We continue our review of European actors by presenting the European University Institute and “State of the Union,” a key event in European politics.
The EUI: a benchmark in academia.
We offer today a new article on actors promoting Europe from our territories: valuable allies to deepen our knowledge and perspectives in dealing with European projects. The article is dedicated to the European University Institute (EUI) of Florence.
EUI’s action is focused on academic, research and training aspects, but it has many distinctive features that make it an organization of great interest on the Italian, European and international scene. Let us try to list some of them, leaving you to discover the details within the interview.
The EUI is not just an institute, but a true international organization, born out of a treaty among European countries. It houses a European documentation center and the Official Historical Archives of the European Union. He conducts research and training in very interesting areas, from media to migration to environmental and energy regulations; to name but three. In fact, the Institute analyzes and produces quality research and strategies in all areas of interest to European policies, or which represent important open challenges for them.
The EUI organizes high-level, high-interest events, including in particular one of the world’s leading events on European policies, “State of the Union” , which will be held this year from May 5-7..
The EUI is the starting point and convergence of a number of equally well-known and interesting research centers and organizations active in different areas of European policies and on European projects.
We talked about this, and much more, with Dr. Marco Incerti, director of the Institute’s Communication Service.
What is the European Union for you? In what ways do you feel an active part of it?
The European Union can be felt just about everywhere at the EUI, European University Institute. By its very nature: the EUI, in addition to being an institute, is a’international organization established by a specific agreement among the 23 member states of the European Union.
Article 2 of this agreement very clearly defines the close link between the EUI and Europe: the Institute contributes “to the development of the cultural and scientific heritage of Europe, as a whole and in its constituent parts,” and deals with “the great movements and institutions that characterize the history and development of Europe.”
The Institute does not have a mission strictly related to europrojecting, but, as it were, it practices it assiduously: it works on dozens of European projects, some of which it leads. It is a point of reference and a frequent partner for other actors and institutions working in the same field as it, namely the humanities and social sciences, approached from an international and European perspective. Its departments of Economy , History and Civilization , Jurisprudence , Political Science and Social Science are “hubs” of technical expertise and carry out their mission by, among other things, actively participating in quality European projects.
Some departments, such as the Schuman Center for Advanced Studies , were born and operate thanks to European projects and funding. The Schuman Center’s mission is very indicative of the EUI’s European role and character: to produce research, scholarly and teaching activity on the grand challenges facing Europe and the world.
The evolution of the Institute’s activities has led it to become a point of reference on some specific and very important issues for the European Union. The EUI hosts a European Documentation Center, or a large library on Europe available to the citizenry. The EUI also hosts the Historical Archives of the European Union , which contain all the documents that “made history” of the European Union, from the historic Ventotene Manifesto onward. The Archives is a unique place for the identity, values and history of the European Union: it is “The Historical Archives” (not simply “one of the historical archives”) of the European Union. There is one in Europe and it is housed at the EUI.
Finally, EUI is the lead partner in a topical project: EDMO, the European Digital Media Observatory , stems from the Institute’s experience and planning, combined with that of other European partners. EDMO is on the front lines in the European Union’s fight against disinformation, which we know is a real battlefront in these difficult times.
What is your target audience? What is your target territory?
Our target territory, constitutionally and because of our mission, is represented by theEurope and the whole world. EUI is an international organization engaged in research and academic education on global challenges, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on Europe. The Institute is a benchmark for academics throughout Europe and a globally recognized excellence.
Of course, some of our activities are more specifically oriented to the city and region we are in, namely Florence and Tuscany. The EUI is, among other things, one of the European Documentation Centers, of which there are many “knots” at the local level in Italy and Europe. The mission carried out here is also European, international, and in line with the Institute’s broader mission: as the European Documentation Center, the EUI supports education and research on European integration, provides a selection of papers on European affairs, and encourages the academic community to engage in debate on the future of the EU. After all, EUI has historical and now highly structured relationships with many partners in the area, such as the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze , partner of the Guide to Europlanning.
Also at the local level, and always with a broader European and international outlook, EUI organizes the “EU Talks” in collaboration with the Europe Direct Center of Florence . “EU Talks” is a project in which students and researchers engage in thematic roundtable discussions on issues central to the future of Europe the development of the European Union.
