ValEUs: Looking Back, Moving Forward

After numerous fresh insights and a vibrant debate on the EU’s global standing today at our First Annual ValEUs Conference: The Contestation of European Values From Afar in September, it’s time to pause for a brief retrospective and outlook on the various activities of our research and education network. We prepared a brief communiqué: ValEUs: Looking Back, Moving Forward, summarising our activities in 2024 and introducing what’s to come in 2025 (see below).

About ValEUs

The Jean Monnet Network “ValEUs. Research & Education Network on Contestations to EU Foreign Policy” combines the strong interdisciplinary expertise of twenty partner universities from five continents to scrutinise the European Union’s foreign policy and attacks on its foundational values. The three-year project (2024-26) is led by the European University Viadrina (Germany) and co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission. To learn more about the project, click here.

Our Objectives

In recent years, the EU has faced unprecedented challenges in living up to its mission to create a peaceful future based on shared values and their incorporation into instruments of global governance, as these values and the methods by which the EU propagates them have been increasingly contested. Improving our understanding of such contestations and critically reflecting on whether and how the EU safeguards the values it has prescribed for itself and others will be instrumental in deriving a more realistic account of EU foreign policy and developing impactful counterstrategies and policy alternatives.

Communicating ValEUs

Since the official start of ValEUs in January 2024, we have successfully consolidated our digital communication channels. We are actively engaged in developing content that effectively highlights the activities and achievements of the project, emphasising the contributions of our researchers and partner institutions. Our social media platforms facilitate real-time coverage of events and serve as a repository for public access. Our YouTube channel already features a variety of exciting content, such as recordings of ValEUs events and our podcast series. Stay up-to-date by visiting our Upcoming Events page and subscribing to the ValEUs Newsletter!

First Annual ValEUs Conference: The Contestation of European Values From Afar

ValEUs Scholars on the Contestation of European Values From Afar