City St George’s academics support the EU Studies Association 19th Biennial Conference

From Thursday 8 to Saturday 10 May, academics from The Institute for the Study of European Law, The City Law School, City St George’s, University of London, took part in the European Union Studies Association's (EUSA) 19th Biennial Conference in Philadelphia, USA.

Elaine Fahey, Professor of EU Law and Deputy Head of Department (academic programmes), and a four-year member on the EUSA’s executive committee, acted as program co-chair of the conference.

Every two years, EUSA delivers the multiday conference to connect EU academics, associates and policy-practitioners to exchange ideas around European Integration research.

Across the three days, The City Law School academics chaired and participated in panels and roundtable discussions to foster exchange around policy, governance and the legal dimensions of European integration, alongside over 400 further academic participants.

EUSA is a non-profit educational organisation founded in 1988 that represents scholars and professionals on both sides of the Atlantic. Its operation derives from anything involving the work of the European Union, its processes of integration and transatlantic relations.

Philadelphia was the chosen location as it has historic roots in the U.S.; the city is credited as the birthplace of America, as the site where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. Philadelphia also has ties to early ideas of European unity as its founder, William Penn, was among the first to propose a “Council of Europe.”

Ahead of the event, Daniel Kelemen, former EUSA Chair, issued a welcome statement via the EUSA website expressing his worry over future transatlantic relations, underscoring how a strong partnership between the EU-US is more relevant than ever. He referenced the newly fuelled tensions caused by: the second Trump administration through the imposition of high tariffs, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, and Trump’s declaration from earlier this year that “the European Union was formed to screw the United States.” Kelemen writes on the necessity of the EUSA’s work because of these EU-US strains.

The City Law School panellists and chairs were:

• Professor Tamara Hervey
  • Chair of a roundtable discussion of Brexit’s impact on the EU
  • Spoke on “EU Pandemic Preparedness: legal and policy dimensions”
• Professor Francesca Strumia
  • Spoke on “Opening the Social Contract Outwards? The State as Agent for the Citizen-Migrant”
• Dr Jed Odermatt
  • A panellist on “Issues in EU Defence”
  • Spoke on “EU Law’s Response to Global Challenges”
• Christos Karetsos, The City Law School research student
• Spoke on “Revisiting Openness; Foreign Investment Screening in the EU: a case of fragmentation”
• Alexandros Bakos, former City Law School doctoral student
• Spoke on “Beyond the Point of No Return? When EU Investment Screening and Capital Liberalisation and Protection Collide”

Professor Elaine Fahey

• Chair of plenary: EU Law and Politics: The Court of Justice of the EU and its Evolution
• Chaired two panels and delivered three further panel talks
• Discussant on a book roundtable titled: “EU Trade and Investment Treaty-Making Post-Lisbon - Moving Beyond Mixity”.

Reflecting on the conference, Professor Fahey said:

It was a great honour to be co-chair of the 19th EUSA conference in Philadelphia this year with over 400 participants, including over 300 from Europe. I really enjoyed working with the cochair Federiga Bindi, the iconic Joe Figliulo from EUSA European Union Studies Assn and EUSA Chair Daniel Kelemen in producing what was hopefully a very exciting programme. I am honoured to have served on the EUSA committee the last four years and seek to push the place of EU law in EU studies- EUSA is a very open and welcoming organisation for this as ever!

I was thrilled to have an EU law plenary panel featuring Mark Pollack Katerina Linos, Daniel Kelemen Fernanda Nicola and Roberto Mastroianni. Thanks to the many people participating in so many ways at EUSA, in particular those working on EU-US relations in complex times/ as well as my many The City Law School Institute for the Study of European Law (ISEL) colleagues in attendance.