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Conference programme

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“Searching for Solidarity in EU Asylum and Border Policies”

The conference will consist of three half-day sessions beginning with a short presentation, after which, participants will be provided with the opportunity to engage in discussion.

Register for the conference here.

Friday 26 (morning)

EU LAW: THE SEARCH FOR SOLIDARITY

 9:00    Welcome Speech, Professor Philippe De Bruycker, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute and the Institute for European Studies, Université libre de Bruxelles

9:15    Introductory keynote speech: “Failure by Design? On the Constitution of EU Solidarity”, Professor Gregor Noll, Lund University, Sweden

9:45    Panel – Exploring the Solidarity Question

• Solidarity and Article 80 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Ms Eleni Karageorgiou, PhD Candidate in Public International Law, Lund University, Sweden
• Solidarity with third countries and the future of the external dimension of asylum: Turkey and beyond, Dr Violeta Moreno-Lax, Co-Director of CEILA (Centre for European and International Legal Affairs), Queen Mary, University of London
• Solidarity and Mutual Recognition: Lessons from European Criminal Justice Cooperation, Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Queen Mary, University of London

10:15  Discussion with the audience

11:00  Coffee break

11:30  Panel – Solidarity from a range of perspectives

• The experience of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Mr Pascal Schumacher, Advisor on Justice and Home Affairs, Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the EU
• The asylum crisis in figures, Professor Philippe Fargues, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute
• A reflection from Turkey, Assistant Professor Saime Ozcurumez, Bilkent University, Turkey, Visiting Scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University

12:15  Discussion with the audience

13:00  Lunch break

Friday 26 (afternoon)

EU ASYLUM POLICY: THE SEARCH FOR FAIR SHARING OF RESPONSIBILITY

14:00  Solidarity in International and Refugee Law and Policy, Professor Alexander Betts, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford

14:20  Inter-state solidarity in EU asylum policy, Ms Lilian Tsourdi, Université libre de Bruxelles, Université catholique de Louvain

14:45  Panel on Physical Solidarity

• A point of view from Germany, by an Official from Germany
• A point of view from Eastern Europe, Dr Věra Honusková, Charles University, Prague
• Relocation in practice from Greece, Ms Dionysia Papailiou, Head of the Regional Asylum Office of Lesvos, Relocation Unit

15:15 Discussion with the audience

15:45 Coffee break

16:15  Panel Solidarity vs. Responsibility

• The Commission proposal for permanent relocation, by a Member of the European Parliament
• The future of the Dublin system, Professor Francesco Maiani, University of Lausanne
• An NGO perspective, Mr Kris Pollet, European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

16:45 Discussion with the audience

End around 17:30

Saturday 27 (morning)

EU AGENCIES: THE SEARCH FOR AN INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF SOLIDARITY

9:00   Practical cooperation on asylum and the first years of the EASO, Ms Madeline Garlick, Chief of the Protection Policy and Legal Advice Section in the Division of International Protection, UNHCR

9:30    Solidarity in external borders policy: the case of Frontex, Ms Andreea Niculiu, Strategic Policy Officer, Cabinet of the Director, FRONTEX

10:00  Solidarity and EU Agencies: what is the future for Frontex and EASO? Professor Philippe De Bruycker, Migration Policy Centre, European University Institute and the Institute for European Studies, Université libre de Bruxelles

10:30 Discussion with the audience

11:00 Coffee break

11:30 Panel on Operational Solidarity

• Control and Closure of Internal Borders in the Schengen Area, Professor Nuno Piçarra, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
• Comments by a Representative of EASO, Mr Claus Folden, Head of Operational Support at the European Asylum Support Office
• Comments by a Representative of Frontex
• Comments on the functioning of Hotspots, Ms Maria de Donato, Head of the Legal Department, Italian Council for Refugees

12:15 Discussion with the audience

13:00 General Conclusions

End around 13:30

Registration is open. To register, click here.