In the context of a thematic 'research' week, the Spanish high school Institut Vall de Llémena has invited experts from different research areas to explain to the students how to conduct scientific research. Davesa disentangled the rationale behind social sciences research based on his own experience at the Institute for European Studies (IES) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

Professor Richard Higgott of the IES produced a major report entitled “Civilisations, States and World Order: Where are We, Where are We Heading”. This new publication was commissioned by the Berlin based think tank Dialogue of Civilisation Research Institute in anticipation of the Rhodes Forum on 11-12 October 2019. The theme of the Forum is “ Global (Dis)Order: Towards Dialogue-Based World Views".

For decades, the Institute for European Studies (IES) and Vesalius College (VeCo) have built up strong reputations as frontrunners in education, research, and academic services on the international scene. Both being associated with Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), one of Belgium’s prime universities with a strong internationalisation focus, the IES and VeCo have decided to work together more closely as of the summer of 2019. 

Although both institutions remain independent, their combined resources and expertise in both European studies and global governance will create multiple synergies that their stakeholders will benefit from – not in the least the students in their academic programmes. 

On October 18, the EDGE Programme organised a full day of presentations, discussions and conversations on long-term challenges to democracy. The agenda included many activities to foster research creativity and intellectual exchange, from an academic speed-dating to the launch of the first ‘EDGE Book’, i.e. the edited volume on ‘The Edges of Political Representation. Mapping, Critiquing and Pushing the Boundaries’. Researchers and Professors from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Institute for European Studies, joined a roundtable discussion on the future challenges of democracy and a closing speech on “What Future for Parliamentary Politics and Democratic Engagement?”, by Cristina Leston-Bandeira (University of Leeds).

The public defence of the PhD in Law by Max Jansson will take place on Saturday 24 August 2019 at 11:15 CET. This is a joint PhD with the University of Turku. After an internal defense at the IES, the public defense will take place in Turku. The title of the PhD manuscript is "Value Reconciliation in Trade Law in Light of Criteria on Process and Production Methods – A Comparative study on the EU, the U.S. and the WTO". The Opponent in the public defense will be Prof. Dr. Gareth Davies from Tilburg University. The promoters of the thesis are Prof. Dr. Harri Kalimo (IES-VUB) and Prof. Dr. Tuomas Mylly (University of Turku).

The Jean Monnet network ‘Governing the EU’s Climate and Energy Transition in Turbulent Times’ (GOVTRAN), to which the IES-VUB serves as leading coordinator, held its second international workshop under the overarching theme ‘Climate and Energy Governance and the Future of Europe’ at the Istituto Affari Internazionali in Rome on 30 September – 1 October 2019. Seventeen researchers from across Europe presented twelve draft papers examining how various aspects of EU climate and energy policy interact with some of the underlying causes of the current crisis of European integration. Topics included, inter alia, the impact of rising populism, the role of Central and Eastern European Member States, the effectiveness of EU policies to promote renewable energy, the role of the European Parliament and of the Commission, and changes in EU international climate and energy governance. 

The ‘European Union in International Affairs’ (#EUIA20) conference invites paper abstracts and panel proposals. It will be the seventh edition of the EUIA conference, focusing on the theme ‘Assessing the EU’s Capacity to Act’. The EUIA biennial conference provides a major forum for discussion and exchange of ideas amongst academics and policy-makers who engage with these issues. We encourage the submission of paper abstracts and panel proposals that focus on the EU’s capacity to act internationally.

On Wednesday 28 August, Ms. Carla Mascia successfully defended her PhD on the implementation of (family) migration policies. It was a joint PhD between IES, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and GERME, Université Libre de Bruxelles, co-supervised by Prof. Ilke Adam (IES-VUB) and Prof. Andrea Rea (GERME, ULB). Further members of the jury were: Prof. Dirk Jacobs (ULB), Prof. Florian Trauner (VUB), Prof. Dirk Jacobs (ULB), Prof. Saskia Bonjour (University of Amsterdam) and Prof. Sylvie Saroléa (Université Catholique de Louvain).

On 16 October 2019 the VUB International Relations office organised its first Europe Day. The theme of the day was the 15th anniversary of the EU’s biggest enlargement, when 10 countries joined the European Union: Cyprus, Malta, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Part of the EU day programme was an academic panel debate, organised in cooperation with the Institute for European Studies at VUB (IES), the Jean Monnet Chair and International Relations Office.

On November 9th, 2019, the world will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and all eyes will be on the German capital. Around this historical event the city will host an international Summit from November 6th-10th, 2019. On the evening of November 9, world-renowned singers and bands will perform a peace concert, paying tribute to the past 30 years without the Wall. Former IES Academic Director Prof. Dr. Luk Van Langenhove has been invited to deliver a keynote Address to this Summit. He will speak about “The Psychology of Walls and the need for Windows of Dialogue”.

Europe’s energy transition will require higher quantities of metals. Non-ferrous metals represent the building blocks of every conceivable climate technology including batteries, clean mobility, energy-efficient buildings, solarpanels, and wind turbines. In this respect, we are delighted to share a new publication “Metals for a Climate Neutral Europe: A 2050 Blueprint”, by IES Senior Researcher Tomas Wyns and IES Doctoral Researcher Gauri Khandekar. This comprehensive report looks at the non-ferrous metals industry’s unique profile (especially achievements in electrification and circularity), potential in the transition to climate-neutrality, and the challenges and constraints that will be faced along the way.