Socialists Legacy in Europe

The overall objective of the initiative is to look at the contribution that the progressive thought has had in terms of framing diverse debates on the social, economic and political aspects of the development of the EU within the last twenty years. In particular, the scholars and experts involved will look at their impact in term of shaping the European institutional and partisan systems from the Treaty o Maastricht, through Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon. Linking the deliberations with the future, the ultimate question to answer will naturally be how to forge the alternative path to enable to Community to develop towards its full political potential.

The project will feature the closed meetings of the programme’s Scientific Council, as also 4 theme-based seminars open to the academics and external experts. The ambition involves rounding the reflections round by 2015 and summarising that with a publication. The very first meeting is to be held in Paris, hosted by FJJ and Alain Bergounioux, who has authored the initiative. For FEPS, the deliberations will constitute also the continuation of the certain threads of the debate illustrated in the publication “Europe, Our Common Future. Celebrating 20 years of the Party of European Socialists”.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Senior Research Fellow at ania.skrzypek@feps-europe.eu