The European Union in International Affairs VIII

The EUIA Conference provides a multidisciplinary forum for discussion and exchange of ideas amongst scholars, experts and policymakers engaged in understanding the role of the EU in the world.

In the last decade, home-grown and external shocks have fuelled a debate about the future of Europe’s engagement with the rest of the world. Should the European Union continue to be actively involved far beyond its borders and adopt a leading role in global and transregional affairs? Or should the EU reconsider its priorities and focus primarily on internal policies as a way to become less dependent on the rest of the world? Proposals to enhance European sovereignty involve deliberate attempts to reduce some international entanglements while reinforcing ties with selected countries, be they prospective EU members or strategic partners.

The 8th edition of the EUIA conference offers a forum to debate the diverging pathways for the EU’s engagement or disengagement with the world. To foster an interdisciplinary and international debate, we invite contributions from all policy domains and actors involved in the redefinition of Europe’s place in international affairs. Such a debate also includes how non-European actors perceive and react to the EU’s involvement or disentanglement in their region.

#EUIA23 will host high-level keynote addresses and a series of policy-link panels featuring senior officials and policy-makers. The Journal of European Integration (JEI) will host its Annual Lecture and co-organise the EUIA Best Paper Award competition. The conference will also welcome the editors of leading journals in European Studies (Journal of Common Market Studies, Journal of European Integration, European Security, and European Foreign Affairs Review), who will share their views on the EU in international affairs and provide insights into current trends in journal publishing.

In addition to academic panel discussions, the conference will allow for substantive policy dialogue through keynote speeches by political leaders and roundtables with practitioners. Other programme highlights will include networking sessions, awards, and interactive events with leading journals in European Studies.