The European Union Centre of Excellence at York is pleased to present a lecture by Dr. Stelios Staviridis (ARAID Senior Research Fellow at the University of Zaragoza, Spain (Research Unit on Global Governance and the European Union) on Wednesday, October 6 from 12:30-2:00 pm in 764 York Research Tower (building # 95 on map found here).

There have been many concepts that have been used to describe, analyze and assess, the EU’s international role over the years. But only one can claim to have been present ever since the launch of the first efforts at producing a European foreign policy in the early 1970s: that of ‘civilian power Europe’. Of course there have been many critical approaches as well. In 2010 the question of whether the concept is still valid remains particularly relevant. Indeed the Lisbon Treaty is supposed to make the EU a full international actor, at long last.

Dr. Stavridis’ lecture, entitled “The EU as an international actor: Is the concept of civilian power Europe still useful in 2010?”, will argue that, not only is the concept still relevant, but also that it represents a better theoretical approach than other more recent ones (such as normative power, structural power or even soft power). It also claims that in order to make civilian power Europe more efficient and more ‘powerful’, one should also include a democratic dimension to the EU’s role in international affairs.

All are welcome, but attendees are asked to register with euce@yorku.ca

Location: 764 York Research Tower
Time: 12:30-2:00 pm