THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

Department of British & Irish Studies Academy of Government

27th Freudenstadt Symposium on European Regionalism: Shaping the Way Forward 07-09 July 2017 | Hotel Teuchelwald | Freudenstadt | Black Forest | Germany

Invitation

We would like to invite you to take part in the 27th Freudenstadt Symposium. Whilst elections in France, Austria and Holland brought relief, the nationalist drift in Poland, Hungary and others causes concern. Will this lead to a European divide? However the 27 governments remaining formed a joint stand on the Brexit negotiations. Nevertheless this unity is unlikely in determining and shaping the way forward for Europe. What options and paths lie ahead? A hard Brexit seems unavoidable, but what does this lead to in the UK and Ireland? What is ‘in it’ for the four nations of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England – the ‘promised land’ or economic collapse? Will the devolved nations put a stress on the UK threatening to break it apart?

 Where does the European Boat drift? – what is on in Europe? Increasing nationalist tendencies and ‚alternative facts‘ on the one hand and voting to embrace the European idea on the other?

 Renewing Europe – what visions, scenarios and routes should be taken to bring (which?) Europe on course?

 What‘s in for us? – the British Islands on their way to a creative or a catastrophic destruction?

We are expecting speakers and participants - politicians, diplomats, academics & students, writers & journalists, businesspeople, activists and individuals - from across Europe for a weekend of presentations, informal discussions, good food, and walks in the Black Forest – hallmarks of Freudenstadt for the past twenty-odd years. This year honouring our dear friend and co-founder Paddy Bort and exploring new lands in Freudenstadt.

Speakers include: Andi Gross (former Member Swiss Parliament & Council of Europe), Jacob Lund (former Member Danish Parliament & Council of Europe), Peter Friedrich (Strategy Advisor, former Minister for Europe & Federal Affairs Baden-Württemberg & Member German Parliament), Wolfgang Wettach (Exec. Bureau European Federalists UEF & Europa-Union BaWü), James Mitchell (Scottish Politics Expert, tbc), Patrik Buchmüller (Banking System & Risk Expert, Germany), Ivan Bogdanov & Claudia Vass (Eastern Europe experts), Patricia Conlan (Lecturer European Law, Ireland), Wolfgang Moessinger (Diplomat), John Clifford (former Honorary Consul of Austria in Scotland, tbc), John Osmond (former Director of Institute of Welsh Affairs), Christopher Harvie (former Member of the Scottish Parliament & Historian). THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

Department of British & Irish Studies Academy of Government

Further Information Organisers: Prof. Christopher Harvie, Prof. James Mitchell and Stefan M Buettner

Venue: Our symposium takes place at the remarkable Hotel Teuchelwald &SPA (Schömberger Str. 9, 72250 Freudenstadt, http://www.hotel-teuchelwald.de/).

Conference Fees: The all‐inclusive fees of £170 or €200 (conference, meals & ***+ accommodation, only drinks are extra) should be paid in advance to Prof. Christopher Harvie, Universität Tübingen. You will receive payment details with the registration confirmation. Note: please pay by 9 June 2017, full fee payable for cancellations after 09/06/17.

Registration and Programme: Please register by 9 June 2017 indicating your full name, affiliation and contact details via email to [email protected], under the heading “Freudenstadt Registration”.

How to get to Freudenstadt: If booked ahead of time, direct connections to Stuttgart airport (40 minutes away by hourly train) aren't expensive and deals may be available on Eurostar to Freudenstadt Hauptbahnhof via Karlsruhe or Stuttgart. A pick-up from Freudenstadt Hauptbahnhof will be arranged by either the Hotel or us if you tell us your expected time of arrival. Alternative Airports are Karlsruhe-Baden, Friedrichshafen, Basel-Mulhouse and Memmingen. For trains you can consult www.bahn.de. Please make your travel arrangements as soon as possible!

For any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us (see the details below). We are looking forward to seeing you in Freudenstadt on July 7-9, 2017.

Chris Harvie, James Mitchell and Stefan M Buettner

Prof. Christopher Harvie Stefan M. Buettner Prof. James Mitchell Department of British and Irish Studies Int. Economics, Low Carbon Economy, University of Edinburgh · Academy of Government English Seminar · University of Tübingen Energy Policy & Higher Education B.02 · 21 George Square Wilhelmstr. 50 · 72074 Tübingen · Germany Tübingen – Edinburgh – Stuttgart Edinburgh EH8 9JW · Scotland [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]