2030 framework.

>>read more


August 16, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Images of a Divorce. External Perceptions of Brexit in the USA and their Influence on Transatlantic Relations

 

by Johanna Speyer and Arne Niemann

 

The European Union (EU) takes pride in having promoted integration, peace and democracy among its member states. This European success story, as perceived by third states interacting with the EU, has a huge bearing on the Union’s soft power and thus on the effectiveness of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The British decision to leave the EU however tarnishes this image and might stir fears and resistance, but also hopes. Nevertheless, thus far, neither the scholarly nor the public debate has paid sufficient attention to third countries’ reactions to the Brexit.

>>read more


CEDI's third Annual Conference  (Foto: U. Müller)
CEDI's third Annual Conference (Foto: U. Müller)

July 9, 2018

 

CEDI's Third Annual Conference

 

CEDI's third Annual Conference “Cities in Global Dialogue - Megacities as Partners for Development" took place from June 8 to 11 2018 at TU Darmstadt. The conference addressed the role of megacities in development cooperation. Five experts with a background in urban studies and international affairs discussed the potentials of megacities in creating solutions for global challenges.

The conference concept combined seminar elements with international knowledge sharing on megacities and aimed to foster exchange between different disciplines as well as between scientists, practitioners and students.

>>read more


Guest lecturer Prof. Natalia Chaban at the CEDI Annual Lecture 2018 (Foto: Anna Stöckel)
Guest lecturer Prof. Natalia Chaban at the CEDI Annual Lecture 2018 (Foto: Anna Stöckel)

July 6, 2018

 

CEDI Annual Lecture 2018 and Award Ceremony at TU Darmstadt

 

On June 26, 2018, CEDIs third Annual Lecture took place at TU Darmstadt. Guest speaker Prof. Natalia Chaban (University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) gave a talk on "Communicating the EU as a Global Normative Energy Actor: Perceptions and Narratives"

Chaban presented her analysis of the perception of the EU as a normative energy actor  by the EU's in BRICS-Countries.

>> read more

The winners of the CEDI Awards 2018 (Foto: Anna Stöckel)
The winners of the CEDI Awards 2018 (Foto: Anna Stöckel)

After the lecture, CEDI Director Michèle Knodt and CEDI Co-Director Arne Niemann presented the Awards for EU in Global Dialogue 2018. CEDI awarded two prizes to outstanding theses in political science on the topic of EU in Global Dialogue. A jury selected the BA thesis of Julia Blöser (JGU Mainz) on EU asylum policy and the doctoral thesis of Simon Bauer (TU Darmstadt) on political attitudes and electoral behaviour during the Euro Crisis.

>> read more


Panelists at CEDI's third European Lounge Talk 2018 (Foto: Anne Hofmeister)
Panelists at CEDI's third European Lounge Talk 2018 (Foto: Anne Hofmeister)

June 23, 2018

 

CEDI's Third European Lounge Talk on Knowlegde Sharing in Latin America

 

CEDI's third European Lounge talk took place on June 18, 2018 at the Schader-Forum in Darmstadt. CEDI invited a keynote speaker and 4 experts to discuss experiences with knowledge sharing and lessons for German and European foreign and development policy.

Dr. Rogelio Madrueño-Aguilar, Research Associate at Georg-August Universität Göttingen gave a keynote speach to introduce the topic. He discussed the challenges of Knowledge Sharing and emphasized the need for a broader concept of cooperation with regard to global public goods and global governance to foster inclusive institutional dialogue and  improve intercultural dialogue.

>>read more


June 6, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Perceptions of the EU’s Global Energy Governance and Energy Diplomacy in the light of the Paris agreement

 

by Michèle Knodt and Natalia Chaban

 

Paris has written history. The initiation of an internationally binding climate agreement serves as a wake-up call for a rapid transformation of the world's energy system (UNFCCC 2015). The implementation exposes Europe and especially Emerging Powers to a challenge, which requires a globally coordinated solution. While climate and energy policy had been treated separately in the past, Paris irretrievable interlinked these topics. New forms of political cooperation at the climate & energy nexus between the EU and Emerging Powers such as Brazil, India, China or South Africa (BICS) are required. Yet, reality tells a different story: the EU's energy and climate policy until now were carried out separately, the EU's geographical focus in energy policy remains on adjacent countries in the European neighbourhood and on issues related to energy security.

>>read more


COST Group Picture
COST Group Picture

June 1, 2018

 

COST-Action approved: 

 

"EU Foreign Policy Facing new Realities: Perceptions, Contestation, Communication and Relations" (ENTER)

 

Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt got the COST-Action "EU Foreign Policy Facing new Realities: Perceptions, Contestation, Communication and Relations" (ENTER) approved. EU foreign policy experiences unprecedented turbulences that put key achievements of the European integration project at risk. Externally, the EU’s global environment is characterized by the reconfiguration of power, growing divisions, and the contestation of established liberal order. Simultaneously, the EU’s neighbourhood is increasingly conflict-prone and unstable, triggering migration flows and the proliferation of illiberal values.

Domestically, the EU faces severe internal conflicts, marked by austerity, Brexit, growing nationalism, populism and new protectionism. The Action ENTER aims to improve our understanding of central properties of EU foreign policy in light of these new realities, focusing on perceptions, communication, contestation. In today’s world, the success of EU foreign policy depends on the EU’s ability to instantaneously respond to stimuli and pressures originating from both the international and the intra-EU levels.