This quick territorial survey also allows us to define our target audience. Our main target audience is the European and international academic community: professors, doctoral students, lecturers, students and research professionals, and in the various disciplines affecting the development of Europe. It is an audience inherent in EUI’s very definition as a “European University Institute.”
However, as explained, our activity has a more general impact on all citizens and on institutions of the EU, as it precisely aims to promote Europe’s cultural and scientific heritage and address Europe’s grand challenges in terms of research and education. Thus, the activities are not limited to the academic circle but can also appeal to a wider audience.
The breadth of the EUI audience is greatest in “State of the Union” , a major global event organized annually by the Institute and now in its twelfth edition . We will talk more about this, because it is definitely an interesting in-depth opportunity for the Europlanning Guide audience.
In what ways do you provide support? What tools and answers are you able to provide?
In the case of the EUI, it is difficult to speak of “support” in the proper sense of the term, and certainly the Institute does not carry out support work on europlanning issues. However, just as surely, the Institute has a mission with many areas of focus that are of great interest to anyone concerned with Europe and international affairs.
The core mission of the EUI consists of activities in academic research on many areas related to European policies, in theteaching of these subjects and in the dissemination Of their own research activities. Participation in European projects is part of the Institute’s activities to the extent that this is useful and necessary to fund and expand the prospects of its research projects. Many of EUI’s research programs are. funded by European projects., and the EUI itself benefits from financial support from the European Commission, particularly the Erasmus+ program.
EUI organizes, as a central part of its mission, PhD programs, Master’s programs, Management training courses, Scholarships e Summer School: all initiatives that are recognized at the European and international level and that may be of interest to those among the readers of the Guide to Europlanning who would like to delve into one of the many topics covered by the Institute, in an academically sound and structured way.
Other forms of support, which are very important for anyone concerned with Europe, manifest themselves in the Institute’s role as “host” of the European Documentation Center and of the Historical Archives of the European Union . Equally important for anyone concerned with Europe are the EUI’s public-facing initiatives, such as the “EU Talks” (which we have discussed) or the major initiative “State of the Union” .
However, in very immediate and concrete terms, it is precisely the EUI’s research activity that is the flagship and the most interesting element of its action, for the benefit of all experts and enthusiasts of Europe. Research and publications of the Institute cover “cutting edge” issues and approaches within European policies and politics: as such, they are therefore a very important reference point for those who want to To inform, deepen and support their design activities with a solid theoretical foundation. After all, European projects are an application of European policies in various policy areas.
An important part of the Institute’s research and training activities is carried out through a number of major thematic projects which have gradually, so to speak, taken on a life of their own and acquired in themselves great significance at the European and international levels. For example, they report to the EUI:
- The Center for Media Pluralism and Freedom , which in turn formed the starting point for the establishment of the European Observatory on Digital Media ( EDMO ) and which publishes an annual celebrated report on media pluralism in Europe;
- The Center on Migration Policy , which carries out intensive research and training (including through searchable webinars ) on one of the most significant human and political challenges of the contemporary world;
- La Florence School of Regulation , dedicated to academic research, training, study and policy dissemination in the areas of energy and climate, communications and media, transportation and water.
These and other EUI centers provide a sectoral reference point in particularly important areas of European policy. Their activities can be of great interest to those tackling the same issues through European projects.
What do you recommend to an organization or person wishing to participate in a European project?
The European University Institute has accumulated a great deal of experience in the presentation and management of European projects over the years, becoming a de facto “hub” and a point of reference for organizations that carry out europlanning activities with it, either as leaders or partners on joint projects. The list of projects that EUI boasts is enviable and worthwhile consult it , to get a more concrete idea of the way and areas in which the Institute operates.
The centers we mentioned earlier are also mostly co-funded through European projects. The Institute’s various centers and departments are. directed by project managers, capable of setting up the activity not only in technical and academic terms, but also in terms of partnership and participation in projects, with a priority focus on research projects (funded in particular by the ERC, European Research Council).
Let us try to answer the question with insights from our practical experience.
- We recommend first of all Focus on technical skills. Skills and technical expertise are needed to identify specific and impactful issues and priorities for carrying out a meaningful research or project, to understand what methodologies and tools to use, to identify the right combination of skills to lean on, and generally the resources needed. Consolidating one’s technical capabilities is the most important starting point, because it is from a positive and proven reputation as a “technically sound interlocutor” that projects are born and partners aggregate, creating de facto dynamics, typical in many industries, in which the most important partners tend to know each other, recognize each other, help each other and seek each other out to replicate successful projects. In this mix of skills, expertise in the administrative management of a proposal or project should not be overlooked: those who can juggle documents, statements, reporting, and proposal assembly are a key resource-key to successful projects.
