EmergEU

Background

At the inception of the EU, crises were seen as drivers of the European integration process, as represented by Jean Monnet’s famous observation that Europe will be forged in crises and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises. However, today the EU is increasingly faced with crises and emergencies that have threatened its core values and have required extraordinary responses that significantly affected the EU’s institutional structures and policy-making. This impact was especially felt with the Euro crisis in 2009, and the migration crisis in 2015. However, Brexit, the rule of law crisis in some EU Member States and candidate countries, the Covid-19 health crisis, the energy and environmental crises, as well as the military conflict in Ukraine show that the EU continues to face crisis situations that are of a multifaceted and multidimensional nature.

Aims

EmergEU seeks to conceptualise the use and impact of crisis narratives, along with their legal and political implications, in the context of European integration from an interdisciplinary perspective. In doing so, EmergEU leverages the well-established CERiM network, which brings together lawyers, political scientists, social scientists, economists, and historians to contribute to European Studies research. Additionally, EmergEU explores how the EU has handled past crises and identifies what changes are necessary to make the EU more resilient to future crises and emergencies.

Objectives

EmergEU aims to become the leading academic authority on crises and emergencies through the following objectives:

• Conduct cutting-edge research and analyze crises and emergencies from an interdisciplinary viewpoint to achieve measurable and comparable results.
• Conceptualise EU crisis and emergency action by assessing institutional challenges and identifying areas in need of reform.
• Create an inventory of the EU's toolbox for addressing crises and emergencies across different policy areas.
• Draw conclusions on how existing mechanisms should be reformed or adapted within the current legal and institutional framework.
• Engage with policymakers and the public to share research findings and insights.