Linking internal and external policy dynamics, the Action has a strong potential for breakthrough scientific developments. A central objective of the action is to derive theoretically informed, policy-relevant advice for the EU’s strategic approach to its international relations, its communication, and for dealing with the interaction between internal and external challenges.

 

It will generate a step change in how the new realities of EU foreign policy are theorized and addressed. This will be achieved by establishing multi-national, multidisciplinary collaborations at the nexus of policy fields and research communities that have not sufficiently communicated in the past. Substantive efforts to bridge between the academic-practitioner divide are made, to synthesize knowledge, facilitate shared understandings, and inform EU foreign policy.

>>read more


Expert talk on BREXIT at Darmstadt school with M. Knodt (Foto: Stefanie Gläser)
Expert talk on BREXIT at Darmstadt school with M. Knodt (Foto: Stefanie Gläser)

May 25, 2018

 

Schools meet EU studies - expert talk

 

Around 120 students of the Lichtenbergschule Darmstadt were attending an expert talk with Prof. Michèle Knodt in the context of the Europe Week. The members of the advanced course on politics and economy asked about Britain in the EU and the implications of the BREXIT for the European Union. The talk followed the English theatre piece "BREXIT - A love story" about a binational couple in times of BREXIT.

>> read more


May 18, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

The UEFA Champions League as Political Myth: Unifying Europe or Alienating the Regular Football Fan?

 

by Alexander Brand and Arne Niemann

 

The UEFA Champions League (CL) has arguably evoked much attention, fascination as well as criticism over the years. While it quickly developed into a commercial success story and a brand name which seemed to draw financially well-endowed sponsors all too easily, it has also increasingly been criticised for its changes in format, its focus on nurturing elite clubs at the expense of grassroots football as well as already having reached some point of saturation and over-exposition towards likely spectators, fans and consumers.

Beneath this discussion of the likely sporting and commercial dynamics around the UEFA Champions League, there has always been some interest in this continent-wide competition as an engine, which supposedly makes Europe hang together more closely. In this regard, the very idea that millions of Europeans watch games – not only of their beloved clubs, not only of their respective national sides, as research and data suggest – has fascinated and inspired political and scholarly comment. Elaborating on narratives establishing, and counter-narratives undermining such positive perceptions of the CL, we aim at uncovering the potential of top-level club football competition to function as a political myth.

>>read more


April 16, 2018

 

Jean Monnet Award for EU in Global Dialogue 2018 - Applications open now

 

CEDI awards outstanding Bachelor, Master and Doctoral theses on the topics of CEDI.

To apply, please send an abstract, your contact information and a documentation of the grade to:

info@eu-global-dialogue.eu, Deadline: 31 May 2018

>> read more


(Foto: M. Gahler)
(Foto: M. Gahler)

March 12, 2018

 

CEDI Director Michèle Knodt spoke at "Pulse of Europe" event in Darmstadt

 

Around 60 participants were discussing democracy and participation at the "Café Europe" of Pulse of Europe Darmstadt. It was the beginning of the new series of events “Auf dem Weg nach NEUROPA” [On the way to a new Europe]. After an introduction by Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt, Terenzio Facchinetti and Mike Sürder moderated a panel discussion with Michael Gahler (EVP), Member of European Parliament, Philip Krämer (Die GRÜNEN), Member of the local parliament, Andre Pfeifer, student of history and philosophy at TU Darmstadt as well as Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt. After the discussion, the participants of the Café were elaborating ideas for better participation and more transparency in Europe.


CEDI's Junior Campus EU+ 2018 (Foto: Friedrich Plank)
CEDI's Junior Campus EU+ 2018 (Foto: Friedrich Plank)

March 12, 2018

Junior Campus EU+ 2018

Junior Campus EU+” 2018, held from 7-8 February 2018 in Kaub, invited 43 pupils from the Elisabeth Langgässer-Highschool who slipped into the role of European Council members of the 28 European Union member states and the accession candidate SerbiaThe two day simulation with preliminary meetings at the schools was moderated and guided by academic staff from CEDI and further assisted by secondary school teachers. 

>> read more 


February 18, 2018

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

EU and Ukraine in the Eyes of Russia: Media Perceptions of Russian Relations with the EU and Ukraine

by Asalkhon Shukurova

 

Almost three years after the Euromaidan protests in 2013-2014, the circumstances in East Ukraine seem to be burdened by a frozen conflict. Russia is still holding on to the story that the annexation of Crimea was a “free referendum” of Ukrainian people expressing their desire to belong territorially to Russia. Unsolved conflicts and the future architecture of relations between Russia, Ukraine and the EU need to be redefined and remain a key strategic challenge for the EU.

>>read more

 


Michèle Knodt and Katharina Kleinschnitger receive the Athene Award 2017 for excellent teaching
Michèle Knodt and Katharina Kleinschnitger receive the Athene Award 2017 for excellent teaching

December 9, 2017

 

CEDI team members receive Athene Award for excellent teaching

 

CEDI team members Michèle Knodt, Katahrina Kleinschnitger and Anne Tews received the Athene Award for excellent teaching 2017 for the preparatory seminar of the CEDI EU simulation in Mainz. The seminar prepared students to participate in CEDIs Model EU Mainz simulation. It included sessions on EU integration theory, EU institutions and the policy fields included in the simulation. In addition, students were introduced to the method of simulation and were encouraged to reflect their role in the process.

