Thread by @tepsaeu

Welcome to Day 2⃣ of the #InDivEU Final Conference!

As always we'll be highlighting the best bits from today's panels and you can also watch LIVE ON STREAM! 👉

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Check out the agenda for today! We're discussing the perspectives of different political actors on #DifferentiatedIntegration, the #SingleMarket, and Experimentalist Governance!

➡️ tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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And if you want to meet today's speakers for the #InDivEU Final Conference be sure to check out our handy guide! 👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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Our first panel of the today is starting! We're discussing the perspectives of governments, parties, and citizens with @IlkeToygur, Stefan Telle, @_mlorimer, @CatherineDVries, and @RichardGCorbett

Follow the discussion live! 👉

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"We assembled a team of more than 30 researchers to study government programmes and key speeches in the EU27 2004-2019. While EU affairs featured prominently, #Differentiation played almost no part"

- Stefan Telle from @EUI_EU on the salience of DI for Europe's governments

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"Our findings support the notion that #DifferentiatedIntegration is considered most as a tool to overcome gridlock"

- According to Stefan Telle's research in #InDivEU, DI is not so much an 'option' for EU policy in the EU27, but a solution to gridlock

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"We assumed that DI would perhaps be seen more favourably in countries with major opt-outs such as from Schengen or the Euro. BUT in those countries, #Differentiation was not necessarily seen more positively. This is because opting out comes at a cost"
- Stefan Telle (@EUI_EU)
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Decisions around #DifferentiatedIntegration are not just the prerogative of governments in power 👉 @_mlorimer from @LSEnews has been investigating the views of party actors writ-large

She interviewed multiple politicians, advisors, and more in 7 Member States

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"Many party actors worry about some Member States using #Differentiation to get out of investing their own fair share in the European project"

- @_mlorimer (@LSEnews) on fears surrounding DI among party actors

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"A large majority of our respondents recognised that DI was unacceptable in areas where it risks contributing to democratic backsliding in the EU"

- @_mlorimer from @LSEnews

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"Respondents from wealthier & older Member States tended to be more in favour of DI than those from poorer & newer Member States"

- @_mlorimer's research shows New Member States are fearful #Differentiation would lead to their relegation to a 'second tier' of EU membership

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.@_mlorimer (@LSEnews) discovered in her #InDivEU research that there was no clear divide between left, centre, and right-wing parties regarding the EU and #Differentiation 👉 much more important is which country these parties are from

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"This discussion is far removed from people's everyday lives" 👉 @CatherineDVries never used the words 'Differentiated Integration' in her #InDivEU research about citizens' views of DI "because practically no one knows what these words mean

So, what DO citizens think of DI?

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"'Multi-speed' Europe is less popular in the Netherlands and Sweden, whereas opt-out support is high. This is because the former is an idea that 'comes from Brussels', whereas the latter moves the country 'further away' from Brussels"

- @CatherineDVries (@VUamsterdam)

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After the presentations on what
🏦 Governments (Stefan Telle, @EUI_EU)
🗣️ Parties (@_mlorimer, @LSEnews)
🙋 Citizens (@CatherineDVries, @VUamsterdam)
think of DI we turn to veteran political actor @RichardGCorbett, former British MEP for @UKLabour

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"The core of the EU is all the Member States together, there are some fields where there are laggards, but this is limited to certain fields only"

- @RichardGCorbett at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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"In the @Europarl_EN, the policy is mostly in favour of unified integration, but there are a lot of complex differences: there are also those who want to leave the EU, there are also those who want to destroy the EU"

- @RichardGCorbett at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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"You have different attitudes to #DifferentiatedIntegration because usually your attitude to DI comes back to your attitude to EU integration as such"

- @RichardGCorbett at the #InDivEU Final Conference

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We're moving now to a Q&A session in this panel on governments, parties, and citizens: if you want to get your questions in the chat you can head over to our livestream! 👉

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Our great moderator @IlkeToygur is closing the first panel of the day 👉 thanks to Stefan Telle (@EUI_EU), @_mlorimer (@LSEnews), @CatherineDVries (@VUamsterdam), and @RichardGCorbett for their views on governments, parties, and citizens and DI

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Welcome back to the #InDivEU Final Conference! In this next panel @BrigidLaffan moderates a discussion on DI and the #SingleMarket between @p_chiocchetti, Michael Keating, and Christian Frommelt

