Newcastle University
Information From The Jean Monnet Center

Events

The Jean Monnet Centre for Excellence at Newcastle University was established in 2001 with set objectives including to serve as a think-tank for the region on European affairs and to promote an understanding of the EU in the region. One of the central means by which the Centre achieves these objectives is the organization of large and small events on important and topical EU affairs. Whether in the form of a organizing a conference, workshop, roundtable, seminar series or a guest lecture, Newcastle University staff play a significant role in the region in facilitating debate, dissemination of good practice and cross-disciplinary research on EU affairs. Forthcoming events furthering the purpose and objectives of the Jean Monnet Centre at Newcastle University are listed below, as are a selection of previous EU-related events.

Upcoming events on EU and related topics

UK Referendum on EU Membership Panel Event

A panel of Newcastle University and external experts will discuss the issues at stake with the forthcoming UK Referendum on EU Membership at the Newcastle Civic Centre on the early evening of Thursday 25 February. You can register to attend the event here: ukineurope-newcastle.eventbrite.co.uk Further information on the event can be found here. Please contact Professor Anthony Zito here with any enquiries.

 

Selection of previous events

Governance and Political Organisations cluster at Newcastle University

Politics at Newcastle University is organising a conference to take place on 22 April 2015 on 'The effect of coalition on the 2015 general election'. At the 2010 general election, whilst many political observers predicted a hung parliament, they did not expect a coalition government of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. This one day conference will bring together academics, policy-makers and politicians to examine the effect of coalition government on British politics ahead of the 2015 general election. Has coalition government changed the very nature of party competition in Britain? Is single-party government still a viable option in British politics? This conference is organised by the Governance and Political Organisations cluster at Newcastle University, and supported by the British Journal of Politics and International Relations. Further details can be found here. Any questions or queries, should be directed to Craig Johnson (craig.johnson1@newcastle.ac.uk).

 

Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability and the Environmental Regulation Research Group

A conference on 'A Sustainable Countryside? Regulating New Techologies for Food Farming and Ecology' was held at Newcastle Law School, 21-24 Windsor Terrace on 21 September 2011with excellent keynote speakers and discussion panels, for further details and the programme see here. Please contact Dr Ole W Pedersen or Professor Chris Rodgers with any questions.

Newcastle Law School

Newcastle Law School: guest lecture by Mr Stephen Hughes, MEP for North East England and Vice Chair of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Grouping in the European Parliament, on the role of the European Parliament. The lecture will be held in the Law School Lecture Theatre, on Friday 11 March 3-4pm. Please contact Dr Jonathan Galloway with any queries.

School of Geography, Politics and Sociology

Politics has arranged a series of seminars for the second semester of 2010/11 which may be of interest to those following the actitivites of the Jean Monnet Centre. All of the following seminars will take place 3.30-5.30pm in Room 2.20 in the Research Beehive, followed by refreshments GPS Common Room.

       2nd February, Dr. Tarak Barkawi, University of Cambridge, "The Sovereign Veil: Armed Forces and Society in World Politics"

       16th February, Professor John Dumbrell, University of Durham, "President Obama's Foreign Policy"

       16th March, Dr. Stephen Elstub, University of West of Scotland, "A Comparative Analysis of the Role of Minipublics in Institutionalising Deliberative Democracy"

       30th March, Professor Matthew Watson, University of Warwick, "The Timidity of New Labour's Bank Reform Proposals: Asset-Based Welfare and the Eclipse of  

       the 'Boring Banking Phenomenon'"

       4th May, Professor Tim Bale, University of Sussex, "Unpacking the Conservatives' 'Big Society'"

       18th May, Professor Richard Whitman, University of Bath, "Promised you a miracle? The EU's global role in the afterglow of Lisbon"

 

CURDS Seminar Series for Semester 1 2010/11

The Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies has recently announced the schedule for upcoming seminars during Semester 1of 2010/11. The CURDS Annual Distinguished Lecture may be of particular interest and will be delivered by Prof. Philip McCann (Groningen University and Special Advisor to EU Commissioner Hahn) on 15 December. Details of all seminars can be found here.

Policy Angel Seminar: Lisbon Explained- Monday 24 May 2010, 2.45pm - 4.30pm, Newcastle Mining Institute (near Central Station)

Aidan Stradling, who has had long-standing connection with the Newcastle Jean Monnet Centre, and his consultancy firm have organised a free seminar looking at the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the local region, with Jean Monnet Centre support. The details are as follows:

The event will take place on Monday 24 May 2010 from 2.45pm-4.30pm in the Lecture Theatre of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, Neville Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE.

The seminar is aimed at practitioners and professionals in the public, private and voluntary sectors who would like to know more about how it changes the context in which they work.

Programme

2.45 Welcome and introduction - Aidan Stradling
2.55 The Lisbon Treaty - Michael Shackleton, Head of European Parliament UK Office, London
3.30 Regional context and questions - Dr Andrew Robinson, French Honorary Consul
4.30 Close

If you would like to register for the seminar as seating may be limited, you can do so here, at the news section near the bottom. Even if you are unable to attend we would ask for your participation in the event by filling out the short survey on the website above; all of the survey responses will be summarised for the purposes of discussion during the event.

 

School of Geography, Politics and Sociology

Politics and the Jean Monnet Centre arranged a research seminar by Professor Simon Bulmer (University of Sheffield), an internationally known academic working on European integration. The seminar took place on 21 October 2009, 4-6 pm.

 

In the last decade, the Jean Monnet Centre has hosted a number of prominent events and workshops. These include speeches by the former Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University Chris Patten, Peter Mandelson, and EU Commissioner Viviane Reding. The Centre has hosted a number of cutting edge workshops, including a workshop on 'Counter-Terrorism: Law and Policy in the EU', held on 5 September 2005. The workshop included eminent speakers including Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Ronnie Flanagan.

In the 2008-2009, academic year a number of EU related events were held:

  • Politics and the Jean Monnet Centre continued its longstanding tradition of inviting practitioners, including Commission Official Jos Harrison. Mr Harrison has kindly allowed us to reproduce the slides from his seminar which give top tips about seeking employment in the European Union system. [Download PDF :89KB]
  • The Law School and Politics hosted a series of eminent speakers, including the European Court of Justice Judge Allan Rosas. The speakers addressed the theme of further European integration in the context of the current Lisbon Treaty climate. For the full speaker list access 2008/09 Lisbon Treaty Seminar Series [Download PDF :21KB]
  • Politics and the Jean Monnet Centre hosted several important scholars, including Dr Alison Harcourt (University of Exeter) on 'Soft governance in international fora' and Professor Matthew Flinders (University of Sheffield) on 'Bridging the gap: revitalising politics and the politics of public expectations'.
  • The Instituto Camoes Centre for Portuguese Language Research invited a number of speakers including Politics Ph.D. candidate Steven Robinson [Seminar topic: 'Portugal: small country at the edge of Europe'] and the noted political cartoonist Luis Afonso.