It has been a busy year so far at the ANU Centre for European Studies (ANUCES). We’d like to update you on some of our key activities that have taken place from January to May 2017, and we invite you to read our publications and listen to recordings of our lectures and seminars. Download a PDF of the below ANUCES Update (PDF 105.62KB)

Don’t forget to visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay in the loop on more to come in 2017, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us on europe.anu.edu.au, +61 2 6125 9896, or social media. Thank you for being part of our community!

Publications

Briefing paper / Big Ideas from Europe – Exploring Brexit  /  Published in January 2017  /  Editor: Mr Nicholas Simoes da Silva
This briefing paper is one in a series of papers on European ideas and issues. The series builds on panel discussions broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas program, held in partnership with ANUCES and Monash University.
Read this briefing paper on our website
Read more about the Big Ideas from Europe partnership on our our website and listen to the audio recordings on the ABC Radio National website

Policy note – Brexit: Why and How?  /  Published April 2017  /  Author: Aneurin (Nye) Hughes
Read this policy note on our website
Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

Policy note – Ukraine's Path to the European Union: Challenges and Perspectives   /  Published April 2017  /  Author: His Excellency Dr Mykola Kulinich, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia
Read this policy note on our website
Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

Policy note – Dates to watch: Europe in 2017  /  Published March 2017  /  Author: Mr Nicholas Simoes da Silva
Read this policy note on our website

Events

Panel Discussion: Post-Eurovision Blues   /  18 May 2017  /  Co-hosted with the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the Ukraine Democracy Initiative, this panel brings together academic commentators on European politics, languages, gender, culture and music to uncover the myths and realities of the Eurovision Song Contest. For more information visit our website

European Studies Postgraduate Weekend Workshop  /  12-15 May 2017  /  Co-hosted with the University of Canterbury and held in Hanmer Springs, New Zealand, this workshop was made up of students of European Studies who each presented their research. We were delighted to send Nicholas Simoes da Silva and Tanya Ma who both did an excellent job with their research being very well received. We are also pleased to report that Nicholas was awarded Best Paper! For more information visit the New Zealand European Union Centres Network website

Cultural Representations of Transnational Childhoods: European-Australian-American Perspectives  /  13 May 2017  /  This symposium explored past and contemporary representations of transnational childhoods in literature, film and other media that foreground the mobile nature of children’s lives, encouraging reflection on children’s experience of mobility as an essential factor in their cognitive and emotional development. It was co-hosted with the Institute of English Studies at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. For more information visit our website

Roundtable: Current Issues in British Politics  /  11 May 2017  /  An excellent roundtable discussion on British politics with Mr Andrew McDonald, Chair of UK disability charity Scope, co-hosted with the ANU College of Law. Mr McDonald writes on public policy, history, illness, and disability.

Europe Day: European Election Update  /  9 May 2017  /  We celebrated Europe Day 2017 with a student gathering for a European Election Update, presented by Tanya Ma, Nicholas Simoes da Silva and Dr Katrine Beauregard. Europe Day 2017 marks the anniversary of the historic ‘Schuman Declaration’ – the beginning of what is now the European Union. To find out more about Europe Day visit our website

Big Ideas Panel Discussion – Songs for Europe: The History and Politics of the Eurovision Song Contest  /  27 April 2017  /  Co-hosted with Monash University, this panel discussion interrogates the Eurovision Song Contest as a way to illuminate identity politics in contemporary Europe. As the discussion shows, there is more to it than Euro-kitsch. The panel discussion took place at Monash University and was broadcast on Radio National Big Ideas on Monday 15 May. Listen to the audio recording on the ABC Radio National website

Brexit Lecture Series – The future of the European Union: Lessons from the Norwegian Experience  /  26 April 2017  /  An insightful lecture on Brexit and the EU from a Norwegian perspective delivered excellently by Professor Ulf Sverdrup, Director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). This lecture was part of our Brexit Lecture Series. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

Global Migration Roundtable with Mr Christian Leffler  /  20 April 2017  /  This was an excellent roundtable discussion on global migration. We were proud to host Mr Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary-General for Global and Economic Issues at the European External Action Service (EEAS) together with His Excellency Mr Sem Fabrizi, Ambassador of the Delegation to the European Union in Australia, and distinguished diplomatic and academic guests. For more information visit the EEAS website

