On Monday 11 April 2016, the University of Luxembourg will be inaugurating the new Robert Schuman Institute of European Affairs, dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of European affairs and the European Union.

After securing funding from the European Commission, the institute has been established as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, which are financially supported across Member States under the auspices of the Erasmus+ programme. These Centres are developed as a means of gathering the skills and experience of high-level experts for interdisciplinary and international synergies for the study of EU-related topics.

The Grand Duchy's new institution will be devoted to topics such as economic integration, its national and international dimensions, as well as constitutional and institutional evolution. Preliminary research projects are centered around the economic governance of the Union, the future of societies with an ageing population and research on the Court of Justice as an institution of the Union.

The University's Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance and Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education will coordinate the Institute's activities. the project was initiated by Professors Robert Harmsen, Herwig Hofmann, David Howarth, Andreas Irmen, René Leboutte and Eleftheria Neframi, representing law, political science, economics and history.

"The objective of the Robert Schuman Institute of European Affairs at the University of Luxembourg is to encourage creative thinking - asking questions, collecting ideas, identifying issues but also developing proposals for further research and development of solutions to pressing societal problems," commented Professor Hofmann, director of the Institute, before explaining that by drawing on tools such as publications, conferences and round-tables, "the centre will work to increase visibility on matters of integration and the European Union, to foster informed debate and help develop ideas for the future of Europe."

The Robert Schuman Institute for European Affairs will hold funding as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence until 2018.

The official opening ceremony will be held at 18:00 at Salle Tavenas, 102 Avenue Pasteur, Luxembourg-Limpertsberg, with an opening speech provided by president of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Koen Lenaerts. For more information and to register, click here.

 

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