To take stock of how the EU addressed the main challenges, reaching from the economy to climate change, across all six priorities of the European Commission during the duration of the project:

• A European Green Deal;
• A Europe fit for the digital age;
• An economy that works for people;
• A stronger Europe in the world;
• Promoting our European way of life;
• A new push for European democracy.

To look ahead: what issues still need to be addressed, how and by whom? What are the lessons to be learned by the Commission?

Programme

09:30-10:00 | Arrivals and walk-in coffee
10:00-10:30 | Welcome, review of project results, and introduction to the conference
Christine Neuhold, RELAY project co-coordinator and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences

10.30-12:00 | Panel 1 – Making the EU more ‘democratic’ and more ‘socially fair’: how far have we come?
Panellists will reflect on the extent to which the EU has become more democratic and socially fair since 2019: what difference did the Conference on the Future of Europe make? What about the European Parliament and national parliaments in this context? What about the European Ombudsman against this backdrop?

Speakers:
Michiel van Hulten, Transparency International
Katrin Auel, Institute for Advanced Studies – Vienna
Alvaro Oleart, Université Libre de Bruxelles
Aidan O'Sullivan, Cabinet of the European Ombudsman
Moderator: Christine Neuhold, Maastricht University

13.00-14.30 | Panel 2 – Promoting ‘EU values’ and assuming ‘global leadership’
This panel will take first stock of to what extent the EU has been successful in upholding the values of equality, tolerance and social fairness in a transforming Union. We will then look into how some of these core values of the EU are upheld on the global stage. To what extent is the EU a global player? Does the changing global order weaken the EU’s liberal orientation as an international actor or does it fact strengthen the principles that frame a rules-based liberal international order?

Speakers:
Domenico Valenza, United Nations University – CRIS
Eske van Gils, Groningen University
Tinatin Akhvlediani, Centre for European Policy Studies
Moderator: Giselle Bosse, Centre for European Research in Maastricht

14.45-16:15 | Panel 3 - A ‘sustainable’ and ‘green’ Europe that is ‘fit for the digital age’: how to get there?
The European Commission strives for Europe to be the first climate-neutral continent as the impact of climate change has moved to the top of the (European) political agenda. Another EU priority, Europe’s digital transformation, has become instrumental to the EU’s sustainability goals. The interrelation between these two transformations is often referred to as the ‘twin transition’. But what steps were undertaken to get there? What role does the European Green Deal play in this context? How did/will it impact on those without a strong ‘voice’? During this panel, we will address these questions and probe into the impact of the twin transition for different societal groups as well as discuss insights and recommendations with policy-makers and civil society.

Speakers:
Luana Russo, Maastricht University
Aída Ponce Del Castillo, European Trade Union Institute
Stevan Vujasinovic, Reshaping Work
Moderator: Darian Meacham, Brightlands Institute for Smart Society

16:15-16:30 | Concluding remarks
16:30-17:30 | Closing reception