On Tuesday, March 15th, EUCE York is pleased to present From the European Economic Community to a Europe of “Values”: Assessing the Limits of the “Ever Closer Union”, the fifth in the Centre’s series EUCE Lectures in Law and Governance. This lecture will be given by Prof. Suzanne Kingston (School of Law, University College Dublin), a visiting scholar at EUCE York.

While the EU famously started life as a regional economic organization aimed essentially at achieving a customs union and, ultimately, a common market, the past twenty years have witnessed tremendous efforts to cast off these limitations in a constant process of “creating an ever closer union” (Article 1, Treaty on European Union).  Yet, with many of the low-hanging fruit in the integration process already picked, are there inherent limits to the integration process?  This paper offers critical discussion of this question with specific reference to some key frontiers of European integration following the failure of the EU’s Constitutional Treaty (2004) and the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon (2009).  Particular attention will be paid to the fields of (a) foreign policy and external affairs; (b) the “social market economy”; and (c) “values” and fundamental rights.

Dr. Suzanne Kingston is a barrister and a lecturer in law at University College Dublin.  A graduate of Oxford University (BA in Law) and Leiden University, the Netherlands (LL.M., Ph.D.), she specialises in EU law, including EU environmental and competition law.  She was an affiliated lecturer at Cambridge University from 2006-2007, and served as a référendaire (legal adviser) in the cabinet of Advocate General Geelhoed at the European Court of Justice, Luxembourg from 2004-2006.  Prior to this, she practised EU law at the Brussels office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.  She has published widely on EU law, and is the author of Greening EU Competition Law and Policy (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming).

Light refreshments will be served.
All are welcome but attendees are asked to preregister at euce@yorku.ca

Location: 519 York Research Tower (building #95 on the map found here)
Time: 12:30-2:00 pm