Policy and Research | Policy and Research Historic | Workshop April '08

Bologna Center of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Conference Series in International Relations

“Obstinate or Obsolete? The Fate of the European Union” A one – day workshop

April 4, 2008 Bologna Center of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Via Belmeloro, 11 Bologna, Italy This event was supported by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung in Koeln, Germany.

Select Photos from the April 4, 2008 Obstinate or Obsolete? The Fate of the European Union One-Day Workshop For a list of participants, click here

The workshop The workshop brought together high – level academics from both sides of the Atlantic responsible for directing the world's largest professional organization focused on the study of European integration, The European Union Studies Association (EUSA). Its deliberations were intended to help to shape the debate about the future of the EU and U.S. – EU relations.

The rationale The European Union appears to have turned a corner on the political crisis that began with the French and Dutch referenda on the European Constitutional Treaty. The new institutional reform treaty is less ambitious and yet perhaps more successful as a result. But what does this entail about the future of European integration? The question is not just a matter of domestic concern. At the time of the workshop, the U.S. presidential elections were gathering momentum, and it was clear that the transatlantic relationship was headed for a substantial change. European countries and the European Union must be poised to take advantage of the possibilities that a new U.S. administration has to offer. At the same time, any new U.S. administration will need to know what to expect from the European Union. The purpose of this one-day workshop was to set a baseline for expectations both inside Europe and across the Atlantic. By implication, participants discussed not just the fate of the European Union but also the future of the transatlantic relationship.

The program 10:30 – 12:30 Morning session Politics and Institutions The reform treaty has been agreed and now ratification must take place. But how much should we really expect the performance of European institutions to improve and where does this leave the ambition to bring ‘Europe’ closer to the people? Is the ability of the European Union to act as a single entity constrained by the nature of its popular legitimacy? Does the European Union retain any ‘constitutional’ ambitions or have these been finally put to rest? Are European Union institutions prepared for future enlargement or does the current state of institutional design imply that all (or perhaps only some) potential future enlargements are on hold? 12:30 – 14:30 Lunch break and discussion "Future of the European Economy" Horst Siebert Heinz Nixdorf Professor in European Integration and Economic Policy, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Center, and President Emeritus, Kiel Institute for World Economics 14:30 – 16:20 Early afternoon session Growth, Competitiveness, Employment The rise of China, the volatility of the dollar, and the aftershocks of the sub-prime lending crisis add to the challenge of promoting growth, competitiveness, and employment across the European Union. Worse, such external factors complicate the difficult process of preparing for the impact of population aging on European welfare states. How successful has the European Union’s macroeconomic framework been at providing either stability or growth? How much can we really expect from the process of welfare state reform? Are economic and demographic trends uniting or dividing the member states of the European Union? What impact are economic developments having on relations between Europe and the United States? 16:30 – 18:20 Late afternoon session Power and Purpose in the Wider World The United States government now recognizes that it cannot police the world on its own. Yet is the European Union ready or willing to shoulder greater burdens, whether in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, or elsewhere? How committed are the member states to the development of a common foreign and security policy with respect to Russia, Iran, Pakistan or North Korea? Does the external reach of the European Union extend much beyond its immediate neighborhood or is European influence becoming ever more restricted in regional terms? Have the recent institutional reforms strengthened the European Union’s ability to create linkages between economic and security instruments in the conduct of foreign policy? Is Europe foreign policy better understood as a purview of the member states and not the Union as a whole? 18:30 – 19:30 Keynote Address "A Country for Old Men? Berlusconi's Likely Victory in the 2008 Elections" Gianfranco Pasquino Professor of Political Science, University of Bologna, and Senior Adjunct Professor of European Studies, Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Center 19:30 Cocktail Reception