WATCH LIVE 👉

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If you want to learn more about our speakers for this panel check out our handy guide! 👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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How can we build closer relations with European neighbours while preserving the integrity of the #SingleMarket? @p_chiocchetti has developed a number of models for specific countries as part of his #InDivEU research

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In @p_chiocchetti's research, three models are proposed: a country can chose accession, close external integration, or grow more distant to the EU"

@EUI_EU
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"Useful options include deep multilateral agreements in the European Economic Area, as well as deep bilateral agreements, and even shallower agreements"

- @p_chiocchetti (@EUI_EU)

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"In a context of enlargement fatigue in the EU and rising euroscepticism outside the EU, external integration remains a viable option for closer cooperation with the neighbourhhood"

- @p_chiocchetti concludes his presentation in this panel

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Following @p_chiocchetti's definition and analysis of external #differentiation, we turn to @aberdeenuni's Michael Keating, whose research analyses the unique dynamics of 🇬🇧🇨🇭🇹🇷 in relation to Europe - today Michael will talk in particular about #Brexit

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"In #brexit, sovereignty issues trumped market access - so the eventual deal ended up more recognisably on the #WTO model than a standard EU Association Agreement. The concept of partnership disappeared in lieu of a base free trade deal"

- Michael Keating (@aberdeenuni)

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"We really can't predict what will happen in the EU-UK relationship: the tough lines on both sides, the difficulties of equivalence, and the sheer complexity of the agreement"

- Michael Keating (@aberdeenuni) on the future of #Brexit

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"There is a real prospect of a breakup of 🇬🇧 as a result of #brexit, and of the different parts of the UK re-integrating to different levels after that breakup"

- Michael Keating (@aberdeenuni)

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Christian Frommelt's presentation will highlight challenges to and the extent of integration on an external basis

@LieInstitut

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"The secret to success for external integration is flexibility: being pragmatic is the key to finding a balance between maintaining autonomy and ensuring efficiency"

- Christian Frommelt from @LieInstitut

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"The vision of #sovereignty which has triumphed in England is different from the vision of sovereignty in Scotland, or in Northern Ireland - in other words the UK is a bit like the EU in that way"

- Michael Keating from @aberdeenuni

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"Even within external integration there is #differentiation, leading to some difficulty in defining terms like external differentiation and internal differentiation against each other"
- Christian Frommelt on the difficulties of distinguishing between different versions of DI
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Is #Brexit a game-changer for external #differentiation?

"The UK does have the potential to compete with an undermine the #SingleMarket whereas other countries can't" - Michael Keating, @aberdeenuni

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Is #Brexit a game-changer for external #differentiation?
"It could have been if it ended in an agreement that would allow more integration. The real game changer would have have been an institutional framework agreement between 🇨🇭 and 🇪🇺" - Christian Frommelt, @LieInstitut
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Is #Brexit a game-changer for external #differentiation?

"I see more rigidity in Europe when dealing with third countries after #Brexit, with the desire to clearly distinguish between membership and external integration" - @p_chiocchetti, @EUI_EU

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On that note @BrigidLaffan closes this panel on External DI and the integrity of the #SingleMarket 👉 thanks to our panellists @p_chiocchetti, Michael Keating, and Christian Frommelt

And tune back in at 14:30 CET for our next panel!

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Welcome back to the #InDivEU Final Conference! We're about to start our final panel on Flexible Implementation, Experimentalist Governance, and Diversity in 🇪🇺➡️ those are all scary sounding words, but our great panel is here to illuminate us!

STREAM:
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If you want to meet our speakers...

➡️ Sebastiaan Princen (@UniUtrecht)
➡️ Jonathan Zeitlin (@UvA_Amsterdam)
➡️ Amb. @IrenaAndrassy (@CroatiaInEU)
➡️ @schierenbeck_c (@EU_Commission)

... you can check out our handy guide! 👉 tepsa.eu/wp-content/upl…

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"Member States are given the room to make decisions in the implementation of EU Policies"

- Sebastiaan Princen (@UtrechtUni) explains the concept of "Flexible Implementation" in #DifferentiatedIntegration

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"Flexible Implementation has always been a part of EU law, most obviously in Directives. But still there is no explicit attention given to the concept as a way to accommodate the EU's diversity"

