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Europe in the World



This community provides an interdisciplinary understanding of Europe’s role in the world. It draws on a range of approaches in the social sciences and the humanities. The community delivers a range of cross-campus activities where students interact on key EU topics, assessing the international significance of European integration, the impact of global developments on Europe, the processes of EU law making, EU policies and the changing role of Europe in the new world order to name a few.
Learning Community Activities
Upcoming Events

EUTOPIA virtual simulation exercise on the European Media Freedom Act

When? 10-11 February 2025
Where? Online. Access will be provided to a dedicated Canvas (VUB) course.
To know more and sign up, please see this brochure.
Deadline: 15 December 2024

Past Events


2024: 

EUTOPIA virtual simulation exercise on the European Media Freedom Act

When? February 12-13 2024.
Where? Online. Access will be provided to a dedicated Canvas (VUB) course
To know more and sign up, please see this brochure and briefing note.

VUB Coverage https://www.brussels-school.be/output/news/bsog-winter-school-eu-policy-making-wraps-22-students-successfully-complete-its-fourth

2022-23:
  • Cross-campus Lecture Series on ‘Economic Policies of the EU’ –When? Feb 2 - May 29 2023 – Where? Virtual – More info in this brochure
  • Virtual Simulation Exercise on the EU Data Act. When? February 9-10 2023. Where? Online. Access will be provided to a dedicated VUB course. To know more and sign up, please see this brochure and briefing note.
VUB Coverage https://brussels-school.be/news/educational-news/20-students-successfully-complete-third-edition-bsog-winter-school-eu-policy
 
  • Cross-campus Lecture Series on ‘Economic EU Policies’ –When? Feb-May 2022 – Where? Virtual – More info in this brochure and article
  • VUB-led Virtual Simulation Exercise EU Policy Making 10-11 February 2022 (LC Europe in the World second iteration of this activity) - organised by Prof. Trisha Meyer, Brussels School of Governance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 
    Simulation exercise on intra and inter-institutional negotiations of draft EU Digital Services Act. The exercise puts theory of EU policy-making into practice, allowing students to gain first-hand experience of EU institutional negotiations, rules and strategies. Part of the VUB Winter School on EU Policy-Making: Analysing Digital Rights in Today’s EU (1-12 Feb 2021). The format of the the simulation exercise was adapted from spanning across the two weeks of the winter school to two days to facilitate participation of EUTOPIA students.
VUB Coverage https://brussels-school.be/news/educational-news/26-students-successfully-complete-second-edition-bsog-winter-school-eu-policy 
Warwick Coverage https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/news/2022/3/warwick_economics_students_take_part_in_eutopia_virtual_simulation_exercise/
 
  • EUTOPIA labeled LU ‘Europe in the world’ (sept-nov 2022), coordinated by L. Aggestam (UoG) including VUB-led guest lectures.
  • Virtual Simulation of Council negotiations on post-2020 EU budget – When? 28 June – 9 July 2021 – Where? Online – More info in this brochure
  • Cross-campus lectures series offered by UPF:
    • Lecture 1 – Wednesday, 5th of May (9,30 – 11.00 CET, online): ‘The future of the common security and defense policy: the EU as a global military actor’, by Professor LUIS SIMON, IR Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Director of the Elcano Brussels Office
    • Lecture 2 – Wednesday, 19th of May (9,30 – 11.00 CET, online): ‘Jobs, economic growth and investment – The EU Horizon Programme’, by Dr. INGA ULNICANE, Research Fellow and DE Montfort University, UK – More info
  • Cross-campus Lecture series on ‘Economic EU Policies’ –When? Feb-May 2021 – Where? Virtual – More info in this brochure
  • Summer School on EU Policy-Making: EU policy-making: Analysing civil rights in today’s EU – When?5-16 July 2021 – Where? Brussels & Vienna – more info: https://www.eu-summerschool.eu
  • Winter School on EU Policy-Making: Analysing Digital Rights in Today’s EU –When? 1-12 Feb 2021 – Where? Virtual – more info: https://www.eu-winterschool.eu
  • Virtual Simulation Exercise on the EU Digital Services Act. When? February 4-5 2021. Where? Online. Access will be provided to a dedicated VUB course. More info in this brochure.
  • EUTOPIA labelled LU ‘Europe in the world’ (sept-nov 2021), coordinated by L. Aggestam (UoG) including VUB-led guest lectures.
  • EUTOPIA labelled LU ‘Europe in the world’ (sept-nov 2020), coordinated by L. Aggestam (UoG) including VUB-led guest lectures.
How to get involved?

