The workshop will feature eight international and local experts in two panels:

Panel 1. Countercurrents on the borders? – Discovering Europe’s external limits in the far and near abroad

The European Union has succeeded to considerably expand its influence during the past 15 years. The three rounds of enlargement and the strengthening of the EU’s economic and political presence in its neighborhood are among the most remarkable successes of its post-Cold War history. Brussels was able to actively mold its regional environment by offering the benefits of integration. Recently, however, the strength of the Union’s enlargement promise appears to have diminished, reducing Europe’s capabilities to shape its external relations. It is uncertain to what extent “everything but the institutions”-type solutions are able to uphold the pull of the European magnet. Moreover, Russia’s “sovereign democracy” and Turkey’s ambitious regional policies have started to seriously constrain the traditional logic of the community’s activities, while the stagnant transatlantic agenda has so-far failed to offer new perspectives of a revitalized Western liberal grand coalition for the 21st century.

Is the EU’s regional leadership role fading away? Has the Union’s external image and credibility changed during the past years? Can the EU address partners in its neighborhood as equals or at least as fellow stakeholders and policy-shapers? What is the role of transatlantic partnership in shaping Europe’s environment? Can the EU win new allies in the multipolar world?

Panel 2: A rusting structure? – The effect of internal compromises and economic developments on Europe’s appeal in the new decade

Despite the recent ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU does not offer the image of an efficient, cohesive and innovative political structure to many internal and external observers. It remains to be seen how the implementation of the Treaty will be carried out, how efficient the new key office holders will turn out to be, and whether the fears of policy re-nationalizations will be checked. The Lisbon Treaty, as is clear to all, addresses only institutional foundations. The development a new framework concept that would both continue and add to the Lisbon Strategy has begun, but its outcome is far from certain. Some commentators doubt whether sustainable growth, development, trade, labour market policies, competitiveness, as well as research and innovation can be brought together in a single strategy and whether this strategy will then be carried out more cohesively and with more commitment on the part of member states than its precursor.

Will Europe continue as a site of efficient multi-level governance or is policy fragmentation what lies ahead? Are the current and the future European models competitive? Does the EU offer regional or global strategies for the future? Is the EU successful in representing the interests of its members while also ensuring that a distinctive European voice is heard clearly in international forums?