16^th Annual Graduate Student Conference

EU External Relations in the Post-Lisbon Era 

February 3 - 4, 2012

Copley Formal Lounge, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 

As the European Union searches for its place in the global order, the institutional reforms of the Lisbon Treaty have laid the groundwork for a common European external policy. However, shifting international dynamics have altered many of Europe's traditional relationships. Long-standing internal diversity, as well as the more recent unfolding of the sovereign debt crisis, has challenged European unity. Despite the reforms of Lisbon, fundamental questions remain as to whether the European Union is capable of fulfilling the goals set out in the Treaty. Young scholars from around the world and across academic disciplines will gather to present their research and debate the place Europe will find for itself in this increasingly interdependent international environment. The conference will also feature an expert roundtable comprised of Washington-based practitioners. All interested individuals are encouraged to attend and to participate in lively discussions stimulated by these pressing topics.

Friday, February 3

12:15 – 1:00    Welcome and Keynote Address by His Excellency Peter Taksoe-Jensen,

                       Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark

2:00 – 3:15      Panel I – EU Political Influence Abroad and the Evolution of the EEAS

3:45 – 5:00      Panel II – Changing Boundaries: Humanitarian Action, Migration, and Culture

6:15 – 8:30      Expert Roundtable and Reception (RSVP Required)

                        Panelists include:

                        Mr. Jamie Fly, Executive Director, Foreign Policy Initiative

                        Ms. Lena Gerber, Economic Officer, United States Department of State

                        Mr. Somerville Evans, Political Officer, United States Department of State

                        Ms. Gisella Gori, Senior Political Advisor, Political, Security and Development    

                                                  Section, Delegation of the European Union to the United States

                        Mr. David Weiner, Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative, Europe

                        Co-hosted by the BMW Center for German and European Studies Alumni Association

Saturday, February 4

11:30 – 12:45  Panel III – Toward a More Secure Europe: Cooperation at Home and Abroad

1:45 – 3:00      Panel IV – The European Economy in an Interdependent World

Please RSVP by February 2, 2011

For the complete papers to be presented at each panel and other information, visit our website at:

http://cges.georgetown.edu/research/conferences/gradstudentconference/

The Graduate Student Conference is generously supported by the BMW Center for German and European Studies and the CGES Alumni Association, American Consortium on European Union Studies, and DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service.