Policy Network, in partnership with Friends of Europe, hosted a major international conference in Brussels on 4 November 2009 to launch and discuss the policy and political recommendations of the research programme, “An EU “fit for purpose” in the global age“. The event marked the launch of the substantial report “An EU ‘fit for purpose’ in the global age – Can we rise to the challenge?” authored by Loukas Tsoukalis, Olaf Cramme and Roger Liddle, as well as three volumes containing over thirty original policy papers on the full range of EU challenges written by leading experts in the field.

Organised by Policy Network, in partnership with the European Institute of the London School of Economics and ELIAMEP, the EU “Fit for Purpose” project was initiated in May 2008.

The three volumes of the project are entitled:

• Rescuing the European project: EU legitimacy, governance and security (edited by Olaf Cramme)
•  After the crisis: A new socio-economic settlement for the EU (edited by Roger Liddle)
• The EU in a world in transition: Fit for what purpose? (edited by Loukas Tsoukalis)

Professor Loukas Tsoukalis, President of ELIAMEP and Policy Network board member, presented the “EU fit for Purpose” synthesis report. This report provides a compact analysis on how the EU needs to evolve and operate if it is to live up to the expectations and hopes of many of its citizens. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, adressed the keynote.

Over a period of 12 months, the project has sought to engage with a wide-ranging group of distinguished academics, policymakers and government advisers from across Europe, looking at the key clusters of policy choices facing the EU post-2009.

See the agenda of the Conference and the event Report.

Further information about the project and the organisers is also available at Policy Network and European Institute at the LSE.