A touchstone for early career researchers
The Annual Graduate Conference on the History of European Integration (AGC) has become a flagship event for PhD candidates and recent graduates working on European integration history. Organised each year by the Alcide De Gasperi Centre (ADG) at the European University Institute (EUI), the conference offers an opportunity to present work-in-progress, receive constructive feedback, and explore career development and publishing strategies with leading scholars.
“The selection committee picks the best 12 proposals from a strong field — 72 submissions this year,” explained Professor Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol, Professor in the History of European Integration and Cooperation at the EUI and co-Director of the ADG. “The papers reflect trends such as a widening of the policy themes studied (with a more recent focus on the environment), more and more research exploring the 1990s as archives gradually become available, and the emergence of themes related to cooperation (and later accession) of Eastern European countries.”
Participants this year represented a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines. “When selecting paper-givers and inviting discussants we are careful to create a good balance and international representation; this year our 21 participants represented no less than 10 countries. We also often welcome law and political science scholars — this year two scholars with a legal background and three working in European studies/political science joined the conference, in addition to historians,” continued Professor Mourlon-Druol.
New areas of study and a broader research community
“We are moving chronologically, and geographically,” were the take-aways of the conference for Dr Katja Seidel, historian at the University of Westminster. “I see a move away from Cold War history to events of the 1990s. I am also impressed by the increasing interest and participation of scholars from Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. This suggests the emergence of an overall European scholarly community.”
This widening lens reflects not only archival accessibility but also the growing academic and political relevance of topics such as enlargement, cooperation, and integration beyond the EU’s founding countries.
A format that works
The AGC’s success lies in its format: papers are circulated among presenters and discussants well in advance, allowing for deep, targeted discussion during the two-day event.
For Petar Ćurčić, a research associate at the Institute for European Studies in Belgrade and PhD candidate at the University of Belgrade, this preparation paid off: “The preparation and enthusiasm were outstanding. It was a creative moment and a genuine exchange of ideas.”
Senior scholars value the format just as much. Professor Piers Ludlow, Head of the Department of International History at the London School of Economics, has attended five of the six conferences.
“It’s the right size, in a great setting, and feels like a breath of fresh air,” he said. “It gives me an idea of the scholars and research areas coming up on the horizon and keeps me up to date on what new information is coming out of the archives.”
Archives, interdisciplinarity, and networking
For the organisers, the conference is not just about feedback — it is also about building scholarly networks and reinforcing the link between archives and historical research.
“The AGC allows us to examine transversal historiographical issues and highlights the synergies between archives and historical research that the ADG embodies,” explains Professor Mourlon-Druol. This connection is strengthened by the presence of the Historical Archives of the European Union (HAEU), also based at the EUI.
“The AGC keeps archivists up to date on what interests new generations of scholars,” explained Dieter Schlenker, Director of the HAEU and co-Director of the Alcide De Gasperi Centre. “This is also a unique opportunity for participants to discover the research services and grant opportunities available for pursuing their research at the Archives.”
Widening participation
This year’s AGC also reflected the EUI’s commitment to broadening access through the Widening Europe Programme, which supported participation from targeted widening countries. With contributions from the European Union and EUI Contracting States, the Programme is designed to strengthen internationalisation, competitiveness, and quality in research in targeted Widening countries, and thus foster more cohesive European Higher Education and Research Areas.
Mariami Bezhitashvili, a researcher at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in Georgia, noted that the AGC marked a milestone for her: “It was my first time presenting in an English-language setting, and my paper introduced information on the Caucasus that is probably new for the European research environment.”
Such experiences underline the mutual benefits of this gathering: emerging scholars can network and obtain feedback, while established experts discover new sources, perspectives, and questions shaping the future of integration studies.
The Alcide De Gasperi Centre at the EUI
Established at the European University Institute (EUI) in 2015, the Alcide De Gasperi Research Centre is a unique research hub on European cooperation and integration from the twentieth century to the present. It is a joint initiative of the EUI’s Department of History and the HAEU.
The Centre supports young researchers in the field, coordinates networks of historians, facilitates the use of primary sources and increases public interest in the history of European integration through conferences, seminars, research visits and other events.
The call for participation in the 2026 Annual Graduate Conference on the History of European Integration will be issued in early spring, 2026.