Introducing the IES E-learning modules Where is Europe in our lives? And why does at preparing participants to the degree that perience they gained with the planning and everybody need to know about it? These they will be able to understand the sometimes execution of an e-learning project, the re- basic questions were at the heart of an am- complex European information they come searchers concerned built a knowledge-base bitious project to create e-learning modules across. Whilst the module on History, Politics which can be applied to other advanced edu- on European history, and Institutions and cation projects. Newsletter of the Institute for European Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Volume 3, Issue n° 17 • 30 September 2006 institutions, the deci- the module on EU sion-making process, Law have as a main ... And concerning the course itself: you will European law and In- focus knowledge get to know a Europe that you never thought formation gathering. transfer, the module was so diverse. New Lecture Series on European informa- Content The courses are des- tion sources focuses The start... The WTO Doha Round, the EU and the tined for professionals on skills transfer. Lecture Series on EU and WTO 1 who regularly come The IES starts offering the e-learning modules across European In the design of the from the academic year 2006-2007 on, and an - Programme 5 Future of the World Trading System Union related issues course, a lot of at- official launch session will be held on October in their work, but who tention was given to 26, at 18.30h. Please inform the IES if you News from the Research Floor 2 do not have sufficient usability aspects: you want to attend at 02/6291222 or by emailing - Lectures in Turku background to understand the reach and ef- don’t need to be a computer whiz to be able the concerned researchers. Registration can fects. Yet the course also aims at students, to get most of it. But a healthy interest and an also be done via e-mail to info@emodules. - Chechnia and Abkhazia mainly from other disciplines than Law or Poli- analytical mind do help. The course features be. tics, who want to get to know the EU in all its a series of explanatory diagrams, references - UACES aspects. and links to the documents referred to in the More info? - Erasmus Mundus course, maps, external websites etc. All this is As the list of topics suggests, the course aims destined to exploit the possibilities e-learning The IES e-modules can be found on the web- New faces at the Institute 3 to give an overview and to provide the partici- offers, compared to plain paper. site: http://www.emodules.be. More info can pant with a good first grasp of the subjects. It be obtained from the responsible researchers: PILC Graduation 3 also equips him or her to search further and The e-learning project carried out by the IES [email protected], and frede- E-learning Courses 4 find the information required. The course aims has one interesting side-effect: out of the ex- [email protected]. 3rd Summer School 4 International Moot Court 4 rd International Moot Succesful 3 Summer School on the IES in Tbilisi 6 New publications: Court in Tunis European Decision-Making Process - E-cycling 5 IES Researcher Koen Van den Bossche Under the auspices of Senior Research Fel- ticipants had to assume different roles in an - Multiculturalism Observed 6 accompanied seven VUB students from low Richard Lewis, the Institute for European imaginary international crisis situation. Suc- the Advanced Master programme on In- Studies, in collaboration with the Diplomatic cesful students received a certificate at the IES and Kyoto 6 ternational and European Law to Tunis Academy and the University of Vienna, organ- end of the session. (Tunesia) where they participated in the in- Team Building Day 6 ternational law moot court “Charles Rous- According to the feedback, the organisers seau”. The exercise took place between 1 - Richard Lewis, Ruben Lombaert, Fré- and 5 May of this year. dérique Lambrecht, Anthony Antoine and Nele Fasseel - can look back on a succesful The participating students ranked 4th out event! Contributed to this Newsletter: of 18 participating Universities. Koen Van Anthony Antoine, Céline Francis, Harri Kalimo, Starting on 4 October 2006, the Institute for of Prof. Dr. Servaas Van Thiel, There will den Bossche and Sevidzem Kingah, The 4th edition of the inter-university Summer Frédérique Lambrecht, Ruben Lombaert, Richard European Studies launches a new lecture se- be 10 lectures, most of which will take place both researchers at the Institute for Euro- School on the European Decision-Making Lewis, Sevidzem Kingah, Sebastian Oberthür and ries on the WTO Doha Round entitled: “The on Wednesdays between 18:00 and 20:00 in pean