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European Institute Highlights: Term 2
22 March 2024
Celebrating the European Institute’s key achievements in Term 2.
The second term has been a varied and interesting one for the European Institute, from delivering another Policy and Practice module, including a study visit to Brussels, for students on the MSc European Politics and Policy to concluding our dynamic [Black Europe] Speaker Series, which has brought colleagues from a range of disciplines to UCL to challenge the presumption of whiteness in the study of Europe.
Institutional Leadership on Europe
Through Dr Uta Staiger’s role as Global Strategic Academic Advisor on Europe to the European Institute’s participation on the newly convened European Policy and Strategy Group, we support and inform UCL’s positioning on Europe.
This term we were delighted to host the Europe Directorate at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for their Away Day at UCL East, as well as to strengthen UCL’s visibility in Brussels, through a networking breakfast for current UCL students and Brussels-based alumni, held in partnership with the UK Mission to the EU.
Working closely with Global Engagement, we have also supported UCL’s academic partnerships, most recently by co-hosting a delegation of colleagues from PSL to celebrate and scope collaborations linked to Artificial Intelligence, Space and the Energy transition – in the context of the UK-France Science, Innovation and Technology Dialogue – and hosting French Minister for Research and Higher Education, Sylvie Retailleau.
Innovative Practice-led Education
In February, Dr Claudia Sternberg and Dr Uta Staiger accompanied students from their Policy and Practice Module for the MSc European Politics and Policy on a study trip to Brussels, designed to provide exposure to the realities of policymaking, by enabling exchange between students and colleagues from the EU institutions, think tanks and advocacy and media professionals. In a write-up for the UCL Europe blog, Tea Zyberaj, an MSc European Politics and Policy student, and a European Institute Student Ambassador, described the visit as ‘an incredible experience that has added a lot of value to an already remarkable Masters’ programme’.
Alongside this, we continued our popular series of student masterclasses, welcoming Dr Heather Grabbe, Senior Fellow at the think-tank Bruegel in Brussels, for a session on resource sufficiency in EU politics and policy, co-convened with the Institute for Sustainable Resources, and focused on enhancing students’ ability to tailor relevant arguments for different policy actors, with divergent interests. We also hosted Typhaine Morillon, Public Relations and Press Officer at the European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK, for a session on the opportunities and challenges associated with promoting the EU elections, including to EU citizens in the UK.
Enhancing the Research Environment
Our efforts to support the research environment at UCL, and to foster an environment where work on Europe can flourish, have also borne fruit. Our [Black Europe] Speaker Series continued with packed events, from Mame-Fatou Niang on French but not (Q)White: Defining Frenchness for the 21st Century to James Mark on Wilson’s white world: the foundation of Central-Eastern European nation-states after World War I.
We were also delighted to collaborate with the Department for Political Science on a Policy and Practice session on the EU elections, with Dr Heather Grabbe, Professor Sara Hobolt, and Tony Barber from the Financial Times. And of course, immensely proud to co-host a book launch for Parliament Buildings: The architecture of power, accountability and demoncracy in Europe, co-edited by Dr Uta Staiger, Dr Claudia Sternberg and Professor Sophia Psarra.
Extending UCL’s Reach: Policy, Public and Student Engagement
Finally, we have continued our work to enhance the reach and relevance of UCL’s ideas and expertise on Europe, by engaging diverse external constituencies.
In January, we hosted a conference on the future of the EU-UK relationship in partnership with the Independent Commission on EU-UK relations, followed by a roundtable in Brussels on Ukraine’s European Future, with participation from Professor Andrew Wilson and in partnership with the Centre for European Reform, as part of our Jean Monnet work-strand on European security, led by Dr Ben Noble.
Alongside this, we have been delighted to see our European Literary Map project go from strength to strength, inspiring innovative teaching, visits from local schools, a dedicated communications campaign ‘How has London changed you’, and new partnerships, including with the European Writers’ Festival, which will convene some of the most exciting contemporary writers in Europe at the British Library in May 2024.
We are especially delighted to announce that we will be hosting Bulgarian-born Joanna Elmy, as our first Writer in Residence connected to the European Literary London project, as part of a collaboration brokered by Lucy Shackleton with the European Literature Network and EUNIC London, designed to inspire and support new writing on London, from a European perspective. During her four-week stay at UCL, Joanna will engage with academics across Faculties to develop her second novel which features London prominently and explores ‘cities of the world’ – a modern take on urban spaces partly inspired by Italo Calvino’s approach to writing the city.
Thank you
To deliver the above, we have worked closely with a range of partners and collaborators across UCL and beyond, not least our fabulous interns Alfie Pannell, Olivia Scher and Joshua Jones.
We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued collaboration and support – and to encourage you to stay up to date with events and opportunities by signing up to our newsletter, following us on Instagram, X and LinkedIn or by getting in touch with a member of the team.
To celebrate the diverse community of Europeanists across UCL, we have also started a Spotlight series in our newsletter. In February, we featured Professor Helen Xanthaki and Elena Sofia Massacessi and in March we featured Dr Ben Noble and Jiacheng Zhang (Billy), President of the UCL European Society. If you are interested in being featured in a future edition, or would like to recommend someone, please contact us here.