This year’s theme is ‘Maastricht at 30: What next for Europe?’. The call for papers deadline is 22 April 2022.

The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union as we know it, introducing the EU citizenship granted to every citizen of a member state and paving the way for a single currency. Three decades on, the enlarged, and politically and culturally diverse EU faces new challenges. Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic widened the divide between the member states, limiting citizens’ freedoms and reinstating old borders. As the world emerges from the pandemic, a military conflict and humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale is unfolding just outside the EU’s borders. Though the EU has responded to the security threat with unity, the situation has highlighted limited integration in security and defence. Shifts in the global balance of power, the emergence of new and powerful players, and increasing instability on the EU’s borders have rekindled the debate on energy security, migration, and climate governance.

The University Association for Contemporary European Studies is the global membership organisation for academics, students and practitioners in European Studies.

Working with UACES to organise the conference is Dr. Patrick Bijsmans, member of the Politics Department and of the UACES Governing Committee.