Summary

The second conference of the "Global Europe in the real new (real) millenium" conference series will take place on February 22, 2022 at 8:30 pm and will provide a socio-economic reflection on the consequences of the pandemic on the future of European integration. Robert BOYER, renowned economist and fellow at the Institut des Amériques (Paris) and author of Les capitalismes à l'épreuve de la pandémie (2020), will discuss with George PAGOULATOS, professor (with Dia Anagnostou) of the course "Crisis, Changes in European Political Economy and their Impact on Societies" and director of ELIAMEP. The event will be moderated by Didier Georgakakis, academic coordinator of the European General Studies program at the College of Europe.

A position paper was written by Robert BOYER in order to support the conference.

Background

The conference cycle of the European General Studies program is a three-year cycle that aims to investigate the profound consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Entitled "Global Europe in the new (real) millennium. The EG interdisciplinary dialogue on European integration in the post-pandemic world", it aims to initiate an interdisciplinary dialogue with European intellectuals on the future of European societies and on the potential changes that are taking place. Indeed, thanks to the Congress of Vienna or the First World War, we have learned that true secular ruptures do not occur at every turn of the century. Today, the global pandemic we have just experienced seems to represent a turning point that has been described as the new true millennium. The profound consequences of the pandemic, after a series of successive crises in the years 2000-2010, may represent a major turning point for European integration.

Thus, the cycle 'Global Europe and the (real) new millennium' invites to question the trajectory of European integration at the dawn of the 21st century. Around which principles will the construction of Europe take place? In what way should the new Weltaschauung that attempted to build the Union around its new geopolitical claim and a new green deal be recomposed? How, where and to what extent? What is the likely impact on the legal-political, economic and social models that the European Union wants to embody, what are the risks in terms of global and intra-European inequalities, and what are the new opportunities to build fairer societies? 

Although there are no simple and definitive answers to these questions, the interdisciplinary dialogue with internationally recognized intellectuals and experts will provide valuable insights and renew reflection on the future of Europe's place in the world as a useful counterpoint to the resurgent debate on institutional reforms.

A first conference has already taken place in December 2021 focusing on what history can teach us about post-pandemic Europe with a discussion between Patrick PASTURE, professor of European and world history at the University of Leuven and author of Imagining European unity since 1000 AD and Professor Wolfram KAISER, professor of the course "The historical foundations of the EU". This conference has been recorded and published as a podcast.