Harry Rigby Lecture Series – Russia and the Crisis in Western Policy-Making  /  4 April 2017  /  An excellent lecture delivered by Dr Bobo Lo, an independent analyst who writes extensively on Russian foreign policy, including A Wary Embrace: What the China-Russia Relationship Means for the World (Penguin Random House for the Lowy Institute, 2017). This event was co-hosted with the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, and is part of our Harry Rigby Lecture Series. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

DFAT Training Day  /  30 March 2017  /  We delivered a European Union Training Course for DFAT and other APS staff working with Europe. The course involved a number of presenters, including Mr David Ritchie AO, former Australian Ambassador to Germany, who gave a lecture on ‘Australia and the EU: Reflections on current challenges’. Thank you to all speakers and participants. For more information on the European Union Training Course visit our website

European Union Development Policy  /  28 March 2017  /  Mr Stefano Manservisi, Director-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission discussed European Development policy within the framework of the European Union Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy and the 2030 Agenda, also taking into consideration the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. For more information visit our website

KAS Roundtable  /  24 March 2017  /  The Australian National University and representatives from Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) came together for a substantive and interesting Roundtable discussion on federal governments, Brexit impact, and regional security. For more information on Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung visit the KAS website

Trade and Finance in the Era of Donald Trump: A European Perspective  /  21 March 2017  /  Professor Heribert Dieter of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs gave a thought-provoking lecture on trade and finance under Trump, and explored how 2017 may see a showdown between the USA and Europe on trade and monetary policy. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

NGA Public Lecture: A European Royal State – Louis XIV's Savonnerie Carpets  /  19 March 2017  /  Wolf Burchard, Furniture Research Curator, National Trust, London, author of The Sovereign Artist: Charles Le Brun and the Image of Louis XIV shared his expert knowledge of Louis XIV's Savonnerie carpets at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), as part of the Versailles: Treasures from the Palace exhibition. This lecture was also part of our Art and Europe partnership with the NGA. For more information visit our website

US-Russia Update  /  8 March 2017  /  Professor Vladimir Kuznetsov of the Far-Eastern State University, Russia, gave an intriguing update on US-Russia relations under the Trump presidency. This event was co-hosted with the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific. For more information visit our website

The Local and Global Trade Policy Implications of Brexit  /  7 March 2017  /  Alan Winters from the University of Sussex and Richard Baldwin from the Graduate Institute in Geneva put their trade policy expertise together in this high-level panel discussion on the trade policy implications of Brexit. The panel featured Kym Anderson AC from the University of Adelaide as Discussant and was co-hosted with the University of Adelaide’s EU Centre for Global Affairs. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

Harry Rigby Lecture Series – Social Movements and Identity in Contemporary Russia  /  3 March 2017  /  This public lecture featured two excellent talks: ‘Beyond “Regime” and “Opposition”: Structural Features of Protest and Social Movements in Putin’s Russia’, by Mischa Gabowitsch; and ‘Russia in Search of a New Identity: European Dimensions’, by Vladimir Kuznetsov. This lecture was part of our Harry Rigby Lecture Series. For more information visit our website

Brexit: Why and How?  /  28 February 2017  /  Aneurin (Nye) Hughes was Head of the European Commission’s Delegation to Australia and New Zealand, 1995-2002. Mr Hughes gave an insightful, thought-provoking and entertaining lecture on the why and how of Brexit in the very room that was named after him. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud and read the policy note on our website

Distinguished Lecture - The State of the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities  /  17 February 2017  /  Mr Matthias Ruete, Director General for Migration and Home Affairs (incl. Counter Terrorism) gave this excellent Distinguished Lecture exploring the challenges and opportunities ahead for the European Union. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud

Ukraine’s Path to the EU: Challenges and Perspectives  /  16 February 2017  /  His Excellency Dr Mykola Kulinich, Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, gave an insightful lecture exploring Ukraine’s desire to be part of a united Europe. Listen to the audio recording on ANU Soundcloud and read the policy note on our website