The EU’s role in the last decades – and especially in the last few years – has evolved from mere economic cooperation between its Member States to an overtly outward projection of shared values and ideas. In particular since the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 the EU has been reviewing substantial aspects of its external action. This evolution, driven by political and military cooperation, has led to the identification of the EU’s potential as a global actor in its own right not only by its own Member States, but also by other major players on the global arena. The elaboration of the European Security Strategy (ESS) represented an unprecedented step in recent history; however, the EU’s potential as a global security actor remains largely unfulfilled more than 10 years after this event.

In the context of new changes in the global security environment and of the subsequent development of new tools and approaches in the EU’s external action, including the first steps towards a new European Security Strategy, the Centro de Estudos Internacionais at Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) is organizing an international conference, to be held in Lisbon, on May 23rd and 24th 2016. This interdisciplinary conference aims to understand the trajectories and potential of the EU as a global actor in areas related, but not limited, to security and defense.

The conference intends to study the EU’s responses to the current global security environment, paying special attention to areas such as the development of a new European Security Strategy, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, crisis management, the recent refugee crisis and the EU’s response to the substantial increase asylum seekers, terrorism and organized crime, the practical aspects of the implementation of the concept of comprehensive approach in EU external action, among others.

The proposed papers should follow the main topics of the conference:

• The development of a new European Security Strategy
• The comprehensive approach in EU external action
• Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
• Crisis management
• The refugee crisis and the EU’s response to asylum seekers
• The European Neighbourhood Policy
• Terrorism and organized crime
• Other threats to European and Global security
• The European Union and its Strategic Partners

How to submit

Proposals (in English) should include:

• Title
• Abstract (1400 characters with spaces)
• Name, institutional affiliation and a short biographical note (550 characters with spaces).

The proposals should be submitted in the application form available here.

Deadline: 26 March 2016

Notification of acceptance will be communicated on the 9th of April 2016. 

The organization foresees the publication of the selected communications in an edited volume or in a thematic journal issue.

Steering Committee

• Luís Nuno Rodrigues, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
• Ana Mónica Fonseca, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
• Inês Marques Ribeiro, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)

Scientific Committee

• Clara Portela, Singapore Management University
• Laura Ferreira-Pereira, Universidade do Minho
• Luís Nuno Rodrigues, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
• Maria Raquel Freire, Universidade de Coimbra
• Nuno Severiano Teixeira, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
• Sven Biscop, Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations
• Tobias Schumacher, College of Europe