Schmidt TRIGGER Discussion Explores Issues Facing the EU
On May 31, 2022, Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Pardee School, was a featured speaker at the Trends in Global Governance and Europe’s Role (TRIGGER) conference where she spoke on the future of the European Union (EU) as a global actor.
The final conference of the TRIGGER project presented the main research outcome of the Horizon 2020 research program led by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) since 2018, along with its 14 international partners. The ultimate objectives of TRIGGER are to provide EU institutions with knowledge and tools to enhance their actorness, effectiveness, and influence in global governance; and to develop new ways to harness the potential of public engagement and participatory foresight in complex governance decisions, thereby also tackling emerging trends such as nationalism, regionalism, and protectionism.
In her remarks, Schmit discussed a wide range of issues regarding the EU including the complications related to its ‘actorness’ in the global arena, given the many different institutional actors in the EU with different competences in different policy areas; the question of legitimacy, in particular in times of ‘emergency politics,’ with a special focus on the eurozone crisis, the COVID-19 crisis, and the Ukraine crisis; and the major challenges facing the EU today, including regarding the cost of living, energy, and security.
A recording of Schmidt’s discussion can be viewed below.
Vivien Schmidt is a Professor of International Relations and Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and was the first Director of BU’s Center for the Study of Europe, housed at the Pardee School. Schmidt’s research focuses on European political economy, institutions, democracy, and political theory—in particular on the importance of ideas and discourse in political analysis. Read more about Professor Schmidt on her faculty profile.