Wider Europe, Deeper Integration? – Network of Excellence

EU-CONSENT (”Constructing Europe” Network) is a Network of excellence among 48 partner institutes. It is a Network for joint research and teaching focusing on the construction of a new Europe (2005-2008). It addresses questions of the mutual reinforcing effects of deepening and widening by developing and working with different sets of expectations for analysing the past and developing an innovative framework for the future integration beyond Western Europe. Within such a conceptual framework 25 teams test lessons from the past in view of their academic and political validity for discussing visions and scenarios for the future. The major leitmotiv is that the Union is in the full process of reinventing itself.The common framework includes integrating activities (common conferences and workshops, activities in plenum and in teams), common research (’EU-25 Watch’ and WEB-CONSENT), teaching activities (traditional and virtual courses – EDEIOS, virtual study units on EU deepening and widening, as well as a PhD Centre of Excellence and internships for young researchers) and dissemination activities (public events and common publications). [More..»]