The European Union: Challenges, crises and opportunities

The European Union is a unique historic and political achievement. It helped turn Europe from a zone of war into a zone of peace, and it contributed to the consolidation of democracy in the post-fascist and post-communist eras. Yet it is also a polity beset by crises. Following a decade that reshaped its borders, the EU now faces the twin crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate emergency. You will complete this unit in Prato and gain a deep understanding of the origins of today's European Union and the pathologies driving it forward and pulling it apart. Using inter-disciplinary approaches incorporating science, law and economics you will simulate policy paths out of the EU's 'wicked' problems and leave Prato equipped to understand the forces shaping the EU’s relations with Australia and the world.