Constitutional Politics and Institutional Reform in the European Union

This section is devoted to the presentation of research into the evolving constitutional politics of the European Union, understood broadly. We invite proposals for papers and panels that examine both formal and informal aspects of changes to the EU’s constitutional foundations. This includes research into the EU’s institutional, normative and ideational frameworks, analyses of their effects and debates about their reform. We welcome both theoretical work, e.g. discussions of federalism, governance approaches or differentiated integration, and empirical contributions. With regard to the latter, we are interested in papers analysing the work of the Conference on the Future of Europe and the various citizen panels set up in that context, as well as the effects of the Spitzenkandidaten process and other developments that potentially affect the EU’s underlying institutional arrangements. Another area of interest are questions around the EU’s financial resources, the implications of the Resilience and Recovery Fund – including its relevance for rule of law protection – and of other financial instruments that have been set up in response to the Covid pandemic and the war against Ukraine. Beyond the EU’s internal affairs, we also welcome papers interrogating the constitutional and institutional implications of the enlargement process, of the Union’s relations with neighbouring countries, and of the emergence of the European Political Community. We are keen to see a diverse group of scholars contributing to this section, and we would like to encourage early stage researchers in particular to submit paper or panel proposals.