Studies, coached the team. The ar- Process will take place between 2 and 13 July Koen Van den Bossche Editing: Sevidzem Kingah, Aaron McLoughlin, Nele EU and the Future of the World Trading Sys- Aula D.2.01 of the VUB. Entrance is free of eas addressed lay in their respective areas 2007. Registration will be available from the Fasseel & Anthony Antoine tem”. This is organised in collaboration with its charge, yet registration is required. For more of expertise. IES website as of January 2007. Pictures courtesy of IES Programme on International Legal Coopera- information and registration, please consult except p. 1 & 5 (lecture series emblem) tion and with the University of Kent at Brus- our website at http://www.ies.be/ The students and the organising commit- ised its third joint Summer School on the Eu- Pictures show the students (accompanied by Richard © European Communities, 1995-2006 sels tee would like to thank the ‘Van Bael and ropean Decision-Making Process. Lewis and Ruben Lombaert) in Brussels (left above) and A detailed outline and programme can be Bellis’ law firm. Without their financial sup- Vienna (right below) The series is organised under the auspices found on p.5 of this newsletter. port, this exercise would not have been Thirty students from eighteen different coun- able to take place. tries participated in the two-week event, and Newsletter of the Institute for combined study trips to the European Coun- European Studies New Publications ! cil, the European Parliament and the Belgian Published by Federal Parliament with high-level lectures at Anthony ANTOINE Two new books are out from the IES or from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and at the Dip- IES staff: “Multiculturalism Observed” (ed- lomatic Academy of Vienna. As in previous Institute for European Studies ited by Richard Lewis and published in the More information on the moot court and on years, students were staying one week in Vrije Universiteit Brussel IES Book Series by VUB Press) and “E-cy- the exercise can be obtained from Koen Brussels, at the IES, and one week in Vienna, Pleinlaan 2 (IES) cling: linking trade and environmental law in via email: koen.van.den.bossche@vub. at the Diplomatic Academy. B-1050 Brussels (Belgium) the EC and the US” (Written by Harri Kalimo ac.be and published by Transnational Publishers The summer school was concluded with a Inc.). Read more on pages 5 and 6. stimulating simulation exercise in which par- http://www.ies.be Issue n° 17, September 2006, p. 4 Issue n° 17, September 2006, p. 1 News from the Research Floor New faces @ the IES Since 1 september, Dr. studied Chinese at the Renmin University of Another visiting scholar is Sevidzem at UACES in Ireland IES Reseach Collo- Harri Kalimo (Fin) has China. Camilla Adelle (UK) from The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Vi- taken up his position as East Anglia University, sions of Europe: Key Problems, New Trajec- quium on Chechnia Senior Research Fellow Also joining the IES is London. She works on tories’. Sevidzem presented a paper entitled (1st pillar issues). Harri Ben Van Rompuy who EU Environment and ‘Swapping Trade Preferences for Political and and Abkhazia holds a PhD in Law from took up his position Development Policy Economic Accountability: Good Governance the University of Turku mid-July 2006. Ben issues and collaborates On July 4, Céline Fran- from the Yaoundé to the Cotonou Agreements (Finland) and was selected by the IES will work together with with IES researchers Harri Kalimo and between the EC and ACP Countries.’ cis, PhD candidate in Board in June. Before taking up his position Karen Donders on the Rhiannon Williams. Political Science under at IES, Harri was a visiting scholar at Yale, project “Towards i2010. He argued that the use of trade sanctions or the supervision of Prof. New York University and ULB. He has also Bargaining for an equitable information John Lary (US) is a Fullbright research been legal councel for Nokia. society” (under the supervision of Prof. fellow and conducts research on migration aid suspension as the means to bring about Bruno Coppieters, and political reform in the African, Caribbean and Caroline Pauwels and Prof. Fabienne in Brussels; he will stay 9 months as of working at the IES, pre- Starting 1 August 2006, Brison). Ben holds an MA in Communications mid-September and will work with Senior Pacific States (ACP) by the EU is useful only if sented the first outline of her research on these are aimed at specific individuals in posi- Austrian-born Sigrid Sciences and an MA in European and Research Fellow Richard Lewis (and “Impact of the Formal Status of Self-Deter- tions of power. A stimulating debate followed Winkler joined the team International Law - both from VUB.