JEAN MONNET CHAIR IN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN THE EU

ongoing

The purpose of this Jean Monnet Chair is threefold and ‘speaks’ directly to one of the key priorities of the European Commission for 2024-2029, namely the protection of democracy in Europe. First, it seeks to promote cutting-edge university-level teaching on European integration (including among students who have hitherto had no such opportunity, many of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds) in a way that takes direct account of recent developments regarding a) the growing role that the EU is called to play at the level of member states in shielding and further enhancing democracy and its constituent components (such as the rule of law, the protection of media freedoms etc.) and b) ongoing efforts to further promote the democratisation of the EU polity, in addition to standard themes such as the history and institutions of the EU, theories of integration and EU public policies. More than 300 students (a conservative estimate) are expected to take these modules annually within Panteion University. Second, it aims to foster research (and thus generate research-led policy recommendations) on recent and ongoing efforts (such the European Democracy Action Plan presented by the European Commission in 2020, the Defence of Democracy Package adopted by the European Commission in December 2023, the European Media Freedom Act of 2024, the new EU interinstitutional ethics body) to shield democracy at both the national and the EU level. Finally, it seeks to promote engagement with civil society, policy makers and the wider public via a range of outreach activities (such as open to the public research workshops, annual Jean Monnet lectures, keynote speeches by eminent scholars and other public figures, specialist seminars for students given by external speakers) aiming to improve public understanding of current risks for and the corresponding need for multilevel action to protect democracy in Europe.