The Robert Schuman Centre is culminating the celebration of its 30th anniversary through joint sessions of workshops on six themes that are central to the Centre’s research agenda.
Using the model pioneered by the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR), these joint sessions bring together scholars from different institutions, schools of thought, methodological preferences, career stages, and locations for four days of intense collaboration. The goal is to collectively address significant issues, with an eye on publishing the findings collaboratively.
Along the way, we hope to reconnect with many of the Centre’s alumni while at the same time widening our networks of interest and scholarship in those six areas of attention. The joint sessions will start and end with keynote addresses reflecting on the current state of European politics and policy, and the research agenda for the future.
The decision to organise these workshops reflects the many changes that have taken place both at the Schuman Centre and in the wider world. When the Centre began in 1993, the big challenge was to consolidate the peace, to lay the foundations for European prosperity, and to integrate the world economy. The Centre was a relatively small operation created to develop and apply leading academic research to discrete challenges and opportunities that policymakers or other stakeholders in the public and private sector had to face.
Thirty years later, the menu of opportunities and challenges has grown immensely and so has the Centre. There is still some picking and choosing in setting the strategic direction for our research and application, but there are also major issues that must be addressed. These joint sessions of workshops give us the opportunity to push out both the research agenda and the agenda for policymaking. It will also provide the basis for continued engagement across Europe and the wider world looking ahead.
The event will take place at the Badia Fiesolana, the historic centre of the European University Institute in Fiesole. It starts on Monday, 17 June 2024, in the early afternoon, and ends at lunchtime on Friday, 21 June 2024. Both Monday afternoon and Friday morning will be devoted to common programme activities including keynote addresses as well as opening and closing panels. The six workshops will run in parallel from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon.
Note that the EUI June Ball will take place on Friday 14 June 2024.
There will be no required fee for participation, but participants will be expected to cover their own costs of travel and accommodation. Coffee and lunch will be provided for up to one co-author per paper.
Participants are advised to book their accommodation early.
A small number of scholarships are available to encourage greater diversity in participation. Additional scholarships are expected to be available for participants from Widening Programme countries.1 The scholarships will contribute to the costs of travel and accommodation.
When submitting your paper abstract, please indicate if you require support to attend the conference and provide a short justification.