ALT Can the EU stay true to its values while playing geopolitical hardball on interests? That is the question at the heart of our latest piece by Dr Ivana Damjanovic and Dr. Katarzyna Kwapisz Williams of the ANU Centre for European Studies, and it is not an easy one to answer! From trade policy's shift away from "Trade for All" idealism toward competitiveness and economic security, to migration's fraught balancing act between human rights obligations and mounting domestic pressure for border control, the EU is being forced to make trade-offs it once tried to avoid - outsourcing responsibility, striking transactional deals and prioritising security in ways that test its identity as a normative power. So is this pragmatism, or a quiet retreat from what the EU claims to stand for? Read the full analysis on trade, migration, and the EU's identity as a geopolitical actor 👇 https://www.eu-values.eu/blog/balancing-eu-values-and-interests-in-a-geopolitical-world #EU #Geopoliti

ALT How far does free speech travel, and who decides where it stops? From Socrates to the Digital Services Act, Europe has built a distinctive model of free expression: one that protects dissent while also shaping the platforms, laws, and institutions that determine what we see and hear. In our latest blog, Prof. Ramin Jahanbegloo and Prof. Rahul Desarda trace this tradition from ancient philosophy to today's most pressing digital governance battles. The "Brussels Effect," the EU's response to wartime propaganda, and the fine line between resisting manipulation and silencing unpopular views...is the EU setting a global standard for balancing liberty and responsibility online, or exporting its own compromises to the rest of the world? What do you think? 👉 Head to our website to read the full piece:

ALT 🏛️Is the EU's Multilateral Investment Court still alive? Dr. Ivana Damjanovic of @LawCanberra unpacks the EU's push to replace ISDS arbitration with a permanent court, and why it's stuck between aspiration and reality. 👉 Read more: https://www.eu-values.eu/blog/the-european-unions-reform-of-international-investment-law-still-unfeasible-and-relevant #EU #ISDS @IBEI

ALT 🌐 EU-VALUES Network: Digital Empires - A Conversation with Anu Bradford How is the global race to regulate technology reshaping our digital lives, and who gets to set the rules? We are delighted to invite you to a conversation with Anu Bradford (Columbia Law School) on May 5th at 15hrs CET. Bradford is the author of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology, one of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2023 in Economics. In the book, Bradford maps the deepening rivalry between the US, China, and the EU, and shows how their very different visions of governance are playing out in everything from data privacy and AI to antitrust and digital taxation. Joining her in conversation will be Elsa Hedling and Peter Gottschalk (both from Lund University), who will help us dig into the political, legal, and economic forces driving today's tech regulation debates, and what they mean for policymakers, businesses and citizens. Check out the book, come ready with your questions! We

ALT What are your plans for this summer? 🌍 Applications are now open for the Euro-Asia Summer Programme 2026 - a unique two-week academic experience across Seoul, Leuven and Brussels. Dive into global governance, EU–Asia relations, and today’s most pressing international challenges through a dynamic mix of lectures, field visits and institutional engagements including the Gyeongbokgung Palace and the European Parliament. 📅 Programme dates: 17th–29th August 2026: • Asian Week (Seoul & field visits): 17th–22nd August • European Week (Leuven & Brussels): 24th–29th August Apply by the 20th May 2026!! This programme brings together a world-class consortium: – Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (KU Leuven) – Hitotsubashi University – Seoul National University (SNU GSIS) – Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) Delivered within the framework of the EU-VALUES Network and the EU-RENEW Network, this edition of the Summer School will offer a truly global and interdiscipl

ALT Join us next Thursday (April 23rd), 15hrs CET for a timely discussion on the EU’s role in shaping global investment governance. If you work on, or are simply interested in EU law, international investment law or global governance, don’t miss this special event! We are delighted to welcome Dr. Maria Laura Marceddu, who will present her new book 'EU Values in Investment Law and Policy: Promises of Democracy and Rule of Law?' (Oxford University Press, 2025). As the EU seeks to position itself as a normative actor - promoting values such as democracy, the rule of law, and transparency - its approach to international investment law raises important questions. In this webinar, Dr. Marceddu will explore the extent to which the EU has truly reshaped global investment governance, and where its ambitions and rhetoric encounter practical limitations. We are especially excited to welcome two exceptional discussants who will no doubt enrich the conversation with their perspe

ALT 💜 Yesterday was International Women’s Day! A moment to celebrate progress, but also to reflect on the challenges that remain. How did you mark the event? In our latest podcast episode, we take a closer look at the growing global backlash against gender equality and democratic values, and what Europe can learn from developments in Latin America and the Caribbean. We heard from Magdalena Provis Ramírez, Executive Coordinator of the PRIGEPP Flacso initiative 'Observatorio sobre Backlash contra el género en América Latina y el Caribe' (Observatory on Gender Backlash in Latin America and the Caribbean). Drawing on the Observatory’s work tracking policies, media narratives and institutional developments across the region, Magdalena explains how anti-gender movements are organised, how they shape political agendas, and why these dynamics matter far beyond Latin America. At a time of democratic backsliding and global polarisation, understanding how coordinated backlash operates is essent

ALT How can communities and workers seek justice when their rights are violated by transnational businesses? What role can non-judicial mechanisms (NJMs) play in advancing accountability and access to remedy? We are pleased to kick off the EU-VALUES Network’s 2026 webinar series with a discussion based on the newly published book, 'Global Business and Local Struggle: Reimagining Non-Judicial Remedy for Human Rights' (Cambridge University Press, 2025). 📅 Wednesday, 11th February | 9:00 AM CET: Bring your coffee and come to hear from authors Dr. Shelley Marshall (RMIT University), Dr. Fiona Haines and Dr. Kate Macdonald (University of Melbourne) drawing on a major empirical study based on 587 interviews conducted in Indonesia and India. We are also very happy to welcome Dr. Kari Otteburn (KU Leuven) as discussant, offering her critical reflections to deepen the conversation. 👉 Register and join us on 11th February: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nXVMJaXQRraSel8GT8J58A#/registration #E