The prize winners of the Athene Award 2017
The prize winners of the Athene Award 2017

Each year, the Carlo and Karin Giersch foundation at TU Darmstadt awards innovative and outstanding teaching concepts in each department. The award encourages the development of innovative teaching methods and raises awareness for the importance of excellent teaching at the university.

The CEDI team members received the award for the Department of History and Social siences as well as the university wide award for excellent teaching. The award ceremony took place on November 20, 2017.

 


November 17, 2017

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Perfidious Albion - Again? The UK, BREXIT and EU Foreign Policy

by Geoffrey Edwards

 

The paper explores factors behind the critique of the UK as being perfidious and awkward. It examines Britain’s core beliefs of being a global rather than merely a European power, of having a special relationship with the United States, of being internationalist in terms of trade and, somewhat paradoxically, of taking pride in being pragmatic. These beliefs have led to the rejection of blueprints for integration and a preference for bilateral cooperation rather than multilateral relationships.

>>read more

 


Looking at the Brazilian Electricity Infrastructure
Looking at the Brazilian Electricity Infrastructure

September  21/22, 2017

 

Workshop: Energy and State Capacities in BRIC Countries

 

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „EU in Global Dialogue“ (CEDI) (Dr. Carlos Santana and Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt) organized the fourth workshop of the CEDI Workshop Series on the topic "Energy and State Capacities in BRIC Countries". The Workshop focused on the question: Which kind of state capacity theory can be produced to explain the meteoric rise of these new emerging economies?

 

Perhaps one of the most relevant aspects of infrastructure for understanding the state capacity of BRIC countries is energy policy. Energy security is geopolitically important for each of the BRIC and energy prices have been used to cushion social and economic shocks. Brazil, Russia, India and China all share certain traits with respect to their energy supply chain's productive structure.

Participants discuss energy policy in BRIC countries
Participants discuss energy policy in BRIC countries

The study of energy in BRIC countries involves an evaluation of the physical infrastructure but also financing and bureaucratic support as important determinants of state capacity. Infrastructure facilities demand large investments which usually exceed budgetary capacities and electoral cycles. The comparative political economy literature has emphasized the role of national finance structures and seeks to show the advantages from a system coordinated by policy banks' loans as a useful instrument to overcoming technology lags in production regimes. Such studies have emphasized the role of institutional complementarities among domestic systems of financing, industrial and labor relations, and innovation to describe specific trajectories of development. The main goal of this workshop was to gather the commonalities in terms of the domestic institutional complementarities among BRIC countries based on analysis of the energy infrastructure of these countries.


August 14, 2017

 

International Workshop:  "Energy and State Capacities in BRIC Countries"

 

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „EU in Global Dialogue“ (CEDI) organizes an international Workshop on the topic "Energy and State Capacities in BRIC Countries". The Workshop will focus on the question: Which kind of state capacity theory can be produced to explain the meteoric rise of these new emerging economies?

 

Begin: September 21, 2017, 13:00

End: September 22, 2017, 12:15

Location: Schader-Forum, Darmstadt 

Language: English

 

 

To register for the workshop please contact CEDI Fellow Dr. Carlos Santana (E-Mail)


Please click here to download the workshop program: 

 


Prof. Dr. Viola Schmid, LL.M. (Harvard) at the second Annual Conference
Prof. Dr. Viola Schmid, LL.M. (Harvard) at the second Annual Conference

July 10, 2017

 

CEDI's Second Annual Conference

 

The second CEDI Annual Conference was held in Darmstadt on 7th July 2017. CEDI members Prof. Dr. Viola Schmid, LL.M. (Harvard) and Prof. Dr. Dirk Schiereck presented the conference “Right to and granted Freedom [in German: Gewa(e)hrte Freiheit] – Freedom in and through Currency”. Experts with a background in law and economics discussed challenges for freedom, (IT-)security and trust in relation to the institutions of currency , governments, justice system etc. The conference followed the innovative concept of a “Science-Practice-Conference” and aimed to foster exchange between different disciplines as well as between scientists and practitioners. 
>> read more

 


Network partners at the Kick-off Meeting in Darmstadt
Network partners at the Kick-off Meeting in Darmstadt

July 5, 2017

 

Bologna Resource Center at CEDI

 

Under the roof of CEDI a Bologna Resource Center (BRC) was founded to study and research European Higher Education, within and outside Europe. It was set up in the framework of the project “NEAR-EU” and creates a nexus among the project members. Capitalizing on their venues within National Jean Monnet Centers and leading European and international affairs research centers, the BRCs will be in a position to catalyze interest in European higher education policies and research, attracting academics and graduate students to the arena.  >> read more

 


July 4, 2017

 

Workshop: The Future EU Foreign Policy in a Changing World Order

 

On June 29-30, 2017, CEDI hosted the third workshop of the CEDI Workshop Series at the Schader Stiftung Darmstadt.The EU is confronted with an unprecedented number of external challenges in an international environment that is becoming increasingly contested, divided and disorderly. At the same time, the EU faces severe internal conflicts and challenges that put to test core achievements and values of the European integration process. This raises the question about the future of the EU's foreign policy and its ability to deal with a new foreign policy reality. The workshop "Future EU Foreign Policy in a Changing World Order" brought together well known scholars of EU foreign policy who discussed the theme of our workshop from different analytical perspectives and policy areas.


