The DiCE summer school: “Differentiated Integration in the European Union” is taking place on 20-24 June 2022, and we’re taking applications to join the course!
Send in your CV and Cover Letter before 24 April.
The Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) invites you to take part in a 5-day summer school funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Union, that takes place at the heart of EU politics: Brussels. The summer school will take place in person and will offer 20 Master students and graduates an opportunity to gain first-hand insights from leading academics, EU officials and think tankers on the state of play and future scenarios for Differentiated Integration in the European Union.
Differentiated integration is a form of European integration in which not all Member States participate in all policies to the same degree and at the same time. It allows interested countries to move forward with integration while granting temporary or permanent exceptions to countries unable or unwilling to comply. Examples include the Schengen area, the Euro, or Permanent Structured Cooperation in security matters. In its external dimension, it refers to a situation in which EU rules are selectively extended to non-members. Differentiated integration is not only an academic concept – the European Commission’s 2017 White Paper on the Future of Europe identified it as one of the possible scenarios for the EU’s future (“Those who want more do more”).
Coordinated by leading Differentiated Integration expert Frank Schimmelfennig (ETH Zürich & TEPSA), the summer school offers a unique combination of theory and practice, with lectures by renowned academics, meetings with policy practitioners as well as a hands-on simulation exercise.
By attending this summer school, you will:
- Acquire and deepen your knowledge on theories and concepts of Differentiated Integration as well as its practical applications in EU policies;
- Gain valuable insights into the practicalities of Brussels policy-making;
- Get direct access to research and analysis produced by the DiCE network;
- Access networking opportunities with high level professionals from EU institutions, academia and think tanks;
- Meet and exchange views with students from different disciplinary and national backgrounds from all over the EU and beyond;
- Improve your analytical and argumentative skills.
READ THE FULL CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
FORMAT
The summer school is a 5-day event. It will be held in person in Brussels from Monday 20 June to Friday 24 June. Full participation to all elements of the programme is compulsory. You will receive a certificate of attendance on the final day of the summer school.
The first four days will be devoted to attending expert lectures and meeting practitioners from key EU institutions and think tanks with the objective of complementing the insights gained during the lectures. The seminar includes
meetings with:
- The European Commission
- The Council of the European Union
- The European External Action Service (EEAS)
- Leading Brussels think tankers and renowned European scholars.
The last day will be devoted to a hands-on exercise simulating a Council negotiation on a case of enhanced cooperation. Throughout the week, dedicated sessions for analysis and discussion in the group will be provided in order to allow participants to critically reflect on the insights gained during the lectures and visits, as well as daily slots to prepare for the final simulation exercise.
READ THE DRAFT AGENDA
ELIGIBILITY & HOW TO APPLY
The DiCE summer school is open for 20 Master’s students and recent graduates from different disciplines (e.g. Political Science, European Studies, International Relations, Law, Economics) interested in learning more about Differentiated Integration in the European Union. Participants will be selected by a review committee.
To apply please send the following documents to TEPSA’s Project Manager Giulia Bonacquisti – giulia.bonacquisti[at]tepsa.eu:
- Your CV
- A cover letter explaining your motivation to participate in the summer school (max. 1 page)
Applications are open to both EU and non-EU citizens. Applications are open until Sunday 24 April 2022 (midnight).
PARTICIPATION RULES
Participation in the summer school is free of charge. However, in order to secure their seats the selected applicants will be asked to transfer a deposit of EUR 100, which will be fully refunded upon participation in the seminar. Failure to transfer the deposit in time will result in exclusion from the seminar. In case of non-participation, the deposit cannot be refunded. Participants in the seminar will receive a reimbursement for their travel and accommodation costs up to EUR 450 upon presentation of the original receipts and tickets. In preparation for the simulation exercise, participants will be assigned negotiating roles and will be asked to prepare a position paper to be handed in one week before the start of the summer school. Please note that a Covid Safe Ticket (CST) will be mandatory in order to participate in the summer school.
The summer school is organised by TEPSA under the academic lead of Prof. Frank Schimmelfennig, Professor of European Politics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) and TEPSA Board member, and in cooperation with Prof. Michael Kaeding, Professor for European Integration and European Union Politics at the University of Duisburg-Essen. It takes place in the framework of the Horizon 2020 project “DiCE – Differentiation: Clustering Excellence”.
