Thread by @tepsaeu

Plenary Session 4 is about to start!

"Differentiated Integration and the Future of Europe" highlighting our #InDivEU Project!

Here are the highlights

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This session is moderated by @ETH_en's Frank Schimmelfennig and features contributions from Stefan Telle (@EuropeanUni), @katrinauel (@IHS_Vienna), Ramūnas Vilpišauskas (@VU_LT), Maja Bučar (@FDVLjubljana), and Gunilla Herolf (@UISweden)

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"Differentiated Integration is currently in the news as one possible way out of the current Rule of Law/Recovery Fund issue. This framework for integration is what we will be discussion within the #InDivEU Project"

- Frank Schimmelfennig from @ETH_en

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#InDivEU is a @EU_H2020 funded research project aimed at contributing concretely to the current debate on the ‘Future of Europe’ by assessing, developing and testing a range of models and scenarios for different levels of integration among EU member states

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First, Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni gives an overview of his research within the framework of the project

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"One the one hand we wanted to know how important #DifferentiatedIntegration is for MS governments, on the other hand we were interested in these governments' positions"

- Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni

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"The scope of the study covers all 27 Member States from 2004-2019"

- Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni

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"Assuming the frequency of references to #DifferentiatedIntegration reflects how important governments think the topic is, we looked then into positive and negative discussion of the topic"

- Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni

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"We looked at different models (multi-speed Europe vs. multi-end Europe), different mechanisms (enhanced cooperation vs. opt-outs)"

- Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni

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"Debates on #Differentiation peak at certain moments: Treaty changes, crises, and recently the debate on the #FutureofEurope"

- Stefan Telle from @EuropeanUni

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We now turn to @katrinauel from @IHS_Vienna for her analysis of the saliency of #DifferentiationIntegration in Austria

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"Over our timeframe, we see very little salience for #Differentiation itself, but for different policies like Schengen, CSDP, and so on, which employ #Differentiation within them, it is much much higher"

- @katrinauel from @IHS_Vienna

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"When #DifferentiatedIntegration issues are discussed, it is never really in this systematic overarching way. Only in specific instances of #Differentiation linked to specific European policies"

- @katrinauel from @IHS_Vienna

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"'Core Europe' as a term is generally used positively. Terms like 'Two-Speed Europe' or 'Europe à la carte' are used generally negatively"

- @katrinauel from @IHS_Vienna

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"The opt-outs from Schengen and the Euro were considered important to Lithuania when it joined the EU"

Ramūnas Vilpišauskas from @VU_LT begins his intervention

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"The Lithuanian government sees itself as one of the main advocates of close relations between countries in the Eastern Partnership"

- Ramūnas Vilpišauskas from @VU_LT

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"When it comes to concrete instances of #Differentiation, are discussed in a neutral way, sometimes positively and negatively"

- Ramūnas Vilpišauskas from @VU_LT

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"The very issue of European politics or the EU in general is not discussed much at all in Parliament in Slovenia"

- Maja Bučar from @FDVLjubljana

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"The position of the government through the years (until the latest months) was to see a strong and united EU as a good thing: Slovenia wanted to belong to the core of Europe. Those seen as most advanced and in a closer cooperation"

- Maja Bučar from @FDVLjubljana

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Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden gives the overview on #DifferentiatedIntegration in Sweden: "DI has very low salience, but when it is mentioned, 'multi-speed Europe' is seen very negatively, although 'multi-end Europe' is favoured"

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"Sweden would have preferred to seen PESCO within the EU, but it is still seen positively"

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"Only the financial transaction tax (because of perceived inefficiency) and rules for divorce (because it doesn't like the idea of a less liberal divorce policy), Sweden is critical"

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"At the moment, only 20% of the population are in favour of accession. This may change quickly. In 2003, a referendum on accession raised this number to 43%. In 2002, this number was at 58%."

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"The Swedish government is highly pragmatic, the views between political parties are strikingly similar, with the most 'extreme' parties differing on only one or two issues"

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"Sweden views it as crucial that the big decisions on EU policy be made by as many Member States as possible to avoid the potential pitfalls of #DifferentiatedIntegration"

- Gunilla Herolf from @UISweden

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"One sign I get is that this entire debate in Europe around #Differentiation hasn't really reached the national political arena: it's all technocratic Euro-speak"

- Frank Schimmelfennig from @ETH_en gives his overview of our participants' contributions

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We now move to the Q&A session, where you the audience get to question our fantastic #InDivEU contributors on #DifferentiatedIntegration

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The Q&A session has been particularly dynamic in this #InDivEU plenary here at #PPCLisbon, with lots of questions as a result of the broad scope of the project: #DifferentiatedIntegration is a very big topic!

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Although we've just ended the Plenary Session 4: "Differentiated Integration and the Future of Europe" as part of the #InDivEU project, #PPCLisbon will be reconvening shortly for our concluding remarks, so stay tuned!

