I. Second Annual CERiM Conference on “The Contestation of Expertise in the EU”

In April, CERiM held their Second Annual Conference, “Contestation of Expertise in the European Union: Policy-making between evidence-based decision-making and post-truth politics”. The title and theme were inspired by some of the major developments in 2016, such as Brexit and the US elections, and the ambiguous role and place of expertise in contemporary policy-making. The overarching aim of the conference was to examine the role and position of expertise and experts in the EU context of law and policy-making and offer a response from a multi-disciplinary perspective, drawn from a variety of national and international experiences. Contributions to the conference were subsequently brought together in an edited volume that will be published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2018.

---

II. Horizon 2020 applications

In 2017, CERiM played a key role in two major funding applications submitted under the EU’s Horizon 2020 funding scheme. On the theme of “The Asia-Pacific as a strategic region for Europe”, the team, led by CERiM Co-director Thomas Christiansen, brought together an international consortium of established scholars from across Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. Despite receiving a score of 14.5 out of 15 and being placed on the reserve list, the bid was ultimately not successful in receiving a grant. The second application targeted the call on “Democracy and the Rule of Law” and is being coordinated by Uwe Puetter of the CEU in Budapest. The CERiM team includes members Christine Neuhold and Kiran Patel. After a successful first round, we are now awaiting the result of the final submission.

---

III. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini speaks in Maastricht

On 28 September 2017, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and CERiM jointly organised a conference on “Thinking Europe Forward”, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Treaty of Maastricht. Along with a keynote speech given by the EU’s High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, the conference brought together politicians, academics and some 200 students from Maastricht University to discuss current issues and future challenges confronting Europe. The conference was held at the Staatenzaal of the Province of Limburg. The cooperation with KAS was regarded as highly successful by both sides, and constitutes a foundation for the organisation of joint activities in the future.