Student-led Forum
Student Forum on the European Neighbourhood Policy
Mission Statement
(March 2022)
The Forum on the European Neighbourhood Policy (FEN) provides a student-led platform that focuses on topics related to the neighbourhood of the EU. The regions meant by this term include the Maghreb, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the Levant, and the Caucasus, which former President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, euphemistically labelled the “ring of friends”. The Forum seeks to address the insufficient public understanding and awareness of the current relations between the EU and the concerned regions and specific countries. The FEN seeks to contribute to a critical examination of these relations through a range of public activities — including public roundtables, debates, expert-led presentations and academic workshops — dedicated to the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy or to specific countries in the neighbourhood.
07.12.2022 : "The Caucasus Connection: Status Quo and Prospects of joining the EU". The last event organized by FEN this semester "The Caucasus Connection: Status Quo and Prospects of joining the EU" presented a platform for learning about Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan policies towards the EU. Iana Maisuradze (Europan Policy Center Brussels), Tom Reisen (MFA Luxembourg, Political Affairs Direction), Marcel Röthig (Friedrich Ebert Foundation Resident Representative for Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) and Mikheil Sarjveladze (SWP Foundation Berlin) provided insights about the countries of the Eastern Partnership, their priorities and commitment, geopolitical shifts in the region, and reports from professional experience working on the relations between the EU and the three Caucasian countries. Thank you for everybody who joined and to our wonderful speakers!
09.11.2022 : "Progress, Standstill, or Distancing? The EU and the Western Balkans". FEN's third edition on November 9, 2022, titled "Progress, Standstill, or Distancing? The EU and the Western Balkans" at the University of Luxembourg. has provided a comprehensive insight into past and current political and economic developments in the Balkans. Topics included the Open Balkans Initiative, the results of the Berlin Process, an analysis of the challenges in the countries on the ground, and field reports on work in the Balkans. This was followed by an extremely varied discussion with the guests present. We would like to thank our speakers Prof. Josip Glaurdić (University of Luxembourg), Philippe Donckel (MFA Luxembourg; Ambassador to Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), Engjellushe Morina (European Council on Foreign Relations), and Margit Wunsch Garmann (SWP Foundation, Brussels).
13.10.2022 : The RSI, the FEN and the Institute of Political Science hosted Alfred Tovias, Professor Emeritus from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Professor Tovias spoke on "EU Foreign Policy on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Reevaluation" with a presentation based on his article published in the Israeli Journal of Foreign Affairs, in 2021 (Vol. 15, No. 2, 201–216, open access). Ramin Forghani from the Institute of Political Science acted as discussant. Professor Tovias was Chair of the department of International Relations at the Hebrew University from 2010-12 and previously served five years as director of the university's Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations. He was a Jean Monnet Chair on External Economic Relations of the EU and the co-president of the Israeli Association for the Study of European Integration (IASEI). He has published several books and numerous articles in a range high-ranking academic journals, including The Journal of Common Market Studies and European Union Politics.
19.05.2022 : "The Coherence of the EU's Policy in the Middle East", discussion debate, with Ramin Forghani, Javad Keypour and others. Maison du Savoir, Room 3.380, Belval campus.
Find the report of the event here.
For further information, please contact: Henrik Weinandi and/or Vincent Nijhof
Email: henrik.weinandi.001@student.uni.lu; vincent.nijhof.001@student.uni.lu
Events (TBC)
