Events - Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence
Events organized on campus offer opportunities for policy-makers, scholars and corporate leaders to discuss ongoing developments within the EU and in the transatlantic relation with students, faculty, and members of the larger public.
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Fall 2018
"Ten Years On: Reflections on the Economic and Political Legacy of the Financial Crisis for Europe"
September 25, 2018
Pierre Moscovici, European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, joined Professor Adam Tooze for a discussion on the economic and political legacies of the 2008 financial crash on its tenth year anniversary. Discussion focused on reforms made in the aftermath as well as potential changes that could be made to strengthen the European Union against future economic downturns.
The event was sponsored by the European Institute and the Maison Française and was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union.
"European Symposium: The Future of European Identity"
October 3, 2018
The Columbia European Union Student Association (CEUSA) organized a symposium that brought together academics, politics, and practitioners to speak with Columbia University students and guide policy discussions on the "Future of European Identity".
The symposium featured speakers: Antoine Ripoll (EP Liaison Office, US Congress), Pierre Vimont (former Ambassador of France to the US), Tsveta Petrova (Columbia University), Jonathan Prentice (Office UNSR for International Migration), Michele Cinque (Director of Jululu), Martin Mauthe-Kaeter (EU Delegation to the UN), Peter Kreko (Political Capital Institute), Camilla Francois (Mozilla & Harvard University), Gianluca Galletto (Global Futures Group & Smart Cities New York).
The event was sponsored by the Columbia European Union Student Associated and the European Institute, and was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"Global Economic Governance: Can Fragmentation Be Overcome?"
October 29, 2018
Marco Buti, Director General for Economic and Financial Affairs at the European Commission, spoke about the Global economy, the growing fragmentations therein, and what Europe and other major actors should do in coming years to improve the global economy. Discussion focused on the possibility of Europe playing a greater role in global governance and on the benefits of creating and maintaining multilateral ties.
After Buti's presentation, Adam Tooze and Buti engaged in a conversation elaborating further on Buti's main points. The floor was then opened for Q&A.
The event was sponsored by the European Institute and the Center on Global Economic Governance (CGEG) at Columbia University, and was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
- Photo gallery
- Video interview with Marco Buti
- Video of the event - Presentation by Marco Buti
- Video of the event - Adam Tooze conversation with Marco Buti
"Strategic Autonomy for the EU: Grand Strategy or Pipe Dream?"
November 15, 2018
Jolyon Howorth, Visiting Professor at Harvard Kennedy School, gave a talk discussing the ambition expressed by the European Union in its Global Strategy (published in 2016) to achieve "strategic autonomy" and the implications for NATO and for the US.
This event was part of the Thinking Europe Now seminar series, sponsored by the University Seminars and by the European Institute. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Spring 2019
"Conversation with Irish Ambassador Daniel Mulhall"
January 25, 2019
The European Institute was delighted to welcome Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, for an intimate conversation about Ireland and the transatlantic relationship.Ambassador Mulhall discussed the state of Irish-American relations, the state of the transatlantic relationship, Brexit and its effects, and how Ireland's history shapes its current role in international politics.
The event was co-organized by the Columbia European Union Student Association (CEUSA) and was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"A European Approach to Data Protection and AI: Discussing the EU General Data Protection Regulation and Impacts"
March 28, 2019
The European Institute welcomed Fanny Hidvegi, Policy Manager, Access Now, Estelle Massé, Senior Policy Analyst, Access Now, and Etienne Maury, Legal & Policy Officer, Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL) for a conversation on the history and context of the GDPR as well as its impacts. Discussion focused on the legal history of the GDPR, showing it as an evolution of pre-existing laws rather than an introduction of new regulation, and the specific fields it regulates.
The event was co-sponsored by Technology, Media, and Communications (TMaC) Specialization at SIPA and by the European Institute, with the support of the Erasmus + Programme of the European Union.
"Representative Democracy in Financial Crisis Governance: New Challenges in the EU Multilevel System"
April 25, 2019
A talk by Claudia Wiesner, Professor of Political Science and EU Studies, Fulda University of Applied Sciences & Visiting Scholar at the Center for European Studies, Harvard University.
The financial crisis has led to numerous political and institutional changes in the European Union. A whole new institutional setting has been built in consequence. In her talk, Claudia Wiesner analyzed the setting of the new governance structures that have been developed in the financial crisis, and their impact on balances of powers and the quality of democracy 1) on the EU level and 2) on the national level. She discussed possible solutions to the new dilemmas.
This event was part of the Thinking Europe Now seminar series, sponsored by the University Seminars and by the European Institute. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"Central Europe: from Democratization to Populism"
May 1, 2019
Is populism a symptom of democratic crises? What is its relationship to the political process in the so-called democratization countries? When and how have populist movements in Central and Eastern Europe imitated, substituted, threatened and reinforced the region's democratization processes? Tsveta Petrova (Columbia University) and Susann Worschech (European University Viadrina Frankfurt, Oder) discussed the networks and frames developed by those movements to take advantage of political opportunities in the post-communist world, with a focus on Central Europe and its democratization trajectory.