- We therefore recommend to Trigger a virtuous mechanism. The effect of accumulation and progressive growth not only applies to projects and partners, but also applies to technical capabilities, which once established tend to support each other, generating virtuous mechanisms. An obvious example of this mechanism is the establishment of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). At the time, the EUI was already carrying out activities in the area of disinformation, through the aforementioned Center for Pluralism and Media Freedom. In the same years, in parallel, the School of Transnational Governance (whose activity then concretely began only in 2021), with a mission to address major cross-cutting governance issues of interest to all countries. The topic of information and disinformation was included in the project, and a lecturer who was particularly active on the topic at the community level (as part of the High level Group on fake news and online disinformation), which was able to intercept a particular sensitivity of the European Commission. The availability of funding, the presence of a readily intercepted “hot” topic, and the existence of dual expertise on the part of the EUI have enabled the Institute to establish itself as a leader and reference interlocutor on the topic, supported by national “hubs,” a network of experts and “practitioners,” universities and high-level partners.
- Finally, we recommend focus on partnerships, which represent the common denominator of the two points above. The ability to seize opportunities is based not only on technical skills and the right insights, but on the propensity to listen and make oneself available to partners for new projects and issues not initially thought of. As a result, many interesting projects followed by the EUI have emerged: from good opportunities proposed by trusted partners with proven technical capabilities. This is the case, for example, with RESPECT, a project that analyzes the virtuous relationships between international trade, EU external actions, development and foreign policy objectives-an idea originated by a partner and carried forward by it together with the Institute and many other partners. Being receptive to new proposals by no means presupposes a passive role; on the contrary, partner participation bears fruit when it is accompanied by an active role.
Can you tell us about a particularly significant experience of your support?
Again, the experiences we can tell about do not relate to actual support provided by the EUI, but to the successful implementation of activities within the scope of our mission and which may be of interest to readers of the Europlanning Guide. We can cite two, which are different from each other but highly topical.
- The action of EDMO. We have already talked about the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), a body at the forefront of supporting European institutions in the fight against disinformation. Unfortunately, we live in complicated times, and EDMO’s action has been confronted with two large and dramatic phenomena of global significance, in which misinformation has played and is playing a crucial role: the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Knowing that your Guide has already covered this topic in the past , I think it will be of interest to your readers to know that EDMO’s efforts continue and that a dedicated task force is monitoring developments in this veritable “information war” with its usual scientific and methodical approach.
EDMO’s pages devoted to investigations are regularly enriched with new analyses, insights and de-mystifications on increasingly sophisticated attempts to manipulate information. We propose three recent and more general articles as examples: The five disinformation narratives about the war in Ukraine. ; Ten tips for staying away from disinformation during the war in Ukraine ; The world map of disinformation about the war in Ukraine . .
EDMO’s action is a particularly significant example of how a European project can contribute to an important and far-reaching cause, to help realize a major strategic goal of the EU.
- State of the Union. We have already spoken about our commitment to the organization of “ State of the Union “, a major annual event, worldwide in scope, now in its twelfth edition . We bring this up because the date of the event is fast approaching and because it can be a very interesting way for readers of your Guide to learn about EUI and its activities.
“State of the Union” is organized by the Institute with a broad local and international partnership (including among others the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze ). It is proposed as a bridge between academia and the world of policymaking: it is an event that has established itself as one of the most important of the year at the European level and in which for two days Florence is literally “at the center of Europe.” Among the speakers, will feature European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell, EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Paolo Gentiloni, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, IMF Executive Director Kristalina Georgieva – and many more.
This year’s edition of “ State of the Union ” will be held May 5-7 and will have a significant and evocative theme, “A Europe Fit for the Next Generation?“. It will have a hybrid format, so it will be possible to physically attend the various sessions by invitation only, but the entire event will be streamed and accessible to audiences around the world. Our site also hosts photo galleries, video recordings, documents and podcasts related to the previous editions .
Certainly this is an interesting opportunity to publicize to the audience of the Europlanning Guide. We look forward to seeing you and hope that our activity will support the development of valuable new projects in Italy and Europe.
