VIADUCT Guest Lecture Series

VIADUCT organises 12 Guest Lectures hosted at 12 different partner institutions from the network. The VIADUCT Guest Lectures invite academics from the partner institutions and the extended network partner to give a public guest lecture on an important and topical theme within nexus EU-Turkey relations and EU’s future, followed by an open discussion among lecturer, academic host institution and the audience. Thus, VIADUCT offers an international perspective in teaching and fosters exchange in research and teaching between the network partners.
 

The Guest Lecture was hosted and chaired by Dr. Jan Sir (Charles University). It featured inputs by Prof. Dr. Şuhnaz Yılmaz (Koç University) on the Turkey-EU-Russia energy security realm's links to foreign policy and sustainability and by Dr. Marco Siddi (Finnish Institute of International Affairs, University of Tampere) on energy politics in the Black Sea region.

Date: 17 December 2020, 12:00 CET.

How have EU-German-Turkish relations changed over years? What narratives and turning points can be identified in this crucial triangular relationship? With inputs of Funda Tekin (Institut für Europäische Politik), Özgehan Senyuva (Middle East Technical University) and Silvia von Steinsdorff (Humboldt University of Berlin). This event is co-organised by the TRIANGLE Project, funded by Stiftung Mercator.

Date: 17 December 2020, 16:00 CET.

Senem Aydin-Düzgit (Sabanci University) and Wolfgang Wessels (University of Cologne) analyse and assess the implications of the European Council of 10-11 December 2020 for EU-Turkey relations. This event is co-organised by the TRIANGLE Project, funded by Stiftung Mercator, and the TRACK Project, funded by the European Commission.

Date: 14 December 2020, 15:30 CET.

Maria Chiara Vinciguerra (University of Cambridge) will hold an online guest lecture entitled ’The EU-Turkey Statement: how its policy formulation informs the future prospects of the deal’. The lecture will analyze the role, influence and bargaining strategies of central EU institutions and Member States in the formulation of the EU-Turkey Statement, as well as how the political compromise found then informs the current state of affairs and future developments of EU-Turkey relations.

Date: 11 December 2020, 12.00 CET.

This online discussion (in German) covered from multiple perspectives the current state of EU-German-Turkish relations, as well as challenges and opportunities for Civil Society Organisations to sustain bridges and expand networks in times of crises. A Special thanks to discussants Ebru Turhan (Turkish German University), Daniel Grütjen (Deutsch-Türkische Jugendbrücke), Walter Kluth (Städtepartnerschaftsverein Köln-Istanbul e.V.), and Funda Tekin (Institut für Europäische Politik). The event was moderated by Wolfgang Wessels and Anke Schönlau (both Centre for Turkey and European Union Studies, University of Cologne).

This online discussion entitled “A Critical Juncture in EU-Turkey relations? Analysing and Assessing the Special European Council” with Senem Aydin-Düzgit (Sabanci University) and Wolfgang Wessels (University of Cologne) on 5 October 2020 analysed the Turkey-related European Council Conclusions following in the Special European Council of 1 and 2 October 2020. A Twitter Thread covering the discussion is available here.

On 29 June 2020, Dr. Funda Tekin held a Guest Lecture on „Researching EU-Turkey Relations from a Think Tank Perspective“. It took place as part of Fabrizio Tassinari’s lecture series within the “GeT MA – German Turkish Masters Program in Social Science”, a cooperation of Humboldt University of Berlin (HU) and the Middle East Technical University Ankara (METU).

On 9 June 2020, Dr. Funda Tekin held an online Guest Lecture on Germany’s position on Brexit. The guest lecture took place as part of this year’s PROTEUS seminar on ’The future cooperation of EU27 on Brexit’. During the lecture, Dr. Funda Tekin placed the future relations between the EU and the UK into existing patterns of differentiated integration and shed a light on Germany’s position regarding differentiated integration and opt-outs.  

On the 23 October 2019, Dr Julie Smith, Baroness Smith of Newnham and Liberal Democrat politician, held a Guest Lecture at the University of Cologne on the topic 'Turkey as a model for the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU". The lecture offered both a comprehensive understanding of Britain's relationship to the European Union since its accession in 1973 and of developments before and after the referendum in 2016, in which 51.9% of Britons voted to leave the European Union. The guest lecture ultimately referred to the case of the Turkish accession process as well as current developments in Turkish politics and drew parallels between a post-Brexit UK and Turkey regarding its relationship with the EU. 

On the 16 May 2019 Dr Julie Smith (Baroness Smith of Newnham) held a Guest Lecture at Vilnius University on the topic 'On the edge of EUrope - what lessons does Turkey provide for Brexit Britain?'. In her lecture Lady Smith noted that would-be Member States are assumed to 'learn' from the European Union how to be a 'good Member State' regarding its norms and values. By analysing and referring to the case of the Turkish accession process, Lady Smith drew parallels between a post-Brexit United Kingdom and the current developments in Turkish politics regarding its relationship with the EU and asked for some reverse lessons to be learned (by Turkey, the UK, and the EU). The lecture provided a comprehensive understanding of the ongoing debate in the UK on Brexit and suggested links between prospects for UK and Turkey. The Guest Lecture was attended by more than seventy students and academics from Vilnius University´s Institute of International Relations and Political Science. 

On 23 November 2017 a first VIADUCT guest lecture was held at Cambridge University by VIADUCT Project Director Funda Tekin. Her speech on ‘Drivers and Brakemen in EU-Turkey Relations – Which Road Ahead?’ was followed by a fruitful discussion with the audience.