Tilburg University to launch multidisciplinary expertise center on support for EU policy
Tilburg University will set up a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Values (CoEV) to more fully understand popular support for EU policy. This matters, because to many Europeans it is unclear what exactly ‘Europe’ does for them. And policymakers often grasp only imperfectly what matters to citizens. In the three-year start-up phase of the new center, research, educational, and public events will be developed regarding six political domains, such as the new green deal, the digital society, and protecting democracy. CoEV kicks off at the European Values Conference in Brussels and Tilburg from May 9 through 11, 2022.
Tim Reeskens (TSB, Sociology) is the coordinator of CoEV and together with sociologists Ruud Luijkx, Inge Sieben, and Quita Muis had been tasked with applying for the center to be set up: “The interaction between what matters to Europeans and how policymakers address those concerns is fascinating. It is our ambition to study this complex interaction, and share our findings, in the light of major societal issues. To that end, we are bringing together data and expertise from the European Values Study with renowned experts from all core disciplines at Tilburg University. Sharing knowledge is another pillar of CoEV. We will, for example, be developing the educational module ‘The Futures of Europe’, which we will make available through the international ENGAGE University to potentially 70,000 students throughout Europe. And we will be working with Studium Generale to share knowledge with a wide public.”
Six EU policy themes
The study targets six domains the European Commission has prioritized until 2024 and are consequently endorsed by President Ursula von der Leyen: 1) a European Green Deal; 2) an economy that works for all people; 3) a European fit for the digital age; 4) protecting the European way of life; 5) a stronger Europe in the world; and 6) a new push for European democracy. Tim Reeskens: “Researchers from all Schools are involved. Each theme has its own coordinator and one of the recurring events is a plenary workshop every six months for all those involved.”
European Values Study
The work of CoEV is predicated on the European Values Study, a large-scale international data collection project spanning four decades and involving dozens of European countries into what citizens value in terms of family, work, politics, and society. Tilburg University fulfills a coordinating role. CoEV will also collect supplementary data to more fully gauge support for the six EU policy themes.
Kick-off conference and call for papers
CoEV will kick off at the European Values Conference 2022 – A look at the past, present and futures, in Brussels on May 9, 2022, and at Tilburg University on May 10 and 11, 2022. At the conference, the latest findings from the Atlas of European Values will also be shared.
If you would like to make a research contribution to this conference, make sure to respond to the call for papers and submit a paper through the link above by January 15, 2022, at the latest.
More information
More information about CoEV and the researchers involved can be found at CoEV: center of excellence for European values | Tilburg University
In due course, news updates and information about research, educational activities, and events will also be posted on this page.
The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Values is funded by the European Union, as a part of the Erasmus+ Program. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The CoEV is a continuation of former European Grants.