Guest lecturer Dr. Geoffrey Edwards (Foto: Laura Hähn)
Guest lecturer Dr. Geoffrey Edwards (Foto: Laura Hähn)

June 23, 2017

 

CEDI Annual Lecture 2017 and CEDI Award Ceremony at JGU Mainz

 

On June 23, 2017, CEDI hosted the second Annual Lecture at JGU Mainz. Guest lecturer Dr. Geoffrey Edwards (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom) gave a talk on "Perfidious Albion - again? Brexit and European Foreign Policy". Edwards described the impact of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on British and European Foreign Policy.  >> read more

 

The winners of the CEDI Awards 2017 (Foto: Laura Hähn)
The winners of the CEDI Awards 2017 (Foto: Laura Hähn)

After the lecture, CEDI Director Michèle Knodt and CEDI Co-Director Arne Niemann presented the Awards for EU in Global Dialogue 2017. CEDI awarded two prizes to outstanding theses in political science on the topic of EU in Global Dialogue. A jury selected the theses of Asalkhon Shukurova (M.A., TU Darmstadt) on Russia's perception of Eu and Ukraine and Dr. Julian Bergmann (JGU Mainz) on the EU's effectiveness as international mediator.

>> read more


Panel Discussion at Darmstadt school (Foto: Kevin Hasse)
Panel Discussion at Darmstadt school (Foto: Kevin Hasse)

June 16, 2017

 

Panel Discussion at Darmstadt school

 

CEDI Director Michèle Knodt participated again in the yearly panel discussion organised at the Lichtenbergschule Darmstadt during Europe Week. The students of the Lichtenbergschule organized a panel discussion on the topic “Europe at the move. Internal Security in Europe" that took place on May 10, during the Europe Week 2017.  The panel included politicians, scientiest and practitioners.

>> read more


June 9, 2017

 

Invitation to CEDI's second Annual Lecture

 

On June 23, 2017, CEDI's second Annual Lecture will take place at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Guest speaker Dr. Geoffrey Edwards (University of Cambridge, England) will give a talk on the topic "Perfidious Albion - again? Brexit and European Foreign Policy".

After the lecture, the award ceremony for the Jean Monnet Awards for EU in Global Dialogue 2017 will take place.

 

Time: June 23, 2017; 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Venue: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

 

Registration: Please register before June 19 via Email to (lhaehn[at]students.uni-mainz.de) 

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Flyer
A4_Plakat Annual Lecture_2017.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Dokument 183.4 KB

June 9, 2017

 

CEDI Director Michèle Knodt spoke at "Pulse of Europe" event in Darmstadt

 

 

On May 7, 2017, the citizens' initative "Pulse of Europe" invited CEDI Director Michèle Knodt to give a speech on the crisis and future of the European Union. Michèle Knodt shared her insights and expertise from 25 years of research and teaching in the field of European integration studies with over 200 participants. She discussed the origins and the development of the integration project and commented on the need to show solidarity and to formulate a new European narrative. The citizen's initative "Pulse of Europe" was founded in 2016 to promote European integration and support pro-European forces in civil society.


May 23, 2017

Invitation to CEDI's second Annual Conference in Darmstadt, Germany

CEDI members Prof. Dr. Viola Schmid, LL.M. (Harvard) and Prof. Dr. Dirk Schiereck from Technical University Darmstadt present CEDI’s second Annual Conference on July 7, 2017. The conference title “Right to and granted Freedom [in German: Gewa(e)hrte Freiheit] – Freedom in and through Currency” addresses the main focus of their current research within CEDI. Experts with a background in law and economics will discuss challenges for freedom, (IT-)security and trust in relation to the institutions of currency , governments, justice system etc. The conference follows the innovative concept of a “Science-Practice-Conference” and aims to foster exchange between different disciplines as well as between scientists and practitioners. >> read more


May 22, 2017

Junior Campus EU+ 2017

Junior Campus EU+” 2017, held from 7-8 February 2017 in Bacharach, involved 51 pupils from the Römerkastell High School in Alzey and the Frauenlob High School Mainz who slipped into the role of European Council members of the 28 European Union member states and the accession candidate SerbiaThe two day simulation with preliminary meetings at the schools was moderated and guided by academic staff from the University of Mainz and the TU Darmstadt, and further assisted by secondary school teachers. >> read more 


April 27, 2017

 

Invitation to Lecture on Cybergovernance

 

CEDI member Prof. Viola Schmid, LL.M. (Harvard) gives a lecture on Cybergovernance and EU in Global Dialogue from a legal and economic perspective. The event takes place on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, 5.15-6.45 pm at TU Darmstadt. The lecture serves as an introduction to CEDI’s second Annual Conference on “Digital Citizens in the European Union – A LEXONOMICS and universal perspective” which is scheduled for July 6-8, 2017.  >> read more

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Abstract of the Lecture (German)
Kurzfassung_Schmid-1.pdf
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March 22, 2017

 

Jean Monnet Award for EU in Global Dialogue 2017 - Applications open now

 

CEDI awards outstanding Bachelor, Master and Doctoral theses on the topics of CEDI.

