Call for Papers for Workshop EU Crisis and Emergencies: What’s in a name?

by EmergEU
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In recent years, the European Union has faced a series of complex crises and emergencies – ranging from financial turmoil, migration challenges, and Brexit to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian war against Ukraine and rising geopolitical tensions across the globe, and environmental emergencies. Scholars in many different disciplines analyse such crises and emergencies, revealing the strengths and shortcomings of EU institutions and policies, demanding innovative governance strategies, legal frameworks, and political responses. These different research disciplines also showcase, however, variation in framing and conceptualisation of what actually constitutes a crisis or emergency, having repercussions for the object of study.

This interdisciplinary workshop invites submissions exploring the conceptualization of crises and emergencies in the European Union, including comparison with national approaches. This call seeks contributions from political science and legal scholars (but also welcomes affiliated disciplines) to examine the notions of ‘crisis’ and ‘emergency,’ highlighting potential discrepancies in terminology, interpretation, and practice. What can we learn from these different approaches in order to jointly critically assess the EU’s capacity to respond to, and learn from, crises and emergencies?

Topics of Interest:

  • Conceptualization of crisis and emergencies in different disciplines (esp. political science and law): e.g. what role does the crisis/emergency narrative play in political science theory and does it differentiate from the crisis/emergency debate in law? 

  • Outlining the implications of different conceptualizations for legal and constitutional challenges (e.g. institutional challenges arising from the management of crises and emergencies on the EU and national level; the division of powers between the EU and its Member States and the balance between national sovereignty and supranational authority during crises and emergencies; the impact of emergency law on key EU constitutional principles such as democracy, rule of law, and institutional balance; the need and feasibility of Treaty reform concerning EU emergency competences).

  • Outlining the implications of different conceptualizations for governance questions (e.g. discussing whether current EU institutions and policies are fit for purpose in managing crises, contrasting between temporary emergency powers and structured crisis responses), or for political responses and solidarity mechanisms (e.g. focusing on topics such as how crises affect trust in the EU and solidarity among member states, or political legitimacy and public perceptions of EU crisis management).

  • Outlining the implications of different conceptualizations for future pathways and institutional resilience (e.g. outlining strategies for building EU resilience to future crises (climate, economic shocks, etc.), or the role of foresight and scenario planning in EU policy). 

     


Submission Guidelines

We invite abstracts of up to 500 words, outlining the research question, approach, and main argument. Accepted papers will be presented at the workshop, with an opportunity for selected contributions to be included in a special issue or edited volume.

Important Dates:

  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 28 February 2025

  • Notification of Acceptance: 14 March 2025

  • Full Paper Submission Deadline: 30 May 2025

  • Workshop Date: 16 & 17 June 20205


We look forward to your contributions! 

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