Past Event

The Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen’s University, with the Centre for European Studies at Carleton University present,

“Europe in Space: The European Parliament’s Justification Arsenal”

with Professor Emmanuel Sigalas

Lecture Abstract:
Ceding powers to the EU in the field of outer space is controversial as space endeavours are not only expensive, but they have military potential as well. Nevertheless, the Lisbon Treaty introduced a European Space Policy which falls under ordinary legislative procedures. Within the European Parliament resolutions, space is described as a highly promising policy field, where Europe should act either to reap benefits, or to respond to general or specific challenges. Among the most cited reasons for EU engagement in Space are European independence, the numerous applications of space, and international competition.

Professor Sigalas will explore how the Europeanisation of space has been portrayed as a legitimate development; he will analyze non-technical European Parliament (EP) resolutions on space from 1979 until 2013 and explore the frameworks upon which the EP has relied to justify Europe’s engagement in space. He will argue that the EP has been acting strategically by adapting its space justification frameworks over time, in order to ensure that its argumentation remains in line with the EU’s varying strategic priorities.

About the Lecturer:
Emmanuel Sigalas is a  Visiting Professor at Carleton University, previously a lecturer at the Vienna Institute of Advanced Studies. His research interests focus on the crisis of parliamentarism, on the European Union’s Space Policy, and on the electoral connection at the EU level. His most recent research focused on the curbing of Parliamentary privileges in the aftermath of the Greek Crisis.

For details and real time event information please visit the original CES event page here.