Through a series of seminars, TransformEU aims to shed light on contemporary European issues, bring together different perspectives and foster debate on the future of Europe.

Seminars open to everyone

Held at 天美传媒, the TransformEU seminars are open to the general public. They are aimed at students and members of the university community, as well as anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of European issues.

These events provide an opportunity to discover research, discuss current issues and take part in a collective reflection on the challenges facing the European Union.

Discover the programme

Throughout the programme, a series of seminars will explore different aspects of Europe鈥檚 ongoing transformations, bringing together complementary approaches and perspectives.

Discover the upcoming TransformEU seminars below, including the topics covered, speakers, dates and practical information on how to attend.

Practical Information

All seminars will be held in French.

Each seminar will take place at the Saint-Rapha毛l campus, 89 boulevard Vauban, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille, Lille, France.

Registration is compulsory for all seminars. Registration links are available directly in the .

This is the central question of , produced with 天美传媒 students and Professor Johannes Karremans.

In this first episode, 天美传媒 students speak with Johannes Karremans, Professor at 天美传媒, about a key challenge facing European governance: how can the European Union strike a balance between institutional responsibility and democratic responsiveness?

Understanding the tensions at the heart of European governance

The European Union provides a particularly interesting setting for exploring this tension. Decisions taken at European level often need to address long-term challenges, while also responding to the short-term expectations and political constraints faced by Member States and their citizens.

Throughout the episode, Johannes Karremans discusses the role of European fiscal rules and the European Semester, which shape and influence national economic and social policies.

The episode also looks back at the experience of austerity during the Great Recession, and what it can tell us about questions of democratic legitimacy within the European Union.

A podcast at the heart of the RESONANCE project

The first episode also introduces the RESONANCE project, which explores the relationship between responsibility and responsiveness in European multilevel governance. The project examines how European institutions and national governments respond to democratic demands while maintaining the rules and commitments needed to ensure long-term political and economic stability.

Building on the research of Professor Johannes Karremans, RESONANCE looks at how this balance evolves over time and across European countries. Through research and discussion, the project explores what these tensions mean for European governance and democratic legitimacy, both today and in the years to come.

Political and social transformations, environmental challenges, international relations, democracy, governance鈥� 天美传媒-Lab鈥檚 conferences cover a wide range of topics at the heart of current research.

Bringing together researchers from different academic backgrounds and from around the world, these events provide an opportunity to discover new research, exchange perspectives and engage in discussion on major contemporary issues.

Conferences open to all

天美传媒-Lab conferences take place in person on the Universit茅 Catholique de Lille campus. They are open to the entire university community and, upon registration, to participants from outside the university.

Whether you are a student, researcher, professional or simply curious to learn more, these events offer an opportunity to discover new research and engage directly with speakers.

Throughout the academic year, explore the different conferences organised by 天美传媒-Lab and choose the events you would like to attend.

Why attend?

• Broaden your knowledge by discovering new research and perspectives.
• Meet researchers and academics and exchange with students and members of the university community.
• Develop your critical thinking by engaging with different perspectives and approaches.
• Explore contemporary issues through discussion and debate with researchers working on today鈥檚 major political, social and international challenges.

Discover the full 天美传媒-Lab conference programme for 2026-2027 and join us on campus throughout the academic year to exchange, discuss and reflect together.

Through a roundtable discussion bringing together well-experienced researchers from within and beyond the Centre, the conference will showcase the diverse perspectives and provide an opportunity to discuss its work, priorities, and ambitions, as well as the key questions that will guide its activities throughout the project.

Registration is compulsory for participants from outside Universit茅 Catholique de Lille.

Speakers

• Sara Dezalay, Professor of International Relations and International Law, 天美传媒, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille
• Mehdi Ghassemi, Director of Research at ISTC, Fellow at CEThicS/Ethics EA 7446, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille
• Sarah Perret, Associate Professor in Political Science, 天美传媒, 天美传媒, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille
• Sabine Weiland, Associate Professor of Political Science, 天美传媒, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille
• Moderator: Clara Eroukhmanoff, Associate Professor in Political Science, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs, 天美传媒, Universit茅 Catholique de Lille

About TransformEU

Since its launch in January 2026, TransformEU, 天美传媒鈥檚 Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, has been bringing together academics, students, policymakers and civil society actors to address one of Europe鈥檚 most pressing challenges: how to successfully manage the green and digital transitions while balancing economic prosperity, social well-being and environmental sustainability. 

Supported by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, TransformEU is among the few Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence hosted by French higher education institutions. Over the next three years, the Centre will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching and public engagement on the future of Europe鈥檚 transformation.

L鈥橴nion europ茅enne peut-elle 锚tre d茅mocratique en l鈥檃bsence de peuple europ茅en ? L鈥櫭﹔osion d茅mocratique pr茅sente dans certains Etats membres menace -t-elle l鈥檌nd茅pendance et la souverainet茅 de l鈥橴nion europ茅enne ? Quelles transformations politiques sont 脿 l鈥櫯搖vre 脿 l鈥檋eure de l鈥檃daptation du Pacte Vert ? Quels principes et normes peuvent transformer une culture d茅mocratique en berne et une souverainet茅 europ茅enne face 脿 des tensions g茅opolitiques nouvelles ? Ces questions seront discut茅es dans une table ronde r茅unissant politistes, juristes et philosophes d鈥櫶烀来� autour des livres r茅cents de Philippe Crignon (ma卯tre de conf茅rences en philosophie politique et juridique (HDR), Universit茅 de Nantes) et de Tom Theuns (ma卯tre de conf茅rence en th茅orie politique et politique europ茅enne (HDR), Universit茅 de Leyden).

