The UK vote on its EU membership shook up the political and academic debate – regardless of whether and in which form the British will ultimately leave the Union. The referendum follows a series of persisting, some might even say existential, crises the EU has been facing for several years. The pronounced need for action has led to new dynamics within the EU. The Bratislava summit of the EU27 in 2016 represents a first attempt to tackle the current challenges. In the same vein, the Brexit vote has put a new focus on differentiation and alternative forms of partnership with the EU onto the political and academic agenda. Which concepts of close cooperation do exist beyond membership? Have existing models proven themselves? How are the EU’s semi-integrated neighbours affected by the current developments?
The conference jointly organised by COMOS, CETEUS and ARENA will throw light on the current political developments and academic debates. In three thematic panels, the conference will discuss
1) the current internal dynamics in the EU
2) the different models of partnership with the EU, and
3) the future of Norway-EU relations.
With the conference taking place in Oslo, the organising committee will seize on the opportunity to integrate a practitioner’s perspective into the debate, for instance by inviting a representative of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a key note speaker. The conference will gather both senior scholars and up-and-coming academics from diverse backgrounds to Oslo. Beyond the academic exchange and debate, the event will serve to foster the academic network in the area of EU studies among scholars based in the EU and in Norway, and to strengthen the links to relevant scientific institutions in Oslo.
Programme
Day 1: Thursday 18 May 2017
| 13.30 – 16.00 | Plenary session |
| 13.30 – 13.45 |
Welcome |
| 13.45 – 14.05 |
Key note speech I: Norway-EU Relations Elsbeth Tronstad, State Secretary of EEA and EU Affairs, Norway |
| 14.05 – 14.20 | Q&A |
| 14.20 – 14.45 | Break |
| 14.45 – 15.30 |
Key note speech II: The European Council as the EU's Constitutional Architect: Leading or Misleading? Wolfgang Wessels, University of Cologne |
| 15.30 – 16.00 | Coffee break |
| 16.00 – 17.30 |
Academic workshop: New Dynamics or Disintegration in the EU? From Bratislava to Rome Chair: Johannes Müller Gómez, University of Cologne Democracy and Differentiation in Europe Current Challenges from a Legal Perspective Politicization, Populism and the Future of the EU Differentiated Integration Reconsidered |
Day 2: Friday 19 May 2017
| 09.30 – 11.00 |
Panel session I: Alternative Forms of Partnership of and with the EU Chair: Wulf Reiners, Turkish-German University EU Differentiation and the Role of the EEA Issues of Citizenship in the EU and the Nordic States Concepts of Differentiated Integration in Europe EU-Turkey: Towards a Strategic Partnership? Implications of Brexit for International Agreements: Will Treaties Concluded be the EU Continue to Apply to the UK? |
| 11.00 – 11.30 |
Coffee break |
| 11.30 – 13.00 |
Panel session II: Norway’s Role in Europe and the Future EU-Norway Agenda Chair: Andreas Hofmann, University of Gothenburg European and Norwegian Environment and Energy Policies Brexit: Implications for Norway EU & Norway in the Arctic EU and Norwegian Foreign and Security Policy |
| 13.00 – 13.30 |
Conclusion: Summary of findings and outlook John Erik Fossum, ARENA/University of Oslo |
Full programme (pdf)