Programme

  • Monday March 9: “EU human rights norm diffusion Case Study – EU-ASEAN relations”.

It will consider the similarities and differences between the EU and ASEAN through the lens of comparative regionalism, notably by assessing the extent to which there has been institutional diffusion/mimesis between the two regional polities, looking at ASEAN’s attempts to create robust regional human rights protection and protection mechanisms, and also to model an ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives along the lines of the EU’s COREPER.

Finally, the first session will equally touch upon the extent to which the hitherto successful ‘ASEAN Way’ can continue to be the basis for the institutional ordering of hard security relations in the region in the coming decades.

  • Tuesday March 10: EU human rights norm diffusion in light of a specific Case Study – i.e. the EU’s ‘death penalty diplomacy’ in Japan.

This session will evaluate the success of the EU’s ‘death penalty diplomacy’ in Japan, in light of the recent signing of an EU-Japan EPA/SPA, and in the context of a significant recent increase in the number of executions. In particular, we consider the success of an EU-funded project to challenge the Japanese government’s historical appeal to public opinion within Japan as a basis for the continuation of the death penalty.

  • Wednesday March 11: EU human rights norm diffusion with the Case Study: the fight against human trafficking and forced labour in the Thai fisheries industry.

This session will explore the attempts of the EU to diffuse human rights norms in Thailand. The EU sought to use its economic leverage by issuing a yellow card to Thailand for its IUU fishing offences, and also funded a major ILO project, encouraging the Thai government to introduce new legislation and practices to prevent human rights abuses in the areas of forced labour and human trafficking.

We evaluate the extent to which these two related pillars of EU pressure have been successful in the Thai case, and consider the extent to which this case study can provide a model for future best practice in the use of fisheries–related conditionality

For the full schedule of the classes, click here

The International Chair

The course, in the context of the “Rotating Chair-University of Waseda” TRAN-O615, allows a Professor from Waseda University (Tokyo) to teach a 12-hour course at the ULB, in the Specialised Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies.  The course is one of the activities emmanating from the Memorandum of Understanding between Waseda and the IEE-ULB.