The Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra (FLUC) hosted a conference today where Europe was discussed and the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April was celebrated. Marina Costa Lobo gave the conference “European Elections: context and perspectives for 2024”.
In the session, José Manuel Mendes, director of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Coimbra (FEUC), admitted that there was a provincialization of Europe. The perception came after fieldwork in India, highlighted the researcher at the Center for Social Studies.
The head of FEUC recognized, during his intervention, the importance of FLUC providing the European Studies Course. José Manuel Mendes also emphasized the dynamics of studies at the institution he oversees. The new director of FEUC gives relevance to the institution’s international relations core.
In the opinion of Marina Costa Lobo, guest speaker for the session commemorating Europe Day, the European Union is a process in which the European Parliament plays “a very important role in the journey towards democratization”.
According to Marina Costa Lobo, the European Union is an economic and political partnership “that does not exist anywhere in the world”. It all started with the Coal and Steel Union after Shuman’s declaration in 1950. Coal and steel were then “fundamental armaments industries”. The integration of the two industries was fundamental to ensuring peace.
Today there are 27 European countries that seek to harmonize national policies with European Union directives. What has been happening since the beginning is a deepening of the supranationalization of public policies, says the speaker.
For the professor at the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon, the advancement of European integration has been based on the treaties. Marina Costa Lobo considers that throughout the process of consolidating the European Union, treaties have been fundamental in defining the limits and scope of the supranationalization of policies.
The speaker explained that some of the founders of the European Union aimed to consolidate peace and that is why they started with economic integration.
In 1954, the integration of foreign policy and defense policy was attempted and was not achieved, recalled the speaker. At the beginning of the Coal and Steel Union, the founders were already divided between those who defended a European Federation and those who wanted to defend the European Nation State, highlighted the guest.
Photography: FLUC
