Thread by @tepsaeu

The #InDivEU Final Conference starts TODAY! Welcome to Day 1 - we've got a bunch of great panels on #DifferentiatedIntegration and the #FutureofEurope so make sure to tune in to our 📺 LIVESTREAM 👉

Today we're highlighting the key moments of the conference right here on Twitter, but you can also follow our livestream if you want to tune in to our agenda!

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We're currently having some brief words of welcome from Lucia Mokrá, Chairperson of the TEPSA Board, and Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU's Scientific Lead

If you want to learn more about what's coming up today, read our event agenda 📖👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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And in preparation for the day's panels, be sure to meet our speakers! 👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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"#Differentiation is a way of more effective cooperation in some areas, but in some areas (EU values, Internal Market, and more), we must move forward in a unified approach"

- Lucia Mokrá introduces the #InDivEU conference outlining the tension present in any discussion of DI
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"The coming two days will be a platform for discussion on what DI means for the #FutureofEurope - the #InDivEU project's voice will be heard by policy makers and academics alike"

- Lucia Mokrá wishes #InDivEU two days of "fruitful discussion" at the opening of the conference

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"#InDivEU - Integrating Diversity in the European Union - has a big work programme behind it. We have pushed the research frontier on DI significantly in several directions"
- Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU Scientific Lead introduces the work of the project over the last years
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Did you know #InDivEU has several sister projects? #DifferentiatedIntegration is an important topic, so research won't end with the end of #InDivEU 💪

➡️ @IdeaEu @EU3Dh2020 and @dice_h2020 are also doing great work in DI!

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After these warm welcoming words we are joined by @DelorsInstitute President and former Prime Minister of Italy 🇮🇹 👉 @EnricoLetta

If you want to hear his remarks live then be sure to follow the LIVESTREAM on YouTube 👉

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"The timing of this conference is good, because of #CoFoE; and because of #NextGenEU, which has changed the perception of the EU. In 🇮🇹, it has contributed to a shift from Euroscepticism to pro-EU feelings"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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"All the discussion of #Differentiated before #Brexit was flawed because the question of 'where we want integration to go' and 'how fast we want to get there' was not yet solved"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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.@EnricoLetta suggests a "scoreboard" to assess #RuleofLaw issues in willing EU Member States, to encourage those lagging behind to 'catch up'

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"If another #MigrationCrisis like the one of 2014-2016 happens, the EU will not be prepared. We need to use DI: willing countries should create a new, all-encompassing treaty on #migration"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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"There is a big difference between 🇵🇱 & 🇭🇺 today and 🇬🇧 yesterday. The hard Eurosceptic part of the two former countries are, to my understanding, in the minority. Perhaps I am too optimistic"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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"Through #COVID19, I saw a change in the quality of European debate. This was because of the threat of #COVID, and also because of the global threats of the last years. 'Stronger together' is no longer just a slogan"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Conference
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"It is important to link the problems Europe has to the citizens. This was the reason for the success of the #COVID19 response last year: citizens understood that we are stronger together"

- @EnricoLetta, Keynote Speaker at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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We're now moving to a 30 mins break before our first panel: "What drives differentiated integration and how does DI affect the EU as a polity?"

Learn more and bookmark your favourite panels by consulting the event agenda! 👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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Welcome back to the #InDivEU Final Conference! We're about to start our first panel discussion

➡️ Frank Schimmelfennig
➡️ Bruno De Witte
➡️ Marta Migliorati (@__rta)
➡️ Micaela Del Monte
➡️ Moderator: @katrinauel

Follow the livestream! 👉

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"#Differentiation has received a boost as the EU has enlarged over the years: it is a way to integrate heterogenous Member States"

- Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU Scientific Lead (@CIS_ETH_UZH)

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"There are two divides in the EU. Old vs. new members: here #Differentiation is 'multi-speed', different countries integrate at different rates. The integration of core state powers, ie. Eurosceptic members seek opt-outs"

- Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU Scientific Lead

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Bruno De Witte (@EUI_EU) brings "flexibility" into the discussion and the importance of recognising diversity in #Europe - @__rta responds that indeed "there is a space for flexibility in Europe"

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How do crises affect #Differentiation?

"You may think DI is somehow the opposite of solidarity. But in times of crisis, we should recognise that citizens' perceptions of DI as a tool to move forward and enhance plays a significant role"

- Micaela Del Monte, @Europarl_EN

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"The #EuroCrisis was marked by new used of DI, we also saw DI come to the fore in 2017 when @EmmanuelMacron was elected and the @EU_Commission proposed DI as a scenario for the future of Europe"

- Bruno De Witte (@EUI_EU) on historic discussions of DI

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"There is a difference in the European response to COVID and the European response to the Euro Crisis. The entire #COVIDRecovery is devoid of DI: all 27 countries participate on the same terms. Does this mark the decline of DI in economic policy?"

- Bruno De Witte (@EUI_EU)

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We're moving to questions and comments from the chat - if you want to join in on the discussion be sure to follow our livestream on YouTube 👇


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The first question concerns whether #DifferentiatedIntegration is actually desirable? Is it not better to move together as a unified whole wherever possible?

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We're also discussing flexibility: "The implementation of the #NextGenEU, in including #RuleofLaw standards as a prerequisite to receive recovery funds, would be an example of negative flexibility: punishing countries for not complying"

- Bruno de Witte (@EUI_EU)

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"Does #Differentiation threaten the EU as a polity? Does it lead to an ever more fragmented union, instead of an ever closer one?"