This event was sponsored by The European Institute & The Harriman Institute, and was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
- Photo gallery
- Video interview with Susann Worschech and Tsveta Petrova (pending)
"Booklaunch for Alarums & Excursions: Improvising Politics on the European Stage by Luuk van Middelaar"
May 8, 2019, at Albertine Books, 972 Fifth Avenue
The European Institute organized an off-campus event for the US launch of Alarums & Excursions: Improvising Politics on the European Stage, a book by Dutch Historian Luuk van Middelaar.
Alarums & Excursions analyzes the succession of crises which has beset the European Union in recent years – the euro crisis, Ukraine, migrations, and Brexit. In this candid and revealing portrayal of a Europe improvising its way through a politics of events and not rules, Luuk van Middelaar makes sense of the EU’s political metamorphosis over its past ten years of crisis management.
In addition to Luuk van Middelaar, Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University, and Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations, spoke at the event. The discussion was moderated by François Carrel-Billiard, Associate Director at the European Institute.
The event was co-presented by Albertine Books and the European Institute at Columbia University with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
Fall 2019
"Town Hall Meeting on Europe with Frans Timmermans"
September 23, 2019
Frans Timmermans discussed with the audience the situation in Europe today—including the sustainability challenge, the rule of law, Brexit—and the transatlantic relationship.
This event was co-sponsored by the European Institute, the School of International and Public Affairs, the Center on Global Economic Governance, the International Finance and Economic Policy Concentration, the Initiative on Central Banking and Financial Policy, the Columbia European Union Student Association, and the Columbia European Society. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World"
October 10, 2019
Anu Bradford, Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organization at the Columbia Law School, presented
excerpts of her upcoming book, The Brussels Effect: How the European Union Rules the World.
This event was part of the Thinking Europe Now seminar series, sponsored by the University Seminars and by the European Institute. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"Economic Policy: Priorities for Europe in 2020"
October 15, 2019
Marco Buti, Director General for Economic and Financial Affairs, European Commission was in conversation with Tano Santos, David L. and Elsie M. Dodd Professor of Finance, Columbia Business School and Adam Tooze, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of History & Director, European Institute, Columbia University.
The event was co-sponsored by by The European Institute & SIPA's International Finance and Economic Policy Concentration. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
"Can Politics be Cross Border? Insights from the 2019 European Parliament Election"
October 31, 2019
Andrea Venzon and Damian Boeselager (Member of the European Parliament) shared their experiences building Volt, a transnational progressive party in Europe. Venzon and Boeselager co-founded Volt at SIPA almost three years ago, along with Colombe Cahen-Salvador, as a pan-European, progressive and pragmatic Europe-wide movement aimed at reforming the European continent and solving the big challenges of our time, together.
The event was organized by the Columbia European Union Student Association (CEUSA) and co-sponsored by the European Institute, SIPA’s Office of Alumni Affairs and the Center on Global Economic Governance (CGEG). It was made possible thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
Fall 2020 & Spring 2021
In 2020-21, the Center of Excellence organized a series of six on-line discussions, “Debating the Future of Europe”, featuring leading scholars from Columbia and prominent scholars, intellectuals, and journalists from Europe.
This new series, cosponsored by the European Institute, the Columbia Alliance Program and the Columbia Global Center in Paris, was broadcasted on a monthly basis from October 2020 to March 2021. Video recordings of the events are accessible on the Youtube Channel of the European Institute.
Each event focused on one of six centrally important questions facing Europe today:
- “How Can Europe Achieve Social Justice?” on October 13, 2020, with speakers Andreas Wimmer (Columbia), Leila Hadj Abdou (European University Institute), Bruno Palier (Sciences Po) and Turkuler Isiksel (Columbia), in a debate moderated by German TV journalist Ali Aslan.
- “Are Europe and America Drifting Apart?” on November 17, 2020, with speakers Célia Belin (Brookings Institution), Sheri Berman (Columbia), Jack Snyder (Columbia), and Pierre Vimont (former French Ambassador to the U.S.), in a debate moderated by Roger Cohen from The New York Times.
- “Can the EU Lead the Fight Against Climate Change?”on December 15, 2020, with speakers Laurence Tubiana (European Climate Foundation), Alex Halliday (Earth Institute, Columbia), Jason Bordoff (SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia), and Enrico Letta (Science Po, Paris School of International Affairs) in a debate moderated by Adam Tooze (Columbia, European Institute).
- “Is Europe Democratic?” on January 26, 2021, with speakers Nadia Urbinati (Columbia), Ivan Krastev (Centre for Liberal Strategies), Luuk van Middelaar (Leiden University) and Rui Tavares (writer) in a debate moderated by Yves Mény (President emeritus of the European University Institute).
- “Is There a European Identity?” on February 9, 2021, with speakers Mark Lilla (Columbia), Riva Kastoryano (Sciences Po), Magali Bessone (Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne), in a debate moderated by Mark Mazower (Columbia).
- “Can Europe Be Sovereign?” on March 9, 2021, with speakers Anu Bradford (European Legal Studies Center, Columbia), David Goodhart (journalist), Boris Ruge (Munich Security Conference), and Dominique Reynié (Sciences Po) in a debate moderated by Carlo Invernizzi Acetti (City University of New York)
In addition to the “Debating the Future of Europe” series, the Center of Excellence hosted on November 19, 2020, an online discussion on the topic "The EU Response to the Covid Crisis: Preventing the Great Fragmentation," featuring Marco Buti, Head of Cabinet of the European Commissioner for the Economy, and Nicolas Véron, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The discussion was moderated by Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute.