The Ibrahim Abu Lughod Institute concluded a series of lectures on the European Union

On Tuesday December 1st, 2011 the Ibrahim Abu- Lughod Institute of international Studies concluded a series of guest lectures on the European Union offered by the Institute as part of the diplomacy concentration in the MA program in International Studies. There were eight interventions by local and foreign specialists in European Union issues including legal, political, economic and social aspects. This course addressed various issues such as the European Union as a regional organization, the way it developed after World War II, the accession of new members and its impact, in addition to EU institutions and the decision-making process at different levels, and the various treaties and agreements that accompanied the building of the EU. This course was under the supervision of Dr. Roger Heacock, professor of history and international studies at IALIIS, who led discussions and provided comments on each guest lecture.

Details of these lectures were as follows:

Dr. Asem khalil, the director of the Ibrahim Abu Lughod Institute of International Studies and Assistant Professor of Law at Birzeit University, presented a lecture entitled “the EU constitutional framework: From Rome to Lisbon,” in which he described the main organizations that were the basis of European integration including:  The European Coal and Steal Community, European Atomic Energy Community, and the European Economic Community (based on the 1957 Rome treaty). He also mentioned the main treaties and conventions that led to the establishment of the EU such as The Maastricht Treaty or Treaty of the European Union.

Dr. Marc Franco, Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt, presented a lecture on “The Political Economy of European Integration” through which he analyzed the historical dynamic of economic and political integration of the EU, currently facing many difficulties and challenges.

The next two lectures were related to issues of migration to Europe and its political and economical effects, and the demographic challenges the EU faces. The Director of the Migration Policy Centre at the European University Institute, Dr. Philippe Fargues, presented a lecture entitled “Migration to Europe: Between Economics and Politics” in which he illustrated many issues related to migration; he clarified the definition of migration in the European context , then he shed light on the demographic crisis  in Europe which is caused by the increase in the old age ratio suggesting that this can be compensated through migration into Europe. The next lecture was presented by Dr. Dennis Hogan, a visiting Fulbright professor of sociology from Brown University, entitled “European Population Crisis?” in which he addressed the stages of the demographic transition, the aging of the population and  proximate causes of low fertility, finally suggesting solutions to the problem of old age dependency. Unlike Dr. Fargues, he thinks that there aren’t any real solutions for the demographic problem.

The next three lectures addressed the different policies of the EU and the European Parliament.  Dr. Martin Beck, a professor of political science and Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Amman, gave a lecture entitled “Past and Future Problems of Trans-Mediterranean Relations: A European Perspective,” in which he discussed the European approach towards the Middle East after World War II – with several European countries still acting as colonial-imperial powers, until the 1950/60s. He explained that the EU’s policies towards the Middle East did not match the ideals of a civilian power until the Arab spring. For his part, Dr. Nayef Abu-Khalaf, the chairperson of the Political Science department at Al-Najah University, discussed the common foreign and security policy of the EU, its operations and objectives. The second part of his lecture was dedicated to the 2009 annual report issued by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the main aspects and options of foreign policy. Mr.  Felix Dane, Representative of Konrad-Adenauer Institution, followed with a lecture on the European Parliament (EP), illustrating its emergence as a significant international actor. In addition, he spoke about the European Commission of the EU, which internally and externally represents the interests of the EU.

The final lecture was presented by Dr. Alain Gresh, the editor in chief of Le Monde Diplomatique monthly newspaper, who discussed the role of the EU in the Palestinian – Israeli conflict, by illustrating the changes in European foreign policy from 1969 to the present. He spoke about the important changes that took place after 1971 in Europe’s policy towards the Palestinian question, that.  The key milestone was the Venice Declaration of 1980 which proclaimed the centrality of finding a just solution to the Palestinian question, and in particular the Palestinian right of self-determination as well as the importance of PLO involvement in the negotiations.

The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies organized this series of lectures in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.