International Conference “Theorizing the European Neighbourhood Policy”
Conference venue: Bruges, Belgium
Period: September 17-18, 2015
Deadline for submitting abstracts: May 15, 2015
Deadline for submitting full papers: August 31, 2015
The Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies at the College of Europe invites scholars to submit proposals for papers to be presented at an international conference on “Theorizing the European Neighbourhood Policy” to be held on 17-18 September 2015 at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. The conference benefits from the financial support of the European Commission. Participation is free of charge. The organizers will cover the speakers’ travel costs, accommodation and meals during the conference. The working language is English.
Despite the growing academic literature on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), theoretical approaches attempting to explain and/or predict its evolution and effects have so far attracted limited scholarly attention.
Although the ENP has arguably become an important pillar of EU external action over the past decade, it has increasingly been criticized for having failed to effectively support the neighbouring countries to become democratic, prosperous and secure societies.
Against this backdrop, it is rather surprising that the shaping of the ENP, its successes and failures, have generated comparatively little theory – building beyond case studies and ad hoc explanations. The conference aims to contribute to the further development of EU external relations theory by explaining the origins, development, (in)effectiveness, differentiation and (in)consistency of the ENP from various perspectives as well as the role played by other global actors.
Papers are expected to draw on International Relations theories, foreign policy analysis and integration theories or approaches such as EU external governance.
They may apply and refine a specific theory, test competing theories or develop their own theoretical approach, and they should provide for solid linkages between theory and empirical research.
Selected papers will be edited and published in a peer-reviewed book or special issue.
Eligible topics
Papers should fit into one of the following four panels and may address questions such as those provided in the non-exhaustive lists below.
Panel I: Explaining the origins, form and substance of the ENP
What drives the ENP, that is, why has it been launched, respectively reviewed?
To what extent, how and why is the ENP informed by the enlargement process?
How can the scope, the instruments and the institutional set-up of the ENP be explained?
Panel II: Explaining the effectiveness and relevance of the ENP
Under what – internal and external – conditions is the ENP, or parts thereof (e.g. sectoral policies, conditionality, legislative approximation) effective or not?
How have the Arab Spring and the (frozen or open) conflicts to the east and south of the EU affected the ENP? And vice versa, how has the ENP affected these conflicts?
To what extent has the ENP been a relevant EU foreign policy and has the EU drawn lessons from its shortcomings?
Under which conditions can it be a relevant EU foreign policy for the future?
Panel III: Explaining the differentiation and consistency of the ENP
To what extent have the different EU actors involved in the ENP acted consistently, and under what conditions are ENP policies consistent?
How can the differentiation between policies, respectively between ENP countries be explained?
Why have the Union for the Mediterranean and the Eastern Partnership been created and what was their impact on the ENP?
Panel IV: Explaining the role of the other global actors in the ENP
How can the role of Russia in the ENP be explained?
What role did the US play in the ENP and why?
How does the ENP relate to other regional schemes (e.g. Agadir Agreement, Arab Maghreb Union, Eurasian Economic Union) and what explains this relationship?
Guidelines for submission
Please submit paper abstracts of approximately 500 words along with a brief CV résumé (1 paragraph), indicating which of the panels you would like to apply for, to Sabine Dekeyser (sabine.dekeyser@coleurope.eu) no later than 15 May 2015.
All proposals will be reviewed and the organizers will soon there after take a decision. A key criterion will be the theoretical contribution of the proposals. Confirmed participants are expected to provide complete drafts of their papers, which should not exceed 8,000 words, in electronic format by 31 August 2015.
Organizer
College of Europe
Information & contacts
Sabine Dekeyser
e-mail: sabine.dekeyser@coleurope.eu
