The seminar Reclaiming the Normative Foundations of the EU is organised by the Minister for Federal and European Affairs of the State of Hessen and the Goethe University Frankfurt.
In November 2014, Prof. Dr. Erik Oddvar Eriksen published his recent book under the German title Die Normativität der Europäischen Union (Verlag Karl Alber). In his lecture, he will for the first time present his analyses and ideas to the Brussels public.
Currently the European Union is in a major crisis – maybe the greatest crisis since its establishment. Against this backdrop it is of the utmost importance to reasses and redefine the normative foundations of this transnational political organisation. In his talk Erik O. Eriksen will critically reconstruct the principles that formed the basis of the European integration process so far. His pragmatist approach thereby allows for a new dynamic understanding of this process. This approach no longer draws on the as classic as stiff categories like sovereignty or political self-determination, but understands the gradual formation of the European Union as a process of reflexive integration. Eriksen will demonstrate how the principles of democracy, of deliberation, justice, rule of law and solidarity are combined in a normative structure that drives the process of integration. At the same time he will point to the threat that in the course of the current crisis a lasting arbitrary rule develops in which the economically strong states force far-reaching structural adjustment programmes on the weaker ones. Eriksen will conclude by pointing out where the normative resources of the European integration are that can be brought into position against such a reversion to the interest driven politics of single states.
Reclaiming the Normative Foundations of the EU
Monday, 23 February 2015 at 12.30–14.30
Reception and lunch buffet from 12.00
Representation of the State of Hessen to the European Union
21, Rue Montoyer, 1000 Brussels
Welcome:
Mark Weinmeister, State Secretary for European Affairs of the State of Hessen
Prof. Dr. Matthias Lutz-Bachmann, Vice President for Research Goethe University Frankfurt
Keynote lecture: Reclaiming the Normative Foundations of the EU
Prof. Dr. Erik Oddvar Eriksen, ARENA Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo
Keynote remarks:
Jo Leinen, Member of the European Parliament
Simultaneous interpretation into German/English available
Registration
For more information and registration, please contact Goethe University by e-mail (brussels[at]uni-frankfurt.de)