The future of the European Union from a historical perspective. Shaping tomorrow’s Europe – ideas, prospects and strategies in the dialogue between generations
After three successful events, the International Conference “Disintegration and Integration in East-Central Europe”, organized since 2013 by the Faculty of European Studies of Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in cooperation with prestigious academic institutions, such as the Universities of Strasbourg, Padua or Magdeburg, and high-level academic bodies actively involved in EU studies, such as The European Union Liaison Committee of Historians, is now at its fourth edition.
This year’s edition will be organized in partnership with Università degli Studi di Roma Tre and will focus on how contemporaries have embarked at several momentous European events on a thorough dialogue about the future of the European Union, by bringing in ideas, perspectives and strategies. The conference endeavours to explore and shed light on the manners in which European integration and its outcome were understood in the past by the leaders and trendsetters of European unification, starting with the 1940s and the 1950s. It will emphasise the concept of Europe, its role, the modus operandi through which integration could be achieved and its original instruments, whilst analysing the transformation of the integration approach, and the changing of its goals: from deepening (Europe of the Six), to widening (Europe of the 10-12) and enlarging (Europe of the 27/28).
The questions arising from the European experience in the last ten years are crucial in determining the next steps of EU integration, and they require complex and well-discerned answers. In addition, given the exceptional circumstances of the Brexit, it is imperative to take into account the precedent created and the foreseeable mechanisms of disengagement from the EU. It is the aim of this edition to address in a constructive manner a number of pressing questions related to the future of Europe and to offer a platform for the dissemination of research results that can contribute to a better understanding of the ongoing process of metamorphosis within the European Union.
The Conference sections:
Section I: From the visions of the founding fathers to today’s Europe. How much has the European dream changed?
- Does the initial aspiration to break apart with the dark past of endless conflicts and launch a project based on economic utility preserve its capacity to attract Europeans?
- Did the European project derail because of recent lack of orientation, or did it already include from the beginning the germs of a potential implosion?
- Which original concepts of integration can still be put to work for Europe’s future?
- Are the methods decided upon in the 1960s-1980s still productive at the end of the 2010s?
Section II: Crises as cracks in the foundations or determinants of deeper integration? Views from East-Central Europe.
- How did crises contribute to the disenchantment with Europe?
- Do past solutions to crises reveal any ways out of the current ones?
Section III: Potentiality and accountability in conceiving Europe’s future. What are the means to reinforce the legitimacy of the European project in East-Central Europe?
- Is flexibility a way out of the crisis?
- What are the solutions for bridging the elite – masses gap?
- Is sovereignty still a well-designed concept? Is it purposeful to operate with it, or is it an undeniable liability blocking pragmatic decision-making in relevant fields?
- What meaning to give to sovereignty in a world of effective global interdependence?
- Is the public discourse of European integration still useful and attractive?
- To what extent can we speak about a European identity in order to increase popular appeal for the European project? Is the narrative of integration convincing when trying to shape pro-Europe sympathy, if not a European identity?
- Is national identity truly an impediment to integration or was it the “Brussels story” that failed to integrate national histories into a larger frame?
Section IV: What are the new challenges ahead Europe from a historical, juridical, economic and political perspective?
- How European integration has shaped transatlantic relations and contributed to the world geo-political equilibrium?
- Are we moving toward a redefinition of the transatlantic alliance?
- What is the role of East and Central Europe in this context?
- What are the consequences for European integration?
- Is a new deal necessary to save Europe?
- What are the implications for the appeal of the European project in East and Central Europe?
Section V: Quelle(s) idéologie(s) derrière la (nouvelle) gouvernance européenne?
PhD Students’ Workshop: From enlargement to Brexit: The future of the European Union
Roundtable: How is the process of European integration reflected in history books for high schools?
Please send your contributions to the Conference Secretariat (see below).
The conference languages are: English, French and Italian.
Deadlines:
- All submissions (title, 300-word abstract and bio-note) are due no later than 1 June 2017.
- Participants will receive an acceptance notice from the Organizing Committee by 1 July 2017.
- Conference fee transfer is due no later than 15 September 2017.
Conference fees
- Regular participant: 450 RON (100 EURO)
- PhD Student/Young researcher (under the age of 35): 225 RON (50 EURO)
The conference fee includes access to the scientific sessions, all lunches, coffee breaks, conference registration and programme, and publication of the article.
Payment by bank transfer:
To: Babeș-Bolyai University
Address: 1 M. Kogălniceanu St., Cluj-Napoca, Romania
CIF: RO 4305849
|
EURO account: IBAN RO16RNCB0106026604700008 SWIFT: RNCBROBU BCR (Romanian Commercial Bank), Cluj Branch 10-12 Gh. Baritiu St. Cluj-Napoca ROMANIA |
RON account: IBAN O35TREZ21620F330500XXXX SWIFT: TREZROBU Trezoreria Cluj 19 Piata Avram Iancu Cluj-Napoca ROMANIA
|
Please include your name and the reference ”Faculty of European Studies, DIECE 2017”
