Europe Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall The New Europe, New Europes?

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
Fondation Pierre du Bois pour l'histoire du temps présent
Geneva, October 14-15, 2010

Europe Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall The New Europe, New Europes?

The organizers of this conference wish to provide a framework for reflection on developments and realignments in Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Eastern enlargement of the European Union.

The conference proposes to explore changes and continuities by analyzing the transformations in Europe following the fall of the Iron Curtain and by contextualizing EU Eastern enlargement within the long-term development of European integration up to the present. The conference will also examine the interaction between these transformations, Eastern enlargement and other changes that have occurred in international politics since the early 1990s.

The impact of these changes will be explored within the following themes:

- The emergence of a European political space, within the EU and beyond its borders: Russia and Europe, the Caucasus and Europe, the Balkans and Europe, but also the role of other European organizations, notably the Council of Europe, as well as EU member-states in Europe or Europe in the world.

- The internal functioning of the EU: the impact of the accession of new member-states on European institutions and relations between member-states, the impact on the role of non-state actors and civil society.

- The development of EU external relations: relations with the United States - within NATO and beyond - and Russia as well as with the EU's new neighbours in the East and the countries of the Mediterranean region, relations with the rising powers of India and China and less developed states, also in the context of globalization.

- Visions and expectations regarding Europe and the European integration process: perceptions of an enlarged EU and its long-term development expressed by intellectuals as well as official
discourse and public opinion. This perspective will allow us to address a number of issues including the impact of the communist heritage or the rise of Euro-scepticism.

Researchers interested in participating in the colloquium and presenting a paper that fitted within these themes are invited to submit an abstract of the proposed contribution (500 words maximum) to colloque2010@fondation-pierredubois.ch until 30 October 2009.

The organisers encourage contributions by researchers at all stages of their academic career. For younger researchers, they may however request a letter of recommendation from the supervisor or an example of written work.