To apply, please send an abstract, your contact information and a documentation of the grade to:

info@eu-global-dialogue.eu, Deadline: 31 May 2017

>> read more


Foto: Claus Völker
Foto: Claus Völker

March 17, 2017

 

Second European Lounge Talk on European foreign and security policy

 

CEDI organised the second European Lounge Talk on March 15, 2017 at the Schader-Stiftung Darmstadt. The roundtable discussion focussed on new strategic challenges for a common European Foreign and Security Policy. Experts discussed the impact of Russian and American foreign policy, US-Russian relations and the effects of the Brexit on EU security policy.

Speakers included Prof. Dr. Thomas Jäger (University of Cologne), Dr. Manfred Sapper (Journal Osteuropa), Dr. Annegret Bendiek (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik) and Protestant Military Bishop Dr. Sigurd Rink. CEDI Director Michèle Knodt and Co-Director Arne Niemann chaired the discussion.

>> read more


March 16, 2017


New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

“Soft” Governance in European Energy Policy. The “Winter Package” for the Energy Union of the European Commission.

by Michèle Knodt, Marc Ringel

 

The new governance mechanisms of the European energy policy proposed by the European Commission in its “Winter Package” will contribute to a redefinition of the European energy and climate governance. The Working Paper reviews the proposal and assesses its ability to support the European energy and climate goals.

>> read more


February 23, 2017

 

Invitation to CEDI's second European Lounge Talk

 

On March 15, 2017 CEDI presents the second European Lounge Talk on the topic "Between Trump and Putin: The Future of European Foreign and Security Policy". Experts from academia, politics and church representatives discuss strategic and ethical issues concerning the European approach to a common foreign and security policy. The panel discussion takes place on Wednesday, March 15, 6 pm in Darmstadt, Germany.

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Flyer
Programm_European Lounge Talk_15032017.p
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Foto: Simone Ndongala (2016)
Foto: Simone Ndongala (2016)

December 1, 2016

 

CEDI's First Annual Conference

 

The first CEDI Annual Conference was held in Mainz from 10th-11th November 2016 at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität. The overall topic of the international conference was “Regionalism in the Global South in Comparative Perspective” with a special focus on the role and ambivalent influence of intra- and extra-regional actors on regional integration processes. In order to contribute to the research and debate on the ‘EU in Global Dialogue’, the conference aimed in particular to explore and highlight the impact of the EU on regional integration processes beyond Europe. The conference brought together almost 20 excellent scholars from all over the world who shared an expertise in regionalism in general but focussed on different world regions in their research. >> read more

 


November 2, 2016

 

Invitation to CEDI's first Annual Conference

 

CEDI's first Annual Conference takes place at JGU Mainz from November 10-11, 2016. The conference focusses on "Regionalism in the Global South and the EU in Comparative Perspective: The ambivalent Influence of Intra- and Extra-Regional Actors on Regional Integration Processes". On the first day, Prof. Anja Jetschke (University of Göttingen) gives a keynote speech on the topic at 6 pm. The conference language is English. >> read more

 

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Conference Programme
Final_Programme.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Dokument 208.7 KB

August 24, 2016


New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Boundaries of European Solidarity - Lessons from Migration and Energy Policy

by Michèle Knodt, Anne Tews

 

The working paper addresses the significance, reality and boundaries of solidarity in the European multi-level system. It analyses the requirements for solidarity and the role that solidarity plays in European multi-level governance. We present an effort to conceptualize solidarity in the European multi-level system and to develop a typology of different forms of solidarity. >> read more


July 14, 2016

 

Member of German Bundestag Michael Hartmann speaks at JGU Mainz

 

Michael Hartmann, member of the German Bundestag and member of the Bundestag's Committee on European Union Affairs, gives a talk on "Europe between Brussles, Berlin and Mainz - Insights from the Bundestag's Committee on European Union Affairs". The event takes place on Monday, July 18, 2016, 10am - 12:30 pm at JGU Mainz.

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Announcement
Click here for more information (in German)
Aushang Gastvortrag Hartmann.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Dokument 300.8 KB

July 13, 2016

 

EU Simulation 2016

 

Four days long students of TU Darmstadt and University of Mainz and international students were performing as members of the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union. Over 80 students from Germany, Poland, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Croatia, Belgium, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Albania, Pakistan, Israel, Columbia and Brazil were simulating a decision-making process of the European Union with an external policy dimension. The participants discussed two Commission proposals in the field of migration policy.  >> read more


Guest lecturer Prof. Joan DeBardeleben (Foto: Claus Völker)
Guest lecturer Prof. Joan DeBardeleben (Foto: Claus Völker)

July 4, 2016

 

CEDI Annual Lecture 2016 and CEDI Award Ceremony at TU Darmstadt

 