- Sebastiaan Princen (@UtrechtUni)

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"What sets Flexible Implementation apart from #DifferentiatedIntegration is that ALL the Member States benefit from it"

- Sebastiaan Princen (@UtrechtUni)

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To explain 'Experimentalist Governance' we turn to @UvA_Amsterdam's Jonathan Zeitlin: "national, regional and local authorities are allowed to implement policy in such a way as best suits their local context; these lower-level units are meant to report back to ensure success"
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"Permanent DI is a pretty blunt instrument. It's a binary: you embrace it or reject it. DI in the 'Experimentalist Governance' form allows us to move past such gridlock by bringing to the fore the diversity of each local system"

- Jonathan Zeitlin (@UvA_Amsterdam)

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"All the understandings of DI are useful when we discuss the facts: all the EU27 are very different. Different geographies, histories, economies, cultures. The EU as a project should aim to more convergence, not less."

- Amb. @IrenaAndrassy (@CroatiaInEU)

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"When you negotiate Membership, you begin to understand #differentiation: how far you are from the standard you have to apply as a Member. Negotiating is more about reaching that standard than negotiating away from it"

- Amb. @IrenaAndrassy (@CroatiaInEU)

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"Croatia wants to become a fully integrated Member State. Hopefully in the next year or 2023 we will make a next step: the citizens want the same opportunities as any other citizens"

- Amb. @IrenaAndrassy (@CroatiaInEU)

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"The EU, especially in a crisis situation, is much better if it tries to bring everybody together"

- Amb. @IrenaAndrassy's presentation concludes during her presentation at the #InDivEU Final Conference (@CroatiaInEU)

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"I support what Amb. @IrenaAndrassy has said: convergence should always be the aim. The more DI we have, the more complexity we have. Uniform rules are a preference, but of course we understand that we need to take diversity into account"

- @schierenbeck_c (@EU_Commission)

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"We need to reach out to the stakeholders on the ground, who will be impacted by our policies"

- @schierenbeck_c (@EU_Commission) on the need to bring the EU closer to the citizens

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We're receiving questions from the audience on panel 5 of the #InDivEU Final Conference, be sure to ask your questions in chat 👉

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After a stimulating discussion, our moderator Sandra Lavenex closes the panel before we move directly into our conference's concluding remarks

Thanks to our panellists Sebastiaan Princen, Jonathan Zeitlin, Amb. @IrenaAndrassy and @schierenbeck_c

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We're moving towards the end of the #InDivEU Final Conference with some concluding remarks from:

➡️ Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU Scientific Lead
➡️ @BrigidLaffan, #InDivEU Coordinator
➡️ @CloosJim, TEPSA Secretary-General

WATCH LIVE:

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"I am heartened by the extent to which the #InDivEU project was a success given the complications posed by #COVID19 since early 2020: the #InDivEU project only met in person once"

- @BrigidLaffan, #InDivEU Coordinator, from @EUI_EU

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"This is not the end of the #InDivEU project, we have more activities coming up; and #InDivEU will not be the end of research on DI: #Differentiation will remain a key feature of the EU and of EU studies"

- Frank Schimmelfennig, #InDivEU Scientific Lead, from @CIS_ETH_UZH

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"There is no final word on anything to do with European integration, you will have much more to study in the coming years"

- TEPSA Secretary-General @CloosJim on the future of #InDivEU and DI research

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"Diversity is a fact of life in the EU, and DI is a way of handling that diversity. It is linked to the nature of the EU and the perception of the EU citizens: 'one size fits all' is not always a good solution"

- TEPSA Secretary-General @CloosJim

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"For me there was a lot in this Final Conference that I found interesting. Overall, while DI can give rise to some risks and fears, DI has always allowed the EU to move forward"

- TEPSA Secretary-General @CloosJim, longstanding EU practitioner, formerly of the @EUCouncil

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On that note, TEPSA Secretary-General @CloosJim formally closes the #InDivEU Final Conference "A Differentiated Future for the European Union?"

If you want to learn more about the #InDivEU project you can check out the project's website 👉 indiveu.eui.eu

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... and before we bring an end to this thread we will also thank @EUI_EU and @ETH_en for their support in the #InDivEU project & final conference, as well as to all our speakers over the last two days, from the #InDivEU consortium and beyond!

/ENDS

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