The State of the Union (European University Institute)

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Not to be confused with State of the Union (European Union).
The State of the Union
Formation2011
FounderEuropean University Institute
HeadquartersFlorence, Italy
Official language
English
Websitehttps://stateoftheunion.eui.eu/

The State of the Union (SOU) is an annual forum for high-level reflection on the European Union organized by the European University Institute (EUI) since 2011 in Florence, Italy.[1] The conference acts as a bridge between academia and policy-making in Europe, bringing together heads of states, presidents and representatives of EU institutions, academic experts, business and opinion leaders, NGOs, think tanks, journalists and representatives of civil society.[2][3][4][5]

The conference has addressed topics including climate, migration, surveillance and freedom, the role of Europe in a globalized world, the Eurozone crisis, gender, citizenship, solidarity, 21st-century democracy, and Europe's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme of each conference is designed by an annually changing Scientific Committee of experts and academics from within the EUI community.[6]

The event is renowned for high-level participation and discussion, prominent media coverage, and consistent timing: the conference falls annually around 9 May, the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, making Florence the center of Europe on Europe day.[7][8]

History[edit]

The first conference took place in 2011 as the central event of the Festival d’Europa (Festival of Europe),[9] an annual festival in Florence. Subsequently, the European University Institute brought the event in-house; the mission of the stand-alone event has since been to contribute to the analysis of the European Union's current situation and debate EU policies and the functioning of EU institutions.[10]

Format[edit]

Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence's town hall during The State of The Union.

The event typically lasts three days. The first day is at the Badia Fiesolana, the EUI's hilltop premises in Fiesole, and its program features an array of parallel sessions and fringe events. The second day is held at Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's historic town hall, and hosts dignitaries from Europe and beyond. It features high-level discussions, addresses, and interviews.

The third day is an Open Day held at the Historical Archives of the European Union, housed at Villa Salviati.[11] During Open Day, there are educational talks about the European Project and its cultural and historical heritage. There are also guided tours, exhibitions, tastings, and leisure events.[12]

Past Editions[edit]

2011: The State of the Union[edit]

The inaugural edition (9-10 May) held at Palazzo Vecchio explored key political and economic issues facing the EU.[13] Across four panels, discussions centred around the reforms of the Treaty of Lisbon, Europe in the globalised world, the Euro and global economic governance, and employment and financial stability in the wake of the global financial crisis.[14]

2012: The State of the Union[edit]

The second edition (9-10 May) explored the challenges of globalisation, climate change, Europe's role as a global actor, economic governance and EU energy policy at the time of the global recession and the European sovereign debt crisis.[15]

2013: The State of the Union[edit]

The third edition (9 May) widened its analysis of the present and future prospects of the EU and sought to integrate the opinions of European citizens through luminaries from academia, business and the news media, including the Financial Times and Le Monde.[16] Sessions explored the EU's challenges in depth, such as the future of EU citizenship and free movement.[17]

2014: The Future of the Social and Political Model for Europe and the Upcoming European Elections[edit]

2014's edition (7-9 May) centred around the future of the social and political model for Europe and the upcoming European Parliament elections.[18] The event also promoted awareness about the activity of the European Union as news agencies televised the live Spitzenkandidaten debate in which José Bové, Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz and Guy Verhofstadt faced each other for a debate in the contest for the Presidency of the European Commission.[19]

2015: Confronting the Future of Europe[edit]

The programme of the 2015 edition (6-9 May) was composed of 13 panels that discussed Europe's need of a new narrative or Schuman Declaration, Europe's role in peacekeeping and stabilization, cybersecurity, surveillance and freedom.[20][21]

2016: Women in Europe and the World[edit]

Feeding into global discussions about the position of women in societies around the world, the 2016 edition (5-7 May) brought a gendered perspective to an array of policy areas.[22][23] The State of the Union countered the trend of female underrepresentation at high-level conferences with women's voices making up 66% of the 92 speakers,[24] the highest number of speakers in a single edition to date, and 62% of the Scientific Committee.[25]

2017: Building a People’s Europe[edit]

The 2017 edition (4-6 May) mainly focused on the meaning of European citizenship in the 21st century in the context of Brexit.[26][27][28] Topics discussed also included direct democracy, referendums and populism, the impact of the global refugee emergency on Europe, the economic and monetary integration of the EU, the labour market and free movement of people and state secrecy and security in Europe.[29] Jean-Claude Juncker, then president of the European Commission sparked controversy by saying that the English language is "losing importance".[30]

2018: Solidarity in Europe[edit]

The 2018 edition (10-12 May) consisted of 14 sessions which dealt with the theme of European solidarity.[31] This year saw the development of the Fringe Events programme, established as part of the EUI's commitment to diversify conference participants and create new synergies between the institute and the local political environment.[32]

2019: 21st-Century Democracy in Europe[edit]

With the European elections just weeks away from the conference, democracy was the central theme chosen for the 2019 edition.[33] Speakers debated and discussed the challenges of democracy in areas such as the European elections, the rule of law, disinformation and fake news, reflections on the democratic transition in Eastern Europe, the democratic legitimacy of immigration policies, intergenerational inequalities, trust in the single market, democratising the EU's external action, and Global Governance trends to 2030.[34] The highlight of the conference was the debate amongst the then Spitzenkandidaten for the position of President of the European Commission.[35]