On July 1, 2016, CEDI hosted its first Annual Lecture at TU Darmstadt. Guest speaker Prof. Joan DeBardeleben from Carleton University, Ottawa, gave a talk on "Shifting Paradigms in EU-Russian Relations: Can the Dialogue be Revived?" DeBardeleben described the changing paradigms of EU-Russian relations since the Ukraine crisis and explored underlying reasons, consequences and solutions for the paradigm shift. >> read more

 

The winners of the CEDI Awards 2016 (Foto: Claus Völker)
The winners of the CEDI Awards 2016 (Foto: Claus Völker)

After the lecture, CEDI Director Michèle Knodt and CEDI Co-Director Arne Niemann presented the 2016 Awards for EU in Global Dialogue 2016. CEDI awarded three prizes to outstanding theses in political science on the topic of EU in Global Dialogue. A jury selected the theses of Simon Ant (M.A., JGU Mainz), Katharina Kleinschnitger (M.A., TU Darmstadt) and Dr. Stephanie Bergbauer (JGU Mainz).

>> read more


June 29, 2016

 

Three new CEDI Working Papers released:

 

CEDI Working Paper No. 2

Lost in Translation: Human and Minority Rights - Discourses of the European Union and Russia

by Petra Guasti and Arne Niemann

 

CEDI Working Paper No. 3

Controversy in the Garden of Concepts: Rethinking the “Politicisation” of the EU

by Niilo Kauppi, Kari Palonen, Claudia Wiesner

 

CEDI Working Paper No. 4

Studying EU Peace Mediation: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

by Julian Bergmann, Friedrich Plank, Arne Niemann

 

>> see all


June 22, 2016

 

New Blog Entry: "The European Union as a Peace Mediator"

 

The European Union (EU) has recently emerged as an international peace mediator, but emerging challenges, including the potential exit of the UK from the EU, may prevent it from strengthening its ability to mediate conflicts. >> read more


June 14, 2016

 

Invitation to CEDI's first Annual Lecture

 

On July 1, 2016, CEDIs first Annual Lecture will take place at TU Darmstadt. Guest speaker Prof. Joan DeBardeleben (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada) will give a talk on "Shifting Paradigms in EU-Russian Relations: Can the Dialogue be Revived?"

After the lecture, the award ceremony for the Jean Monnet Awards for EU in Global Dialogue 2016 will take place.

 

Time: July 1, 2016; 11:40 am - 1:30 pm

Venue: TU Darmstadt

Registration: Please register before June 24 via Email to (krauss[at]pg.tu-darmstadt.de)

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Flyer
A4_Plakat Annual Lecture 2016_2.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Dokument 158.4 KB

June 09, 2016

 

Call for Papers

Annual conference on "Regionalism in the Global South and the EU in Comparative Perspective"

 

Conference: November 10-11, 2016, at JGU Mainz

Language: English

Deadline for papers: July 29, 2016

 

Topic:

Since the early 1990s and in parallel to Globalisation, the world has witnessed a new wave of regionalism and a mushrooming of regional integration organisations in virtually every part of the globe. Quite surprisingly, most of these new regionalisms have emerged in the Global South and produced considerable institutional dynamics. Despite this observation, the scientific debate on how to explain regionalism or specific regional integration processes is yet significantly influenced by research on the EU. So far, only few theoretical approaches have been developed which aim explicitly at analysing and explaining regional integration beyond Europe. This is because regionalisms and regional integration processes in the Global South have been widely neglected in the scientific debate for a long time and comparative studies are yet rare to find. Most of the current research and existing literature on regionalism in the Global South belongs either to the field of area studies or has often focussed only on selected policy areas (e.g. the economy) so far. >> read more

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Call for Papers
CfP_CEDI-Conference-Regionalism.pdf
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Students of the Goethe Gymnasium moderate the panel
Students of the Goethe Gymnasium moderate the panel

May 13, 2016

 

School meets EU Studies - Panel Discussion on the future of the EU at Bensheim school

 

Students of the Europe School Goethe Gymnasium Bensheim organized a panel discussion on the topic “Europe on the move. Where does the EU navigate to?” that took place on May 2, during the Europe Week 2016. Moderated by Mara Krupa and Nik Seewald, Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Dr. Udo Bullmann (SPD) and Martin Häusling (Grüne), Member of the German Parliament Christine Buchholz (Die Linke), the regional head of the Europa-Union Hesse Wolfgang Freudenberger (CDU), journalist Klaus-Dieter Frankenberg (FAZ) and Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt from CEDI discussed questions about the state of the EU. The students created video inputs and a sketch to introduce the panelists.

All panel participants were concerned about the current developments of the Union, especially the deal with Turkey about the refugee policy. >> read more


May 12, 2016

 

European Lounge Talk on EU refugee crisis

 

On 8 January 2016, Arne Niemann and Natascha Zaun (University of Mainz) convened a roundtable discussion on the EU’s role in the global refugee crisis and the EU’s refugee policy, bringing together scientists from different disciplines, street-level bureaucrats, civil society, and the general public. Speakers included Prof. Dr. Dietrich Thränhardt (University of Münster), Michael Richter (Author, Journalist, Film Artist), Maik Boldau (former director of a refugee reception centre in Brandenburg, Germany) and CEDI Team member Dr. Natascha Zaun (University of Mainz).

