Call for papers from PhD and early career researchers defending the European Union

Defending the European Union takes many meanings in light of the numerous challenges facing Europe at the present time. It suggests a literal yet strategic meaning as the Union recalibrates its understanding, and its funding, of defence and security as well as its relationships with and dependencies on key partners. It conveys an ideological meaning, linked closely to the values on which the Union is founded and which are asserted by the Treaty on European Union as being shared with its Member States. Defending the Union also raises questions about the utility (and futility) of regionalism and of rules-based governance beyond the state as the Union seeks to position itself as a leader and role model in the wider world while, at the same time, hardening its own borders. And it provokes discussion of existential threats – from within as much as outside those borders – in all kinds of ways, from the urgency of climate change to disillusionment with the fundamentals of liberal democracy and the social market economy: the fundamentals of the EU’s very identity.

"What does the European Union stand for now in such volatile times? What are the most significant challenges facing it? Why should we defend the Union in the face of such challenges? And how? Does the EU have the appropriate tools to defend itself?"

We invite papers from PhD and Early Career Researchers that examine questions related to different understandings of ‘defending’ the European Union from a conceptual, legal, political or substantive/policy perspective. We are keen to feature a diverse range of papers from the fields of law, political science, international relations, social policy, sociology, and interdisciplinary studies. We encourage submissions on all aspects of the theme of this year’s workshop, including research on the CFSP and CDSP (and other EU policies); the values of the European Union; the strengths and weaknesses of regional integration; the particularity, possibilities, and constraints of the EU legal order; and the sustainability of rules-based multilateralism itself. We welcome a broad range of critical, theoretical, and methodological approaches to these questions.

The workshop will take place in person in Edinburgh from 23-24 April 2026 and will be hosted by the multi-disciplinary Europa Institute at the University of Edinburgh.

Abstracts of 200-250 words should be submitted to europa@ed.ac.uk along with a short biographical statement (2-3 sentences) by 30 January 2026. Applicants should be either a current PhD student or an ECR (within 12 months of their PhD award) from a UK or other European university. Reasonable travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Europa Institute.

Those selected to participate will be informed by the end of February 2026. Participants will send written papers/summaries (max. 5,000 words) of their project by 31 March 2026. The papers will be circulated to all participants to read in advance of the workshop