Call for Papers – Conference: is ‘Challenges to EU Law and Governance in the Member States’
 
Eurosceptic and nationalist forces have been gaining ground in many Member States. The ideal of an ever closer union, built on fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, has been shaken by the UK’s decision to leave the EU and by illiberal democratic developments in Hungary and Poland. The free movement of citizens, economic migration and the influx of third-country refugees tend to be particularly controversial in the Member States.
 
Against this backdrop, we are pleased to invite submissions for a conference that will examine to what extent the EU is being politicised and its law challenged in the Member States. The focus will not only be on Member States that are known to be highly critical of the EU; for a complete picture, the aim is rather to find out whether challenges to EU law and governance are frequent occurrences or merely highly visible exceptions.
 
The conference has two objectives. The first is to establish whether Euroscepticism takes the form of specific criticism of EU legislation and case law. Do governments and/or political parties criticise particular pieces of EU law and policy, and do they propose, or take, initiatives that are incompatible with those of the Union? Second, the conference will explore to what extent criticism of the EU is translated into actual changes in national law. Is Eurosceptic rhetoric made manifest in the domestic legislation or case law of the Member States?
 
The conference will be held on 8 June 2018 at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy under the auspices of the Max Weber Programme.
 
Deadline for submissions: 18 February 2018
 
CALL FOR PAPERS