>> read more


Campus of the Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva
Campus of the Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva

May 06, 2016

 

"Uneasy Neighbours" – Students excursion to Israel in the framework of CEDI co-operation with Israel

 

In the framework of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence "EU in Global Dialogue" (CEDI), the already existing research co-operation between the Jean Monnet Chairs of Prof. Dr.Michèle Knodt and Prof. Dr. Sharon Pardo was extended to teaching activities. During the one-week seminar "Uneasy Neighbours: The European Union, Israel and Palestine", research students from TU Darmstadt and the University of Mainz met with other international students at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva, Israel. They discussed questions of territorial occupation and the influence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on EU foreign and domestic politics. The students were trained in theoretical, empirical and research-strategic issues on the subject matter by academics of the Ben-Gurion University. They presented and discussed their research papers with experts on the ground. The seminar was open for M.A. and doctoral students with a particular focus on the topic. The programme included field trips among others to the Kibbuz Nahal Oz near Ghaza as well as to the representations of the EU and UN in Jerusalem.

Students of the seminar in Jerusalem
Students of the seminar in Jerusalem

This seminar is the starting point for the development of an Erasmus+ exchange between the Institute for Political Science at TU Darmstadt and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be’er Sheva.


April 24, 2016

 

Results of the CEDI Workshop "Democratic governance of EU crises - Is it (im)possible?"

 

On 14th and 15th April 2016 the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „EU in Global Dialogue“ (CEDI) organized a workshop with the topic "Democratic governance of EU crises - Is it (im)possible?" in cooperation with the Academy of Finland FiDiPro Project „Transformations of Concepts and Institutons in the European Politiy“ (TRACE).

 

Democracy in the European multi-level system is usually discussed in the context of wether the EU as a political system has a demovratic constitution and is legitimized by it. The debate has focussed on the "democratic deficit" of the EU. The discussants came to the conclusion that the current crises have lead to an increase of the democratic deficit and have higlighted the limits of the modes of governance in the EU. The workshop contributions discussed possible solutions for the current crises in terms of institutions and mechanisms.

 

Please click here to download the workshop report (in German):

 

Download
Results of CEDI Workshop
"Democratic governance of EU crises - Is it (im)possible?"
Workshop Krise_Ergebnisse 2-1.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Dokument 136.8 KB

April 22, 2016

 

Jean Monnet Award for EU in Global Dialogue 2016 - Applications open now

 

CEDI awards outstanding Bachelor, Master and Docotoral theses on the topics of CEDI.

To apply, please send an abstract, your contact information and a documentation of the grade to:

info@eu-global-dialogue.eu

>> read more


March 21, 2016

 

CEDI establishes relations with the University of Havana, Cuba

 

The Ice Age between Cuba and the EU seems to be definitely over. After years of silence between Brussels and Havana there was a relaunch of political dialogue and cooperation in 2008 which resulted in a bilateral agreement this month. During the second visit of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, to Cuba on March 12, 2016, a "Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement" (PDCA) was signed which is covering political dialogue, cooperation and trade. Mogherini expressed that this is a historic step for the EU and Cuba and marks the beginning of a new phase of the bilateral relationship.

 

Since last year, the EU is allocating €50 million within the 2014-2020 period under the EU's Development Cooperation Instrument. With this instrument the EU supports the Cuban national development strategy. Its main focus is on three sectors: food security and sustainable agriculture, environment and climate change, and sustainable economic and social modernization.

 

In the context of this development, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “EU in Global Dialogue” (CEDI) established contact and exchange with the University of Havana to have a fruitful cooperation on the topic of EU studies. Jean Monnet Professor Eduardo Perera from the History Department and Prof. Michèle Knodt from TU Darmstadt started the collaboration with a seminar on “La Union Europea en Crisis” in February at the University of Havana. They also agreed with the Vice-Dean (responsible for international relations) of the Faculty of Social Sciences to exchange students on a regular basis. 


March 11, 2016

 

CEDI Workshop:  "Democratic governance of EU crises - Is it (im)possible?"

 

The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „Europe in Global Dialogue“ (CEDI) organizes a workshop on the topic "Democratic governance of EU crises - Is it (im)possible?". The workshop will focus on possible solutions of the current crises of the EU. Which mechanisms and institutions can contribute to a democratic and economically sound answer to the challenges the EU is facing?

 

Begin: April 14, 2016, 14:00

End: April 15, 2016 14:00

Location: TU Darmstadt

Language: German

 

To register for the workshop please contact CEDI Team member Claudia Wiesner (E-Mail)


March 09, 2016

 

New CEDI Working Paper released:

 

Perceptions and Challenges of EU-China Energy Cooperation

by Michèle Knodt, Nadine Piefer, Suet-Yi Lai

 

China and the European Union are the world’s largest importers of natural resources, which make both of them highly dependent on other countries.  Both are, hence, greatly challenged on the issue of energy and closely interlinked also on climate change. >> read more


January 18, 2016

 

New Blog Entry: "Normative Power Europe in Global Dialogue"

 

At the inauguration of CEDI Sharon Pardo maintained that the split in the European global and regional approaches help explain both power and weakness of the ‘Normative Power Europe’(NPE). We present a transcript of his keynote speech on “Normative Power Europe in Global Dialogue”. >> read more


December 15, 2015

 

New Blog Entry: "What the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue says about the EU’s role as a peace mediator"