2020: Europe: Managing the COVID-19 Crisis[edit]

The special edition of SOU took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.[36][37][38] The theme of the entirely online event fostered reflection on three key policy areas profoundly impacted by the pandemic: public health, the economy and global cooperation.[39] The scientific content of the conference was supported by a first look at YouGov international public opinion surveys on topics relating to the impact on the pandemic on various social issues.[40] The EUI created a podcast series for the first time containing key take-aways from the panel debates.[41]

References[edit]

  1. ^ (2011). May 2011. Florence, capital of Europe Comparing Europe at Palazzo Vecchio Festival d'Europa. Retrieved 10 March 2021
  2. ^ (2017). State of the Union 2017 conference by the European University Institute: Building a people's Europe European Union Newsroom. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  3. ^ "The 2019 EUI State of the Union will take place in Florence, 2-4 May 2019 (RSCAS, EUI, Italy)". Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA). 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  4. ^ (2017). Anthony Antoine, UNU-CRIS Acting Director, is attending the State of the Union Conference, Florence, 5-7 May 2017 United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS). Retrieved 17 March 2021
  5. ^ (2017). State of The European Union Fulbright Schuman. Retrieved 17 March 2021
  6. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2019. About".
  7. ^ (2012). The State of the Union 2012 edition to take place on 9-10 May 2012 Istituto di Ricerche per la Pubblica Amministrazione (IRPA). Retrieved 17 March 2021
  8. ^ Kevin Manley (2013). Florence is ‘capital of Europe’ The Florentine. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  9. ^ (2011). May 2011. Florence, capital of Europe Comparing Europe at Palazzo Vecchio Festival d'Europa. Retrieved 10 March 2021
  10. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2012". 11 October 2012.
  11. ^ (2019). Open Day at Villa Salviati The Florentine. Retrieved 10 March 2021
  12. ^ "SOU Open Day 2018 - Historical Archives of the European Union". YouTube.
  13. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2011". 27 March 2012.
  14. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2011. Summary". 12 February 2015.
  15. ^ (2012). The State of the Union 2012 edition to take place on 9-10 May 2012 Istituto di Ricerche per la Pubblica Amministrazione (IRPA). Retrieved 17 March 2021
  16. ^ Kevin Manley (2013). Florence is ‘capital of Europe’ The Florentine. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  17. ^ Kevin Manley (2013). Florence is ‘capital of Europe’ The Florentine. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  18. ^ Marco Bastiani (2014). The State of The Union: Live Streaming and Twitting #SOU2014 Florence Daily News. Retrieved 9 March 2021
  19. ^ "SoU2014 - EU Elections - Presidential Debate". YouTube. European University Institute.
  20. ^ (2015). A Firenze "The State of the Union". Tra i relatori Napolitano, Prodi e Amato Rai News. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  21. ^ (2015). Efus at the upcoming “State of the Union” conference on Europe European Forum for Urban Security (EFUS). Retrieved 17 March 2021
  22. ^ "The State of the Union 2016: "Women in Europe and the World"". Indireinforma. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  23. ^ Editorial Staff (2016). The State of the Union Conference Sixth Edition Florence Daily News. Retrieved 10 March 2021
  24. ^ The State of the Union 2016: Programme (PDF). Florence: European University Institute. 2016.
  25. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2016. Scientific Committee". 26 February 2015.
  26. ^ (2017). State of The Union 2017 Studio Riprese Firenze. Retrieved 17 March 2021
  27. ^ (2017). The State of the Union conference European Investment Bank. Retrieved 17 March 2021
  28. ^ (2017). The Latest: Merkel vows fair, constructive Brexit talks Fox News. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  29. ^ (2017). State of the Union 2017 conference by the European University Institute: Building a people's Europe European Union Newsroom. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  30. ^ "Jean-Claude Juncker: 'English is losing importance'". POLITICO. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  31. ^ (2018). "The State of the Union 2018" conference, Florence EU Monitor. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  32. ^ SOU 2018 Final Report (PDF). Florence: European University Institute. 2018. p. 5.
  33. ^ "The 2019 EUI State of the Union will take place in Florence, 2-4 May 2019 (RSCAS, EUI, Italy)". Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA). 25 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  34. ^ "SOU Past Editions: 2019. Programme".
  35. ^ David M. Herszenhorn(2019). Frenzy in Firenze: 4 takeaways from EU lead candidate debate Politico. Retrieved 10 March 2021
  36. ^ (2020). European leaders at The State of the Union Conference Stamp Toscana. Retrieved 17 March 2021
  37. ^ (2020). The State of the Union Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Retrieved 15 March 2021
  38. ^ (2020). A caring society is the blueprint for ensuring our Union emerges from the current crisis stronger, more united and with greater solidarity than ever European Council. Retrieved 17 March 2021
  39. ^ "Istituto Universitario Europeo, The State of the Union in modalità on line". Affaritaliani.it. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  40. ^ SOU 2020 Final Report (PDF). Florence: European University Institute. 2020. p. 6.
  41. ^ (2020). European University Inst. Soundcloud. Retrieved 17 March 2021

External links[edit]

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