Workshop on the subject of external actions of the EU at the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, 7-8 November 2013
Deadline for abstracts: May 31, 2013
For some time now, the European Union (EU) has put a great emphasis on its relations towards non-member states. The strengthening of its outer relations is explained by various well-sounding reasons: the dispersion of EU values like freedom and human rights, democratization, sharing prosperity beyond the borders of the "area of freedom, security and justice”. However, the strategic aim of the EU underlying these activities has to do with its own security concerns: in order to guarantee its inner security and prosperity, it strives to bind its neighbouring countries closer to the Union and, doing so, to enhance the security and well-being also in its outer circle.
The described process is done under the umbrella of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Eastern Partnership (EaP). By implementing numerous programmes and measures in the neighbour states, these are confronted with the extraterritorial engagement of the EU on their territories and have to position themselves towards the external influence in different political and administrative spheres, like for example poverty reduction, migration, higher education. This has led to a new character of relations between the EU and sovereign neighbour states blurring the line between "inside” and "outside”. While on the one hand, the aim of the mentioned initiatives is to strengthen the connections between EU and third states and to support their integration into EU structures, at the same time the countries remain outsiders due to the lack of a membership perspective and for the hardening of the external EU border within the implementation of the Schengen border process.
The workshop wants to address the following aspects:
1. Production of space: In how far do extraterritorial measures influence certain socio-spatial dynamics in the neighbour states? How do the specific situations of each neighbour state influence the implementation and results of the extraterritorial measures?
2. Securitization: In what way have the links between extraterritorialization and security been constructed? Do they differ, depending on the respective policy field? How does the process of securitization work?
3. Scales: At which scales do extraterritorial measures appear? How do different scales (e.g. supranational, national, regional) intermingle with each other?
4. Theoretical discussion: Is there a need to elaborate further on the already developed and interrelated concepts (e.g. externalization, external governance, external democracy promotion, securitization)?
5. Methodology: How to conduct adequately empirical research on EU extraterritorialization? What are the problems and challenges during the research process, empirical or theoretical focus? Deadline for the submission of abstracts is May 31, 2013.
Abstracts should be limited to 300 words. In order to ensure a lively discussion, please send us a draft paper of 8-10 pages until 1 October 2013. As a result of the workshop, we intend to publish an edited volume with the workshop papers. There will be no conference fee. Please submit your abstracts to Bettina Bruns (B_Bruns@ifl-leipzig.de). For all other enquiries please contact Leibniz-Institut fьr Lдnderkunde Dr. Bettina Bruns SchongauerstraЯe 9 04328 Leipzig Phone: +49-341-60055131 or +49-511-47397849 Mobile: +49-176-50981653 B_Bruns@ifl-leipzig.de Dr. Bettina Bruns Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography SchongauerstraЯe 9 04328 Leipzig Phone: +49-341-60055131 or +49-511-47397849 Mobile: +49-176-50981653 Email: b_bruns@ifl-leipzig.de | 