(Students and educators)
Contact the EUTOPIA curriculum team: Jo Angouri (J.Angouri@warwick.ac.uk) and Karen Triquet (karen.triquet@vub.be).

Learning Community Members
Lead: Lisbeth Aggestam (GU). Email: Lisbeth.aggestam@gu.se

Lisbeth Aggestam is Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Research (CERGU), University of Gothenburg. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Stockholm and held a lectureship at the University of Bath (UK) until 2013. Prior to that she was a post-doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) and a Chevening scholar at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.
Aggestam works in the field of International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the ISA journal, Foreign Policy Analysis, published by Oxford University Press.
Her main research interests are foreign policy cooperation and integration in Europe. Her recent work focuses on the concept of political leadership in European foreign policy. She is particularly interested in institutional change and agency in EU leadership governance across a range of political issues, including Brexit, transatlantic relations and European security.
During the academic year 2021/22, Aggestam is on a research sabbatical (funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond) to work on her forthcoming book with the provisional title, The Quest for European Leadership - Foreign Policy in a Turbulent World. She will be a visiting scholar at the European Studies Centre at St Antony's College, Oxford, in the autumn of 2021 and at the Center for European Studies, Harvard, in the spring of 2022.

Partner: Andrea Noferini (UPF). Email: andrea.noferini@upf.edu

Andrea Noferini is an adjunct professor at the Department of Political Science, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a member of the Jean Monnet Chair on EU Governance. His research deals with Public Policies and Institutional Reforms in Europe with a special focus on Governance, Territorial Cooperation, Cohesion policy, and Decentralized Cooperation.

Partner: Linda Benrais (CY). Email: benrais@essec.edu

Linda Benraïs is an adjunct professor of Comparative Law and Mediation at ESSEC Business School and Director of the Governance and Conflict Resolution Programs at the Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation (IRENE). Her research focuses on partnerships, mediation and human rights. She is an accredited mediator and judge at the National Court of Asylum.

Partner: Sven Van Kerckhoven (VUB). Email: Sven.Van.Kerckhoven@vub.be

Sven Van Kerckhoven is a professor of Business and Economics at Vesalius College and the Institute for European Studies (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). He also serves as Vice-Dean for Education at both institutions. His research focuses on global economic governance.

Partner: Trisha Meyer (VUB). Email: Trisha.Meyer@vub.be

Trisha Meyer is a professor of Digital Governance and Participation at Vesalius College and the Institute for European Studies (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). She is also the Director for the Research Centre on Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation at both institutions and the Academic Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Summer School on EU Policy-Making. Her research focuses on digital platform governance.

Partner: Christian Soegaard (UW). Email: C.Soegaard@warwick.ac.uk

Christian Soegaard is a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick and Director of Student Engagement and Progression. He teaches the third year module EC307 Macroeconomic Policy in the EU. His research focus is international trade.

Partner: Mojmir Mrak (UL). Email: mojmir.mrak@ef.uni-lj.si

Mojmir Mrak is a professor at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana. He has also been a regular visiting professor at WU in Vienna (Austria) and at BSB in Dijon (France). His main research fields include national and EU Public Finances, EU accession as well as international capital flows. Mojmir Mrak is the author, co-author and editor of numerous books published by international publishers and leading international journals.

Partner: Vasja Rant (UL). Email: vasja.rant@ef.uni-lj.si

Vasja Rant is an associate professor at the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana. He teaches Economic Policies of the EU at the master's level and International Finance at both undergraduate and master's levels. His research focus is EU Economic Integration, International Financial Issues and Banking. He has actively participated in multiple EU multi-annual financial framework negotiations and has acted as a consultant to the Western Balkan countries for the financial aspects of the EU accession process.