Shaping Europe’s Future Through Education
Conference on the occasion of CIFE's 70th anniversary 

CIFE was founded in 1954, at a moment of crisis of European integration: The European Defence Community had failed and it was uncertain how the process of unifying Europe could be continued. The founders of CIFE considered that education was the most important tool to advance the cause of a united Europe: educating citizens, future leaders and multipliers who would embrace this idea and devote their professional lives to implement it. Since 1954, CIFE has been an important stakeholder in European education, and we would like to invite you to celebrate CIFE’s 70th anniversary with us!

Join us for a one-day high-level conference in Brussels on 
21 November 2024, 10.00 – 18.00
​Venue: Fondation universitaire, rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels
The conference will take place in English and French.
Please note that simultaneous interpreting will not be provided.


Registration required before 14 November 2024.



Draft Programme - 21 November 2024


MORNING SESSION

10.00 – 10.45 Keynote Speeches

  • Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council, President of CIFE
  • Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission


10.45 – 11.45 Roundtable: The Future of European Policy for Higher Education

  • Introduction by Stefaan Hermans, Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture DG EAC
  • Panelists tbc (for the list of confirmed speakers see below)

Whereas the European Union has increasingly evolved into a single economic zone, the harmonisation of educational systems and policies takes much longer. In a European education area, citizens should be able to move without impediments from one member state to the other in order to pursue life-long learning and achieve recognised credentials in different member states. The plan to create a "European degree" should deepen university cooperation and facilitate the recognition of qualifications. The dual sustainable and digital transitions demand intense cooperation between teachers and learners from all member states.


12.00 – 13.00 Roundtable: Teaching and Transmitting European Integration Today

  • Introduction by Wolfgang Wessels, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, Centre for Turkey and European Studies (CETEUS), University of Cologne
  • Panelists tbc (for the list of confirmed speakers see below)

The European Union can only thrive if it secures the support of its citizens. This challenge has become more and more acute, as Euroscepticism grows in each member state and various sources divulge misinformation about the integration process. Furthermore, the EU needs future leaders and experts which are fully aware of our common heritage, the functioning of the community and its major policies. The panel will discuss how the context of transmitting European integration has changed, how the expectations of stakeholders and employers have evolved and how teaching and learning can be adapted to today's challenges.


13.00 – 14.15 Lunch Buffet


AFTERNOON SESSION

14.15 – 15.30 Roundtable: The Evolution of CIFE from the 1950s until Today

  • Introduction by Catherine Allaire Previti, Archivist, Historical Archives of the European Union, European University Institute, Florence
  • Panelists tbc (for the list of confirmed speakers see below) 


From its origins in the 1950s until today, CIFE has strongly evolved, in step with changes to the context. After CIFE's teaching had, in its initial years, spread the idea of a united Europe to citizens of all professions, it increasingly turned to higher education and the organisation of Master programmes. A major shift came about in 1989 with the downfall of Communist Europe, which enabled hundreds of students from Central and Eastern Europe to participate in CIFE's programmes and become actors in the process of EU accession of their countries. Recent years have seen a major expansion of CIFE's academic offer and student body. The panel will highlight some key features of this evolution.


15.30 – 16.30 Roundtable: The Future of CIFE: New Geographical Areas, Classical Topics Revisited

  • Panelists tbc (for the list of confirmed speakers see below) 

The ever-changing context of EU policymaking has led CIFE to embrace new topical and geographical areas, such as energy transition, digitalisation, EU-Mediterranean and EU-Africa relations. Other issues, which have played a key role in the history of the organisation such as federalism, are now examined from different angles. This final panel will outline the challenges ahead so that CIFE's programmes remain as pertinent and relevant as ever.


16:30 – 17.00 Concluding Remarks

  •  Matthias Waechter, Director General CIFE


17.00 – 18.00 Closing Reception


 Confirmed speakers include:

  • Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
  • Catherine Allaire Previti, Archivist, Historical Archives of the European Union, European University Institute, Florence
  • Cristian Badescu, Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of Norway
  • Laurent Baechler, Programme Director, MAEIS Master - European Integration and Global Studies, CIFE
  • François Bafoil, Senior Research Fellow, CNRS
  • Bruno Boissière, Former Member of the European Parliament, Former Director of the CIFE Representation in Brussels
  • Luisa Bunescu, International Cooperation Officer – Education Sector, European Commission
  • Tobias Bütow, Secretary General Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ/DFJW)
  • María Casado García-Hirschfeld, Lawyer, Director of the National Distance Education University (UNED) Centre in Brussels
  • Paul Culley, EU Policy Advisor, Tutor and Trainer, Former Director in the Private Office of the EU Council’s Secretary General
  • Doris Dialer, Attaché at Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU, Adjunct Professor at the University of Innsbruck
  • Anna Dimitrova, Full Professor of International Affairs at ESSCA School of Management
  • Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of Department, Directorate for Democracy, Council of Europe 
  • Michael Gaebel, Director of the Higher Education Policy Unit, European University Association
  • Rachel Guyet, Programme Director, Master in Global Energy Transition and Governance, CIFE
  • Susann Heinecke-Kuhn, Programme Director, MAEIS Master -Applied European Policy and Governance Studies, CIFE
  • Stefaan Hermans, Director of Policy Strategy and Evaluation, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture DG EAC
  • Luca Kadar, Head Of Division of Global Communications, International Cultural Relations and Public Diplomacy, European External Action Service (EEAS)
  • Arnaud Leconte, Programme Director of the Joint Master programmes GEGPA, EUDIPLO and EUCULTURE, CIFE
  • Frédéric Lépine, Deputy Director General CIFE and Chief Editor of “L’Europe en formation”, CIFE
  • Hartmut Marhold, Honorary Professor, University of Cologne
  • Ryszard Piasecki, Full Professor in Economics, University of Lodz, Former Ambassador of Poland to the Republic of Chile 
  • Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council, President of CIFE
  • Jean-Claude Vérez, Associate Professor at the University of Artois, Programme Director, MAEIS Master – Mediterranean Studies, CIFE
  • Matthias Waechter, Director General CIFE
  • Wolfgang Wessels, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, Centre for Turkey and European Studies (CETEUS), University of Cologne
  • Esther Zana-Nau, Former Coordinator of the LISER Doctoral Training Programme, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Vice-President of CIFE

 

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