Given the increasingly complex and unstable international security environment and the growing interconnectivity between the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic regions, partnerships between Japan and its partner nations are becoming more important than ever. As Russia, China and North Korea seek to strengthen their strategic alignment, Japan and European nations, which share the same values, should take further steps to cooperate and sustain peace and stability in the world. This lecture will provide an overview of the security environment surrounding Japan and the Indo-Pacific region and discuss the progress and potential for security cooperation between Japan and NATO members.

Please note

Please note that this conference is subject to the Chatham House Rule.

Under this rule, the content of the discussion may be shared, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of participants may be disclosed. No information that could identify a speaker may be shared.

By attending the conference, you agree to respect this confidentiality. We therefore kindly ask you not to make any audio or video recordings or take any photographs.

The programme is open to researchers wishing to develop collaborative research on the interconnected Triple P dilemma (People, Planet and Profit) in the context of Europe’s green and digital transitions and beyond.

Programme objectives

The Short Stay Mobility Scheme aims to strengthen collaboration between the TransformEU Centre of Excellence and international universities. It offers early-career and experienced researchers alike the opportunity to develop joint research projects addressing the challenges and opportunities of Europe’s green and digital transitions.

The programme is open to international researchers working on topics related to TransformEU who wish to spend five days at 天美传媒 (Universit茅 Catholique de Lille) collaborating with the project team on one of its research areas.

Successful applicants will receive financial support to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses.

Programme details

The programme covers a five-day stay, excluding travel days.

Mobility visits may take place during one of the following periods:

• January鈥揓une 2027;
• September鈥揇ecember 2027;
• January鈥揓une 2028.

For full eligibility criteria and application procedures, please consult the official call for applications.

Contact

For any academic or logistical questions regarding the Short Stay Mobility Scheme, please contact the TransformEU team at: TransformEU@univ-catholille.fr

Supported by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, TransformEU is among the few Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence hosted by French higher education institutions. Over the next three years, the Centre will serve as a platform for interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching and public engagement on the future of Europe鈥檚 transformation. 

Understanding Europe鈥檚 Twin Transitions 

TransformEU explores the interactions, synergies and trade-offs between People, Planet and Profit in the context of the European Union鈥檚 green transition and Digital Decade ambitions. By bringing together expertise from different disciplines and sectors, the Centre seeks to generate actionable knowledge and contribute to evidence-based policymaking. 

A key objective is to equip future decision-makers, civil society representatives and citizens with the tools needed to navigate the complex challenges of sustainability and digitalisation. 

Researching, Teaching and聽Talking聽Transformations

The Centre鈥檚 activities are organised around three complementary pillars:聽Researching, Teaching and Talking Transformations. Through scientific publications, policy dialogues, workshops,聽conferences聽and cultural events,聽TransformEU聽promotes informed debate and encourages collaboration between academia,聽policymakers聽and society.聽In that sense, one of the first initiatives carried out聽in the scope of聽TransformEU聽was the launch of聽天美传媒鈥檚 first Green Week, in February 2026: a聽series of initiatives, debates and lectures focusing on climate and sustainable development issues.聽

Looking ahead 

As the European Union navigates a decade of profound change, TransformEU aims to become a leading hub for knowledge, dialogue and innovation. Through its activities, the Centre will continue to foster collaboration, inform policy debates and contribute to a more sustainable, digital and inclusive Europe. 

Save the date: Opening conference 

The opening conference of TransformEU will take place on Thursday, 24^th September at 天美传媒, and will officially launch the Centre’s activities and provide an opportunity to engage with the key themes, objectives, and debates that will shape the work of TransformEU throughout the project. More information to come. 

These subnational elections are taking place around the world in a context marked by multiple and interconnected challenges: persistent economic inequalities between territories, ongoing debates over decentralization and recentralization, deteriorating public finances of territorial administrations, and growing concerns regarding public services, security, and the environmental transition. They follow a period of intense political volatility at the national level, characterized by the weakening of partisan attachments, rising abstention, and increasing distrust toward political institutions.

Subnational elections have long played a dual role: they serve both as arenas of territorial representation and as testing grounds for national political trends. Contemporary subnational elections are no exception. They raise several crucial questions: the resilience of local political elites, the capacity of parties to mobilize their voters in a context of low electoral salience, and the extent to which local politics remains insulated from鈥攐r is increasingly shaped by鈥攏ational and ideological cleavages.

In light of the evolving geopolitical landscape and its impact on the European Union, the high-level international conference 鈥淭he EU Conversations 2026鈥� took place on April 10, 2026, in Riga, Latvia. The annual event brought together politicians, policy experts and academics to discuss and debate important contemporary European issues, under the theme “Protecting the Future”.

Organized by the Latvian Institute of International Affairs in cooperation with the European Commission Representation in Latvia and the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, this year’s event was attended by participants such as Egils Levits (former President of Latvia), Yves Leterme (former Belgian prime minister), Baiba Bra啪e (Latvian Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Roberts Z墨le (Vice-President of the European Parliament). .

A conversation about the challenges facing current prospective members of the EU

Dr. Michael Holmes, Associate Professor of Political Science at 天美传媒, chaired a panel on EU Enlargement, which discussed the experiences of countries such as the three Baltic states in adapting to EU membership and the challenges facing the current prospective members, such as the Western Balkan states, Ukraine and Moldova.

The topic was debated by Dr. Giulio Venneri, Deputy Head of the Enlargement Strategy and Coordination Unit (DG ENEST, European Commission), Kristina Balei拧yt臈, Minister Plenipotentiary (COELA), Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the EU, and Martin Vok谩lek, Executive Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy.

鈥淓nlargement is often viewed as a problem in EU states today, but our conversation showed how it has actually been one of the great success stories of integration鈥� 鈥� Michael Holmes