Challenges to EU foreign and security policy have been mounting in recent years. The dwindling global engagement of the US and the growing assertiveness of Russia and China hamper the ability of the EU and its member states to shape multilateral rules and compel them to rethink their role along new patterns of multipolar interactions. The collapse or severe weakening of state authority in the EU’s neighbourhood create interconnected challenges extending into policy areas outside the remit of foreign and security policy, thus augmenting the need for an integrated response. Meanwhile, the emergence of nationalist forces often espousing Eurosceptic views complicates efforts to reach intra-EU consensus on international security matters. The interplay between these factors is most evident in the EU’s difficulty in addressing crises and conflicts. JOINT, a project involving 14 partners from 12 countries, will analyse how intra-EU contestation, regional fragmentation and multipolar competition affect the capacity of the EU to set foreign and security policy objectives and generate and integrate diplomatic, military, economic and other sectorial capabilities to handle conflicts, crises and relations with external players. It will devise assessment criteria for effective foreign and security policy governance structures involving EU institutions and member states, encompassing multiple policy areas and unfolding in different formats of engagement of external players. It will survey public perceptions to inform an assessment of the political acceptability of an enhanced EU foreign, security and defence policy. And it will promote mutual learning between researchers and policymakers through the secondment of scholars to the foreign ministries of France, Germany and Italy, as well as the EEAS. JOINT will advance our knowledge of how EU foreign and security policy can become more joined-up and sustainable in an increasingly complex and contested world.

To protect the future of liberal democracy in Europe, we must first understand its challengers. AUTHLIB is a multidisciplinary project that aims to explore the varieties of neo-authoritarian, illiberal ideologies in Europe, their social, psychological and historical causes, their organisational background and their political implications. The study aims to capture the dynamics of ideological change in the European Union as a whole, but it will particularly focus on Poland, France, Italy, Hungary, Czechia, the United Kingdom and Austria. We will map ideological configurations by analysing textual data and social media, and by organising surveys of citizens and experts. The mapping of ideological structures will be complemented by a study of emotional triggers and rhetorical strategies pursued by illiberal actors. The contemporary ideological configurations of illiberalism will be embedded within their historical-cultural context, and the study of ideas and preferences will be supplemented by investigation of illiberalism in power, and the co-operation of illiberal political actors. To develop interventions that effectively target these new challenges, AUTHLIB will define the normative limits for actions that democracies may take in their own defence. In order to identify the mechanisms behind the support of illiberalism, and the susceptibility of citizens towards changing their attitudes, we will conduct laboratory and online panel-based survey experiments. Finally, in order to observe how ideological and emotional stimuli work in co-operative settings, we will set up deliberative fora, involving both ordinary citizens, ideological opponents, and individuals responsible for educating future generations and operating the intricate procedures of liberal democracy. The research will provide policy-makers with a comprehensive toolbox to improve support for liberal democracy.

This is a European Joint Doctorat (EJD) gathering 16 partner organizations from 3 different continents. It includes 5 EU HEIs, 3 non-EU HEIs, 3 Think Tanks, 2 MNEs, 1 SME, 1 NPO & 1 EU Intitution. It's shared research agenda on "Globalisation, Europe and Multilateralism" seeks to unpack the growing "Sophistication of the Transnational Order, Networks and European Strategies" in light of the EU's attempts at regime complex management. To this effect, the EU's response to international institutional proliferation is alternatively analyzed through the lens of its ability to provide purposeful complex regime management in light of its institutional capacities, network capacities, relative capacities and framing capacities. Collectively GEM-STONES will increase the breath of regime complex management theory as its postulates are confronted with the specific experience of the EU. The project will also expand the state-of-the art in EU studies, notably on the EU's external action. The research will ultimately sketch a nuanced, innovative, and interdisciplinary answer to the question: how does the EU contributes towards the management of institutional proliferation? To meet this research objective, while also strengthening the EU's innovation capacities, GEM-STONES will select and train 15 highly competitive ESRs. Its chosen interdisciplinary research and training methods bridg a variety of SSH disciplines. Each ESR will accomplish a specific research project as part of the overall agenda. Ultimately, if successful, ESRs will be awarded a Double Degree from two of the project's HEIs. Training is to be an integrated curriculum designed to foster structured PhD training at the EU level, and allow for novel public-private collaborations. The 180 ECTS worth of training will be provided through research, education & practice and will incl. a significant internship.

State fragility at the EU’s immediate Southern doorstep is a key challenge for European foreign policy in the coming years. War and fragility in the Middle East, exacerbated by geopolitical competitions, allowed the proliferation of violent non-state actors such as the Islamic State and triggered the greatest refugee crisis since World War 2. Reflecting key priorities of the Horizon 2020 work programme (Europe in a changing world-inclusive, innovative and reflective societies and Secure societies-protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens), FLAME will: 1) map the political, security and socio-economic drivers of fragility across the Middle East and North Africa; 2) assess how these are reinforced by state and non-state actors’ pursuit of geopolitical interest; and 3) explore opportunities for EU and US to jointly ease these dynamics. The fellow, currently heading the Middle East department at a renowned Madrid-based think tank, builds on a decade of experience in both academic and policy research on Euro-Mediterranean relations, and has frequently provided policy advice to EU institutions.The host, the Brussels branch of one of the most renowned institutions on transatlantic cooperation, links up EU and US policy debates on Middle Eastern security affairs. Its offices in Washington, Berlin, Paris, Warsaw and Ankara provide a privileged institutional frame for the triangular research proposed. The partnership will produce ample mutual benefit and skills transfer as it will expand the fellow’s global network; broaden her expertise in security, US policy and non-state actors; and multiply her career prospects by exposing her work to a transatlantic high-level audience. The host will fill a gap in its expertise portfolio and strengthen its academic profile and European presence on Middle Eastern affairs. Using the host's unique global reach, the project will feed research results into the ongoing process of revision of the EU’s foreign policy.