Upcoming Events
"North Korea-US Relations from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un", a book written by Dr Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Institute for European Studies, has been rated as one of the 
On 15 December, IES Researcher Marco Giuli spoke at the external panel debate “Azerbaijani gas in Europe and the role of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline”. The panel was held online and was organized by the Centre for the Analysis of International Relations in Azerbaijan. 
On Monday 23 November 2020, IES LLM Prof Dr Frank Hoffmeister testified in a parliamentary hearing at the German Bundestag on the topic of introducing qualified majority voting in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Based on considerations relating to functional urgency, the cost of disunity and foreign attempts to divide the Union, professor Hoffmeister argued in favour of using more qualified majority voting in CFSP.
We are pleased to announce that on 23 November 2020, Malasree Neepa Acharya successfully defended her PhD thesis on ‘Anchoring Circulation of India’s Diaspora Entrepreneurs: Creating Cosmopolitan Home and Work Lifeworlds in Bangalore’s Interconnected Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’! Neepa's co-promotors were Prof. Dr. Ilke Adam (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Prof. Dr. Alison Woodward (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). The jury was chaired by Prof. Dr. Sebastian Oberthür (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and consisted of Prof. Dr. Jamal Shahin (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Prof. Dr. Roger Noll (Stanford University, USA), and Prof. Dr. Noelle Brigden (Marquette University, USA). Our warmest congratulations to Dr. Acharya! 
The European Commission has awarded a consortium involving VUB, led by Brussels-based consultancy company ICF and South Korea-based consultancy Ecosian, and also comprising three other partners the €2.4million project EU-Republic of Korea Dialogue Support Facility. The KF-VUB Korea Chair will lead management of the VUB's involvement in the project, in particular with regards to security- and connectivity-related activities. 
On 10 November the results of the study “How can we transform the Flemish industry, to ensure it can thrive in a climate-neutral Europe by 2050?” were presented to over 200 stakeholders in the presence of the Flemish minister of innovation Hilde Crevits. This study was performed by Climact, Deloitte, the Antwerp Management School and the Institute for European Studies (VUB). The study presents options to achieve deep emission reductions towards climate neutrality by 2050 by Flemish industry, a roadmap towards this goal, and the enabling policy framework.
As a final step towards renewing the agreement between the Flemish Government and the VUB concerning the Institute for European Studies, the IES prepared a new vision for the next five-year agreement period. The Strategic Plan 2021-2025 sets out the main objectives for the next five years, in which it wants to further strengthen its established reputation as a top research and higher education institution dedicated to excellent, policy-relevant research and involved in post-initial education and academic service provision. 
The Korea Matters for Europe/Europe Matters for Korea publication maps the relationship between the Republic of Korea and the European Union’s 27 Member States. Covering a diverse range of topics including security, trade, investment, educational exchange and cultural connections, this publication highlights the importance of the Korea-EU relationship.
On 1 & 2 December 2020, IES professor Harri Kalimo, assisted by IES researchers Lea Mateo, Selçukhan Ünekbaş and Álvaro Herrero de la Fuente, organised a two-day expert training to the “SOLVIT centres” in the EU Member States. SOLVIT is a service, which the EU law requires the administrations in each Member State to offer, with the aim to provide practical solutions to individuals and economic operators whose EU free movement rights may have been breached on the EU internal market by measures taken by the national adminsitrations.
Governments around the world are responding with extensive economic stimulus packages to the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The design of these economic stimulus packages will also determine central framework conditions for future climate policy: The stimulus packages can either provide a strong impetus for a climate-friendly economy or cement unsustainable economic practices. In their new article "
From October to December 2020, IES researcher Maximilian Ernst was invited as research fellow at the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS). His research explored Chinese economic coercion in the Asia-Pacific region and in Europe and proposed avenues for transatlantic cooperation.
Belgian minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder has announced the creation of a new strategic defense committee that will scrutinise the role and priorities of the Belgian military in the 21st century, with the aim to finalise the new vision and accompanying budgetary implications by September 2021. 
On September 21, 2020, DGAP and the German Ministry of Defence hosted an expert workshop on the Strategic Compass and its four baskets. Participating think-tankers from across Europe were invited to provide input and discuss their ideas in four break-out sessions. IES Vice-Dean for Research, Prof. Dr. Alexander Mattelaer, served as rapporteur of the “Partnerships” working group. 
On 27 November, GOVTRAN Project Researchers brought together four experts on International and European Climate change policy and governance. Namely, Lavanya Rajamani, Professor of International Environmental Law, University of Oxford, Li Shuo, Senior Global Policy Advisor, Greenpeace East Asia, Byford Tsang, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G and Karsten Sach, Director General, German Ministry for the Environment.
The European Commission has selected the RePAST project as one out of 
From 1 to 12 February 2021, the IES will organise the very first edition of its online Jean Monnet Winter School on EU Policy-Making, in collaboration with its partners the University of Vienna and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. This Winter School will build on the long-standing expertise of the similar (offline) Summer School that the IES and its partners have organised for almost 20 years. IES in the media...
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Ramon Pacheco Pardo
Biden's focus on rebuilding allies to impact Korea-US relations
21 Jan 2021
In: The Korea Times
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Ramon Pacheco Pardo
Kim Jong Un Offers a Rare Sneak Peek at North Korea’s Weapons Program
15 Jan 2021
In: The Wall Street Journal
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Ramon Pacheco Pardo
Time to shift focus on arms control with North Korea: experts
14 Jan 2021
In: The Korea Times
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Ramon Pacheco Pardo
North Korea's Kim Yo Jong calls South Korean government a 'truly weird group' as key political meeting ends
13 Jan 2021
In: CNN
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IES is a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the 