Prof. Dr. Christian Kaunert, assisted by Mr Silviu Piros, leading a team of researchers from the Institute for European Studies (IES), has been awarded a Jean Monnet Chair in EU Counter-Terrorism (EXACT) for three years, starting from September 2017. Jean Monnet Chairs, as part of the prestigious Life Long Learning programme of the European Union, are very competitive, highly prestigious awards designed to undertake advanced research and teaching activities at a leading research organisation in Europe.

Jan Claudius Völkel has successfully finished first research stays connected to his Marie Skłodowska-Curie project on “The role of national parliaments in the Arab transformation processes”. From 23 April to 10 May, he conducted interviews with local and international stakeholders in Tunisia, among them the Head of the EU Delegation in Tunis, Patrice Bergamini, and member of parliament Wafa Makhlouf. Besides, Jan gave topic-related lectures at the Université de Carthage, Faculté des Sciences Juridiques, Politiques et Sociales de Tunis.

In the current difficult environment, will the EU be able to protect its citizens while also projecting its values into the world? In what ways has the EU’s international role and standing been subject to change? We invite paper abstracts and panel proposals (deadline 23 October) for the sixth European Union in International Affairs (#EUIA18) conference (16 - 18 May 2018 in Brussels), a multidisciplinary biannual event at which international studies scholars and policy practitioners debate the role of the EU in the turbulent realm of international affairs. In 2018 it will focus on the theme of ‘Protecting and Projecting Europe’.

On Tuesday 13 June 2017, Daniel Opoku Acquah defended his PhD thesis entitled ‘Intellectual Property, Developing Countries and the Law and Policy of the European Union: Towards Postcolonial Control of Development’. His promoters were Prof. Dr. Harri Kalimo (IES) and Prof. Dr. Tuomas Mylly (UTU). The doctoral committee comprised of Prof. Karel De Gucht (IES), Prof. Stefaan Smis (VUB), Prof. Aurora Plomer (University of Bristol), Prof. Jonathan Griffiths (Queen Mary University of London), and Assist. Prof. Trisha Meyer (Vesalius College, VUB). 

From Monday 3 July to Friday 14 July, the Institute for European Studies joined forces with the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna and the University of Vienna to organise the Inter-University Summer School on EU Policy Making. This intensive two-week programme packed with interactive seminars and study visits focusses on the functioning of the EU institutions and decision-making procedures as well as on EU foreign relations. This year, Brexit was in the spotlight, and the summer school participants gained insights into the consequences of the UK’s departure from the EU.