 

What conditions influence EU effectiveness in international mediation? A recent study by Julian Bergmann and Arne Niemann assesses how we can better evaluate the role of the EU institutions as a peace mediator by investigating the case of the Belgrade - Pristina dialogue, brokered by the EU between 2011 and 2013. >> read more


Claus Völker / TU Darmstadt
Claus Völker / TU Darmstadt

December 15, 2015

 

CEDI Team celebrates the inauguration of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „EU in Global Dialogue“ at TU Darmstadt

 

On December 11, 2015 the CEDI Team celebrated the inauguration of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence „EU in Global Dialogue“ at TU Darmstadt. CEDI-Director Prof. Michèle Knodt welcomed the guests and highlighted the importance of dialogue in times of significant power shifts towards a global multipolar world order.

The list of speakers included the Vice President of TU Darmstadt, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rödel, the Vice President of JGU Mainz, Prof. Dr. Mechthild Dreyer, the Hessian State Secretary for European Affairs, Mark Weinmeister, and the representative of the State Secretary for European Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate, Stefan Tidow.

Jean Monnet Professor Sharon Pardo from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, presented a Keynote speech on “Normative Power Europe”. He congratulated the Team for the successful application and emphasized the need to study the impact of the EU as a normative power in the world.

The inauguration marks the official start of CEDI. Please check our website and blog regularly to receive the latest news on upcoming workshops, lectures, conferences, working papers etc.


November 27, 2015

 

Workshop on the EU as an Actor in International Mediation – Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on 26/27 November

 

From 26th to 27th November 2015, the first workshop of the CEDI Workshop Series took place at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz. The two-day workshop on “The EU as an Actor in International Mediation – Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives” was organized by CEDI team members Arne Niemann, Julian Bergmann and Michèle Knodt. The main purpose of the workshop was to map the field of EU mediation practice and to provide the first systematic scholarly account on the EU’s role in international mediation. To understand the different facets of EU mediation, the organizers brought together researchers from various countries who presented conceptually and/or empirically oriented papers on EU mediation practice. On the first workshop day, the participants discussed theoretical and conceptual perspectives on the EU’s mediation role(s), the gender dimension of EU mediation and EU mediation practice in the Western Balkans. On the second workshop day, the main focus was on comparing various cases of EU mediation across regions, including the DR Congo, Yemen, Myanmar, and Egypt. The main scientific output of the workshop will be a special issue application with a leading international relations journal.


November 23, 2015

 

Workshop on the EU as an Actor in International Mediation – Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on 26/27 November

 

The first workshop of the CEDI workshop series will take place at the JGU Mainz on 26/27 November. It is organized by CEDI Team members Arne Niemann, Julian Bergmann and Michèle Knodt. The workshop aims to address several remaining gaps by providing the first systematic scholarly account of the EU's role in international mediation. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the EU started to directly support peace negotiations in a variety of inter- and intra-state conflicts. In addition to its involvement as a direct leader or co-mediator in peace negotiations, the EU has also supported peace processes by providing information and communication channels to conflict parties, facilitating dialogue between opposing political parties in post-election crises or enabling and promoting mediation efforts of other international actors. The workshop organizers seek to discuss the wide variety of facets of EU activities in international mediation. The aim is to grasp the different roles the EU plays in the field of international mediation and to understand the motives and strategies that drive EU mediation activities.


November 6, 2015

 

Workshop on "Civil Society of the Eastern Partnership in Dialogue: Mutual Percpetions of the Eastern Partnership Countries, Russia and the EU" (financed by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany)

 

From 2 to 6 November 2015 a workshop on mutual perceptions analysis took place at the Technical University in Darmstadt. The workshop was lead by Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt) and Prof. Dr. Natalia Chaban from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Researchers from all Eastern Partnership countries as well as from the Technical University of Darmstadt participated in the workshop. The Eastern Partnership is a joint initiative of the EU and its Eastern European partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. In addition, Master students of TU Darmstadt took part in the workshop as well. Prof. Dr. Natalia Chaban gave an in-depth introduction to the theoretical framework of perception analysis and then taught the participants how to apply the method in the context of their respective home countries. The goal of the project financed by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in which the workshop took place is to get a broad picture on mutual percpetions of EU Eastern Partnership countries, Russia and the EU by media analysis.


November 2, 2015

Ukraine in focus
 

On 2 November 2015 Prof. Anatoliy Chaban of the Cherkasy National University held a speech on "Ukraine's relations to the European Union and Russia" at the Technical University of Darmstadt. 
He presented both background information on this triangular relationship as well 
as an overview of the state of the art in this field. Futhermore the audience was given a broad overview on today's developments in Ukraine.


October 6, 2015

 

CEDI successfully started!

 

On October 6th, the Jean Monnet Centre for Europe in Global Dialogue (CEDI) was officially constituted in its first kick-off workshop with all team members. The CEDI directors Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt) and Prof. Dr. Arne Nieman (JGU Mainz) introduced the Centre concept and discussed the work plan and upcoming CEDI activities. The team members from the two universities look forward to a fruitful cooperation on topics of EU in Global Dialogue. The first CEDI workshop will already take place 26th – 27th November at JGU Mainz on „The EU’s Involvement in International Mediation Efforts“.