The Europaeum’s recent activities of 2019, news items, press releases and event reports, in chronological order (most recent first). Each year, the information on this page is archived as an Annual Summary and available as a pdf download.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

24-26 June, Estoril, near Lisbon

Estoril, International Graduate Debate

‘The Transatlantic Alliance’

Deadline 12th May 2019

How to apply

---

NEWS | April 2019

JOB OPPORTUNITY

The Europaeum announced a vacancy for a part-time Programme Officer, starting on 1st June (for 7, or perhaps 10 months). Deadline 15 May  more info

---

CALL FOR PAPERS – NOW CLOSED

30 May
Workshop ‘Trade unions, democracy and political power in France, the UK and Europe’, Oxford | deadline 14 April

Co-hosted by the Maison Francaise d’Oxford, and the European Studies Centre (Oxford), supported by the Europaeum network.

Trade Unions in Europe today

Labour unions in Europe face a range of cross-cutting challenges. including the near universal decline in membership, the collapse of traditionally highly unionised blue-collar industries, and the changes that have been wrought by the 4^th industrial revolution. On top of this, since the 1980s, established linkages between unions and especially social democratic parties have almost universally weakened, further depriving unions and workers of a traditionally key source of power and influence.

With this, the late-twentieth century has seen the virtual disappearance of the distinctive social formation termed ‘working class’ which formed the backbone of European trade unionism for the past century, and the growth of atypical, precarious and temporary forms of employment. This environment makes any collectivist vision of society, and the notion of solidarity upon which trade unionism is based, difficult to sustain.

Thus, this workshop invites papers and contributions that explore factors including (but not limited to):

• the nature of trade union power in Europe today
• the contribution of trade unions to government reform agendas through neo-corporatist arrangements and other forms of governance
• relations and alliances between trade unions and political parties and other civil society actors
• the regulation of new forms of employment, including precarious employment
• the emergence of new forms of collective action and organisation among workers, including via the use of digital technologies
• the coordination of transnational activities among workers
• campaigns and initiatives directed at consumers, new forms of training and research activities, social movement unionism, or other forms of collective action involving workers

The one-day workshop will offer panels and a roundtable discussion on the future of workplace democracy in Europe. There will be the opportunity for participants to contribute to an edited volume based on the subject and output of the conference.

---

CALL FOR PAPERS/APPLICATIONS – NOW CLOSED

2-4 May
Spring School, Oxford

NEGOTIATION, PEACE & PEACE-MAKING

‘The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war’ (Desiderius Erasmus). Half a millennium after Erasmus’s famous declaration, 2019 reminds us of the need for effective negotiations. Marking the 100^th anniversary of the Treaty of Versailles, one of the most contentious and consequential peace agreements of the modern world, 2019 witnesses the ongoing negotiations surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union. This Spring School will bring together postgraduate researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences subjects to explore themes related to peace, peace-making, and negotiation in diachronic and multidisciplinary perspective. Studies of diplomacy and negotiation are increasingly emphasising the role of non-state actors in international affairs, the importance of soft, as well as hard power in inter-state and intercultural relations, and the need to understand the dynamics of peace, as well as those of war. Meanwhile the role of negotiation and peace within communities remains a vibrant area of scholarship. Confirmed speakers include Dr Maxine David, Prof Adrian Gregory, Prof Adam Roberts, and Dr Tracey Sowerby.
We invite applications from postgraduate scholars at Europaeum member universities to attend, and we also invite applications to give papers addressing the theme of the Spring School and in particular the following topics:

• peace congresses & peace-making
• the role of soft power in negotiations
• the consequences of peace
• international organizations’ role in maintaining peace
• representations of peace & negotiation
• theories and/or of peace and/or negotiation
• the ethics of peace & negotiation
• diplomatic actors/negotiators & their agency
• negotiations within communities
• the role of peace within societies

---

NEWS | March 2019

NEW MEMBERS: We are very excited to be able to announce that Freie Universität Berlin and KU Leuven have joined the Europaeum network. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues and welcoming their students at our events.

See Press Release

See announcement on KU Leuven site

---

NEWS | March 2019

TWO NEW TRUSTEES: We are honoured that two new members have joined our Board of Trustees:

Baroness (Margaret) Jay of Paddington is a Privy Councillor and a member of the British Labour Party. She was appointed a peer in 1992 and from 1998 to 2001was the Leader of the House of Lords. This included overseeing the major reform of the House of Lords.

In her earlier career she was BBC television producer and presenter. She has a strong interest in health issues, notably as a campaigner on HIV and AIDS. She was a director of the National Aids Trust in 1987 and is also a patron of Help the Aged.

Since 2001, she has continued to play an active role in politics, including chairing the Select Committee on the Constitution. Among numerous non-executive roles she has held include being a Director of BT Group.

Professor Sally Mapstone is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, the second woman in succession to hold this role.  She is a board member of Universities UK, a trustee of UCAS and a member of the advisory board of the Higher Education Policy Institute. She leads on widening access work for Universities Scotland. She is chair of the international advisory board for the University of Helsinki. In 2017 she received the Foreign Policy Association of America medal for services to higher education.  As an academic Sally is a medievalist, with expertise in the area of medieval and Renaissance Scottish literature. She is President of the Saltire Society, which champions Scottish culture.

See Press Release