- An important question to all the panellists from moderator @katrinauel

For their answers, watch the livestream! 👉

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"Differentiated Integration is not so much a threat because it is subject to strict constraints: as long as they respect the integrity of the EU's legal system, it will be difficult for countries to go beyond those constraints"

- Bruno de Witte (@EUI_EU)

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We're about the wrap up the first panel of the #InDivEU Final Conference: thanks to our panellists Frank Schimmelfennig (@CIS_ETH_UZH/#InDivEU Scientific Lead), Bruno de Witte (@EUI_EU), Marta Migliorati (@thehertieschool), Micaela Del Monte (@Europarl_EN), and @katrinauel

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We'll be returning at 14:30 CET for the next panel: "Deepening Eurozone integration: towards an ever more differentiated Union?"

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We're 🔴BACK LIVE for the second panel of the #InDivEU Final Conference: "Deepening Eurozone integration: towards an ever more differentiated Union?"

Watch the livestream! 👉

We're starting with scenarios for internal #DifferentiatedIntegration and the #Euro area, the work of @p_chiocchetti within the #InDivEU project

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.@p_chiocchetti has defined a number of scenarios
"Highland Europe" - high levels of uniform integration
"Mountain Europe" - high #differentiation
"Lowland Europe" - low levels of uniform integration
"Archipelago Europe" - a scenario of differentiated DISintegration

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"In 'Highland Europe', countries might agree to form a fiscal union, and we will move towards a federal EU of around 23 Member States"

- @p_chiocchetti's first scenario for the #FutureofEurope

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"In 'Mountain Europe', vanguard Member States will move forward strongly, initially weakening the Eurozone due to the high level of differentiation, but this will eventually resolve itself"

- @p_chiocchetti's second scenario for the #FutureofEurope

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"In 'Lowland Europe' future integration trends will move towards withdrawals from various common policies, resulting in regression to a low level of overall integration"

- @p_chiocchetti's third scenario for the #FutureofEurope

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"In 'Archipelago Europe' we will concede many national opt-outs, and the final result would be an á la carte EU"

- @p_chiocchetti's fourth scenario for the #FutureofEurope

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"#DifferentiatedIntegration results in contextual, unclear, or controversial outcomes, which is why academics disagree so much on the topic"

- @p_chiocchetti (@EUI_EU)

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We now turn to our panellists from the EU Institutions for their reaction to @p_chiocchetti's research within the #InDivEU project

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"We can assume that all options can happen, because there are so many uncertainties in the EU. But when we talk about DI we always have to remember that integration itself is a permanent effort to identify the 'glue' between us"

- Danuta Maria Hübner MEP, @EPPGroup

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"I believe more integration will happen in the next years: we see huge advancement on legislation, we see huge programs to be launched, and huge projects that affect our lives like #ClimateChange"

- Danuta Maria Hübner MEP, @EPPGroup

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"We have #CoFoE, which might end in a cacophony of multiple proposals with no agreement, but I am more optimistic: we are seeing multiple good suggestions emerge from the citizens"

- Danuta Maria Hübner MEP, @EPPGroup

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"@p_chiocchetti gives an interesting framework to consider potential scenarios for the #FutureofEurope. It is extremely useful for policy practitioners"

- Irena Pereša, @EU_Commission

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"At this point in time, not allowing for further integration in the Banking Union has a cost. And as long as the deadlock persists, that cost rises"

- Irena Pereša, @EU_Commission

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"It is impossible for me to look at these medium-term projections of @p_chiocchetti due to my personal history as a Croatian. In the last 30 years, I lived through an armed conflict on European soil and EU accession"

- Irena Pereša, @EU_Commission

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What makes @p_chiocchetti's #InDivEU scenarios for the #FutureofEurope and the five scenarios proposed by the @EU_Commission way back in 2017? They are more ambitious! The Commission scenarios do not propose Treaty reform and do not taking into account European disintegration
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We are also debating the #InDivEU research of Markus Jachtenfuchs from @thehertieschool: what happens AFTER #differentiation happens?

Watch the debate live! 👉

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"The standard assumption is that 'Constitutional DI' is self-reinforcing because the ins have more to do with each other, and the outs are more left out - so once you do Constitutional DI, it stays!"

- Markus Jachtenfuchs (@thehertieschool)

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"Both the ins and the outs calculate the functional political costs and benefits, once DI has been decided. We found that 73% of cases when countries had the opportunity to re-integrate into the EU were taken!"

- Markus Jachtenfuchs (@thehertieschool)

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"Re-integration into the EU almost always comes from the 'outs', meaning that once a country has opted out of a policy, it soon feels the pain of being out and seek re-integration. Naturally, the 'ins' easily accept"

- Markus Jachtenfuchs (@thehertieschool)

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"I think the reason why #NextGenEU has been so successful is because it was a symmetrical response to a symmetrical #COVIDcrisis"

- Markus Jachtenfuchs (@thehertieschool) on the value also of having uniform policy in some EU areas

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"Europe is an ever-evolving political project, and it is important to examine why and how this process evolves in the way that it does. From time to time we have big moments of change"

- Danuta Maria Hübner MEP (@danutahuebner), @EPPGroup

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We're moving over to the Q&A session of this panel! Make sure to head over to our livestream to ask your own questions to our panellists! 👉

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On this note our moderator @michelemchang closes the second panel of the #InDivEU Final Conference

Thanks to panellists @p_chiocchetti, Markus Jachtenfuchs, @danutahuebner, and Irena Pereša!

And be sure to tune back in TOMORROW for the second day of the conference!

/ENDS

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