Concluding Conference and Lasting Impact

Wednesday, 24 – 26 June 2026 | Edmundsburg | Mönchsberg 2 | 5020 Salzburg
 Registration for the open conference day (24 June) is possible until 17 June 2026.

With its concluding conference in June 2026, the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “EUCHALLENGES – Building an EU resilient to future challenges” at the University of Salzburg reaches an important milestone. At the same time, it is becoming clear that the debates and formats initiated by the project will continue beyond its official end.

Strengthening Europe’s Resilience

Over a period of three years, EUCHALLENGES addressed key challenges facing the European Union, in particular Economic and Monetary Union, migration, and the rule of law.

EUCHALLENGES combined these topics through an interdisciplinary approach encompassing:

• university teaching (including summer schools and innovative formats such as simulation games),
• research and academic publications,
• as well as dialogue formats involving practitioners and the wider public.

“The European Union has faced numerous crises in recent years. Our aim was to systematically analyse these experiences and draw concrete lessons for the future,” explains Prof. Dr Diane Fromage, project coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

In doing so, the project engaged around 150 students per year from different disciplines and involved stakeholders from politics, public administration and civil society.

A Strong Interdisciplinary Team

The Centre of Excellence was based at the Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies (SCEUS) and brought together expertise from law, political science and economics.

The work was organised around thematic work packages:

• Prof. Dr Diane Fromage (Economic and Monetary Union)
• Prof. Dr Ariadna Ripoll Servent (Migration)
• Prof. Dr Michael Blauberger (Rule of Law)

“The close collaboration across disciplinary boundaries was particularly valuable. Only in this way can complex European crises be fully understood,” emphasises Prof. Dr Ariadna Ripoll Servent.

International Concluding Conference in Salzburg

The highlight of the project is the international concluding conference taking place from 24 to 26 June 2026 under the title:

“Financing EU Challenges – Rule of Law, Migration, EMU and the Future of the EU Budget.”

International experts from EU institutions, academia and practice will discuss the future of the EU budget and its role in addressing key political challenges.

The first conference day (24 June) is open to the university community and offers insights into the project’s results as well as a high-level discussion on the future of the EU budget.

Lasting Impact Beyond the Project

Key project activities will continue beyond the concluding conference:

• International Summer School (July 2026)An intensive summer school will focus on the interaction between Economic and Monetary Union and European defence. The programme features contributions from experts from institutions such as the European Central Bank, the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and academia.
• Joint Academic PublicationThe participating experts are preparing a joint publication bringing together the project’s main findings and policy recommendations, contributing to the long-term debate on the future of the EU.
• Jean Monnet Lecture Series (Third Mission)The established “Jean Monnet Lectures” will continue within the framework of the Wissensstadt Salzburg initiative in cooperation with the City of Salzburg.The lecture series invites interested members of the public to the Edmundsburg – home of SCEUS – and makes key European topics accessible to a broad audience. It thus makes an important contribution to the university’s third mission and to knowledge transfer to society.

Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence

EUCHALLENGES is part of the Jean Monnet action within Erasmus+, which supports centres of excellence in EU studies across Europe.

Key facts:

• Duration: 36 months (starting November 2023)
• EU funding: €100,000
• Based at: University of Salzburg (SCEUS)
• Project ID: 101127539

“With EUCHALLENGES, we have been able to make a lasting contribution to the European debate – in teaching, research and engagement with the wider public,”concludes Diane Fromage.

More information can be found on the project website.