The IEE Blog

Post-doctoral position and call for papers

We're happy to announce two opportunities for researchers in the field of European studies: a post-doctoral full time position to research "Conflicts of sovereignty in a European Union in Crisis" and a call for papers for the 8th ECLAN PhD Seminar on European Criminal Justice.

Not too close but not too far away: The EU’s relations with the new Turkey

As a result of the June elections, there are three constraining factors that might further distance Turkey from the EU. Political scientist and IEE-ULB affiliated researcher Seda Gürkan analyses them in this article.

Save the date ! On September 17 IEE-ULB graduates its class of 2018

The IEE-ULB President and Director have the pleasure to invite you to the 2017-2018 graduation ceremony, on September 17th, at 6:00 p.m., Salle Dupréel.

Celebrating a year of hard work

SAIES is in charge of weaving links between the students of the IEE, but aims also at weaving link between the Brussels youth that is passionate about European issues. The Ball allowed students who studied and collaborated during the school year to be together outside of a meeting, a conference, a visit or a classroom.

Armenia and Belarus: Caught between the EU and Russia?

Syuzanna Vasilyan, IEE-ULB affiliated researcher co-authors a recently published paper on Armenia and Belarus' relationship with the EU and Russia with Alena Viera, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Universidade do Minho, Portugal. Here are some of their findings.

EUIA18 conference will award a prize to the best paper

The ‘European Union in International Affairs’ (EUIA) Conference provides a major forum for academics and policy-makers to debate the role of the EU in the turbulent realm of international affairs. A selection of the EUIA18 best papers will be published in a themed section of the Journal of European Integration (JEI).

The European Parliament : a diluted democracy

Since its inception, the EU has modified in numerous occasions its modes of governance in order to better respond to its challenges. This is particularly the case for the European Parliament. Nathalie Brack and Olivier Costa have analysed the reforms between 1979 and 2017.

France and Europe: will the future be a long past?

Macron and Europe: three messages of hope

Mario Telò, President Emeritus of the Institute and Director of the GEM Doctoral School, considers that Emmanuel Macron's victory in the French presidential elections is not only a relief for all Europeans because of the catastrophe avoided (Le Pen President), but a rational signal of hope that France will regain its role as a dynamic factor of integration, as it was in the days of Jacques Delors and François Mitterrand.

EU-Turkey relations in the aftermath of Turkey's constitutional referendum

Seda Gürkan (CEVIPOL, IEE-ULB) analyses why the Turkish presidential system is likely to induce far-reaching changes in EU-Turkey relations, and questions whether the regime change in Turkey has the potential to put an end to Turkey's EU journey.

The "humanitarian visas" case. Drama in Aleppo: dodging in Luxembourg, hope in Brussels?

This case comes within the context of a political-media crisis following certain decisions of the Belgian Aliens Litigation Council on humanitarian visas and the injunction addressed to the Belgian State, under penalty of penalty, to issue such visas to other Syrians in a similar situation.

Will TTIP be rebranded as "Trump Trade and Investment Partnership"?

When Donald Trump takes the oath of office, he will inherit President Obama's legacy on trade -with negotiations towards the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ongoing. TTIP's future is uncertain. Tereza Novotna outlines five scenarios for what actions Trump may take.

Does the European Union's trade policy still have a future?

The European Union, twenty-seven of its member states and Canada have their sights set on Belgium, where opposition from several federated entities is blocking the signing of the AETE between Canada, on the one hand, and the European Union and its member states, on the other; Bulgaria and Romania, on the other hand, are forcing Canada to make concessions in the visa field.

The state of the Union on a Brexit background

Two and a half months after the vote on 23 January, the date of notification of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) under Article 50 of the EU Treaty is not yet known.

The Aranyosi and Caldarararu cases or the contribution of the European Court of Justice to the balance between freedom and security

In the current context, marked by the multiplication of terrorist attacks and the threat that accompanies them, the need to find a fair balance between the "security" pole (fight against impunity) and the "freedom" pole (protection of fundamental rights) is particularly acute

Safeguarding EU’s values at the supranational level. Towards increased cooperation with the Council of Europe

Over the past few decades, EU institutional actors have had to deal with a series of situations which made headlines for their potential to undermine both the quality of democracy within the European Union (EU) and European values.