Nation States or Member States? Reimagining the European Union, Tallinn - Main contents

date	October 9, 2017 09:00 - October 10, 2017 18:00
city	Tallinn, Estonia
location	Tallinn Creative Hub (Kultuurikatel), Põhja pst 27a, 10415 Tallinn, Estonia
organisation	Estonian presidency of the EU i

This conference will bring together leading academics, think-tank experts, policy-makers, civil society activists and journalists to discuss the future of Europe in these challenging times. The European Union, having survived a number of difficult crises over the past years, is looking to the future with hope for a reinvigorating renewal.

The need for European unity is underscored by growing global instability and, at the same time, interconnectedness. Yet the fundamental principles, values and the very purpose of the European Union have been questioned by populist political forces and a significant part of European citizens. Will the EU get its act together, and rethink and rebuild what unites the states and citizens of the European Union and beyond?

There will be a live stream of the event. Videos related to the event are available on our videos page and photos of events can be accessed on our photos page or on our Flickr account.

Agenda

Monday, 9 October 2017

Please note that the organisers reserve the right to make adjustments to the agenda at any time prior to the event.

15.00-16.30

Opening session

Opening remarks by the Prime Minister of Estonia, Jüri Ratas

Keynote speeches: Giuliano Amato, former Prime Minister of Italy; judge, Constitutional Court of Italy

Brigid Laffan, Director and professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies; Director of the Global Governance Programme, European University Institute, Florence

Moderator: Marek Tamm, Professor, Tallinn University

16.30-17.00

Coffee break

17.00-18.30

Panel I: The end of an ever closer European Union?

The institutional set-up of the EU has evolved over decades, but the dichotomy between federalist and intergovernmentalist visions of Europe has remained. The once-popular bicycle idiom claims that European integration must progress, just like a bicycle has to keep going, to avoid falling over. Is the bicycle still on the move? How is the balance of power between and among the EU institutions and member states changing? Who leads the EU?

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  Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Professor, University of Copenhagen
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  Christopher Bickerton, Lecturer, official fellow at Queens’ College, University of Cambridge
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  Luuk van Middelaar, Professor, Universities of Leiden and Louvain
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  Paweł Świeboda, Deputy Head, European Political Strategy Centre, European Commission
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  Moderator: Tom Nuttall, Charlemagne columnist, The Economist

18.30-21.00

Dinner reception

Speech by the Foreign Minister of Estonia, Sven Mikser

Tuesday, 10 October 2017

9.00-10.30

Panel II: Will the EU survive populism?

In recent years, European politics has been plagued by increased polarisation and the rise of populist, anti-EU parties in many member states. What are the root causes of polarisation and how can they best be addressed? Is populism tearing the EU apart? Can it be turned into a revival of democracy? Have European values lost ground in our own societies?

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  Cas Mudde, Associate Professor, University of Georgia
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  Stefan Lehne, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Europe
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  Piotr Buras, Head of Warsaw office, European Council on Foreign Relations
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  Marju Lauristin, Member of European Parliament
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  Moderator: Sylvie Kauffmann, Editorial director and columnist, Le Monde

10.30-11.00

Coffee break

11.00-12.30

Panel III: Is the economy still holding Europe together?

Economic integration has played a historical role in binding European states together in peaceful cooperation. The single market and common currency belong to the most tangible achievements of European integration. Yet the eurozone crisis exposed the shortcomings of the current structures. Is a true economic and monetary union feasible? What is the best way to address deeper challenges to the liberal economy and free trade?

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  Guntram B. Wolff, Director of Bruegel
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  Martin Sandbu, Financial Times
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  Rainer Kattel, Professor, Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, University College London; professor, Tallinn University of Technology
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  George Pagoulatos, Professor of European Politics and Economy, Athens University of Economics and Business; Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges
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  Moderator: Susanna Turunen, Finnish Broadcasting Company - Yle

12.30-13.30

Lunch

13.30-15.00

Panel IV: Circles of European (dis)integration: The future of the EU’s relations with the UK, Turkey and Ukraine

The Brexit referendum has revived broader discussions about multi-speed integration and ways to structure the EU’s relations with various important partner states, including the UK, Turkey and Ukraine. How can the EU develop constructive relations with close partners that, for various reasons, are not members of the Union? Does enlargement still have a place in the EU’s vision of the future?

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  Steven Blockmans, Head of EU Foreign Policy Unit of CEPS; professor of the University of Amsterdam
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  Atila Eralp, Professor, Middle East Technical University, Ankara
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  Svitlana Kobzar, Programme Officer, European Endowment for Democracy; Assistant Professor, Vesalius College, Brussels
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  Poul Skytte Christoffersen, Former Ambassador of Denmark to the EU
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  Moderator: Matthew Karnitschnig, POLITICO

15.00-16.00

Closing keynote speech

Anne Deighton, Emeritus Professor, Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Moderator: Kristi Raik, Director of the Conference