July 5 - July 15 2008, Prague, Czech Republic
The European Summer School 2004
Module A: EU Constitution
This module focused on the procedures of designing the EU Constitution. It discussed the following topics:
Lecture I: Convention on the Future of Europe
- Genesis and rationale of the Convention
- Representation, interest groups and cleavages at the Convention
- Working method of the Convention
- Role of new member states at the Convention
Lecture II: Draft Constitutional Text
- Intensity of reform brought by the Convention proposal
- Revolution in the EU institutional or just matrix reloaded?
- EU foreign policy according to the Convention
- Internal and external security of EU
- EU democratic deficit removed or enhanced
Lecture III: Ratification and Future of the EU
- Why the ICG 2003 opened the text prepared by the Convention?
- Cleavages at the IGC 2003: France+Germany v. rest of the world?
- Italian Presidency and its working method
- Why Brussels summit collapsed?
- Tasks for Irish Presidency
- Adoption of mini-Constitution or long IGC 2004-2005?
- Two-speed Europe threads and challenges.
Module B: European Foreign Policy after the Enlargement
This module targeted the key challenges facing the EU Foreign and Security Policy after the enlargement in May 2004. Particularly it focused on the following major issues:
Progressive shaping of EU defence policy within the framework of the EU Constitution and possible implications of some provisions like mutual defence clause, structured co-operation or development of EU military capabilities. The relationship and co-operation or possible competition with NATO was examined as well.
Wider Europe policy - what policy developed the EU vis-a-vis the new neighbours, including the Southern Mediterranean, Western Balkans and Western NIS (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova)? What incentives, financial programmes and other forms of assistance did or should the EU provide? Would the new EU members be willing to spend more money on their new neighbours? What would be the key issues in relation to these countries and how to tackle them?
European Security Strategy - we examined the strategy paper elaborated by Javier Solana and called "Safer Europe in a Better World", serving as basis of the first ever security strategy paper of the EU (which will probably be adopted by then). We compared it with the National Security Strategy of the United States and discussed possible implications, strengths and weaknesses of this document.
Europe and a Wider World - there was a panel discussion on this topic