We are proud to announce the inauguration of the Jean Monnet Network on Transatlantic Trade Politics. Housed in Carleton’s Centre for European Studies (CES), the Network brings together partners from Carleton University, the University of Antwerp (Belgium), Bates College (US), Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg (Austria), and the University of Warwick (UK). This project is supported by a grant of €299,929 (approximately $465,000 CAD) from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

The Network will investigate why trade relations between the European Union (EU) and its transatlantic partners have become more contentious in recent years, and how this politicization impacts EU trade policy as it addresses critical challenges. The work program of the Network is structured around four key themes: the politicization of trade relations, with explanations, manifestations, and implications; transatlantic trade in the context of global trade challenges; the reconfiguration of transatlantic trade relations after Brexit, and the intersection of trade policy and climate change.

The Network will run for three years (2020-2023), and in this time will look to help inform debates amongst the public, policy-makers, business leaders, and civil society as they regard transatlantic trade and its politics. It will organize workshops, produce scholarly publications, and facilitate exchanges between the participating universities. Network staff will also foster transnational connections between students through a summer school and virtual links between classrooms.

The Network is coordinated by CES Co-Director Achim Hurrelmann. Other lead scholars include Joan DeBardeleben (Carleton University), Crina Viju-Miljusevic (Carleton University), Dirk De Bièvre (University of Antwerp), Elvire Fabry (Jacques Delors Institute Paris), Francesco Duina (Bates College), Andreas Dür (Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg), Gabriele Spilker (Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg), Ece Özlem Atikcan (University of Warwick), and Gabriel Siles-Brügge (University of Warwick).