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In the meantime thank you to our panellists for this session: Frank Schimmelfennig (@ETH_en) who moderated, and Stefan Telle (@EuropeanUni), @katrinauel (@IHS_Vienna), Ramūnas Vilpišauskas (@VU_LT), Maja Bučar (@FDVLjubljana), and Gunilla Herolf (@UISweden)

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The Concluding Remarks to #PPCLisbon have just started!

We are first joined by @ruivinhas5, Director-General for European Affairs at @nestrangeiro_pt

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"#EU2021PT is our fourth Presidency, but it is the first time we take the task on in the wake of a financial crisis, and hopefully it is the first and last time we do so in the midst of a pandemic"

- @ruivinhas5, Director-General for European Affairs at @nestrangeiro_pt

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"The twin transitions - green and digital - will be a significant cause of investment into the European social model, which will be the watermark of #EU2021PT

- @ruivinhas5, Director-General for European Affairs at @nestrangeiro_pt

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"For #Brexit: a deal is by far preferable, and #NoDealBrexit was for a long time a red line for Portugal. A deal is important because we don't need another crisis on the top of the #COVID19 crisis"

- @ruivinhas5, Director-General for European Affairs at @nestrangeiro_pt

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"We would strongly prefer not to spend our Presidency dealing with the disruption of a #NoDealBrexit, but Europe must stick to its red lines in negotiation"

- @ruivinhas5, Director-General for European Affairs at @nestrangeiro_pt

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The floor now passes to our Chairperson of the TEPSA Board, Lucia Mokrá, to add some remarks from our European perspective on the discussions of the last two days.

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"You will lead the EU not only when we fight to end the pandemic, but when we try to defeat anti-European sentiment and disunity"

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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"We are fighting for Europe on two fronts: internally, and externally. It is not only necessary to discuss all our challenges, but to act on them from the perspective of #EU2021PT

- Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board

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On that note, #PPCLisbon draws to a close. We're so glad you joined us over the last few days, and do stay tuned to TEPSA and @iprinova for more such events over the coming weeks and months

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Thank you to all our participants over the last two days: Nuno Severiano Teixeira from @iprinova and Jaap de Zwaan, TEPSA's Secretary-General, who welcomed us yesterday morning...

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...and government representatives who joined us too: Ambassador Ana Paula Zacarias, Secretary of State for EU Affairs (@nestrangeiro_pt) who received our TEPSA Recommendations to #Eu2021PT from @rielcano's @ilketoygur as well as youth recommendations from #EngagEUrCouncil

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Not only did we welcome the Ambassador, but also French Minister of State for European Affairs @francediplo, Clément Beaune (@CBeaune)

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We thank also European Parliament Vice-President Pedro Silva Pereira, who spoke to us about the TEPSA Book "Euroscepticism and the Future of Europe: Views from the Capitals" @Europarl_EN

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We thank also the representatives of various national ministries and EU Institutions, Jim Cloos from @EUCouncil, Nanda Kellij from @ministerieJenV, and @ruivinhas5 from @nestrangeiro_pt, who's contribution we particularly enjoyed at the end of the conference

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We thank also representatives of the media and civil society, for their fascinating inputs: António Costa Silva from Partex Oil and Gas, @SamuelStolton from @EURACTIV, @Isabelle_kumar from @euronews, and @TomLawMedia from @MediaGFMD

We cannot forget all our experts from the TEPSA Network and beyond: @MichaelKaeding (@unidue), @Poli_Eleonora (@IAIonline), @gaby_um (@EuropeanUni), @ezhakala (@FIIA_fi), @OlafOsica from European Institute Lodz, Hildegunn Kyvik Nordås (@nupinytt), @agarcod (@CidobBarcelona)

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As well as: @NicolePirozzi (@IAIonline), @JuhaJokela1 (@FIIA_fi), @SenemAydnDzgit (@sabanciu), @JohannesPollak (@WebsterVienna), @MwiWind (@CentreforEUPol), Madalina Moraru (@EuropeanUni), Frank Schimmelfennig (@ETH_en), Stefan Telle (@EuropeanUni), @katrinauel (@IHS_Vienna)...

Finally we also have Ramunas Vilpisauskas (@VU_LT), Maja Bucar (@FDVLjubljana), Gunilla Herolf (@UISweden), and of course our Chairperson of the TEPSA Board Lucia Mokrá

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Thanks also to @iprinova in particular for helping to organise this Portuguese Pre-Presidency Conference #PPCLisbon, and to their researchers who took part: Carlof Gaspar, @PereiraJoanaC, @AnaSantosPinto, and Alice Cunha

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Most of all thank you to you for following #PPCLisbon these past two days. We hope you enjoyed the conference, and certainly have many more planned for the future!

/ENDS

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