Against the backdrop of major geopolitical upheavals, the international order that has largely existed since the end of the Second World War is being increasingly reshaped by new and unpredictable players. New roles are emerging on the global stage, raising the question—borrowing terminology from the world of video games—whether the European Union will act as an independent player, or “main character”, as a companion with limited agency, or merely as an NPC, a non-player character deprived of meaningful power to contribute to shaping the global future.
The event will offer three perspectives: under what circumstances the EU can become a global actor, which partnerships could define its role as a companion, and whether it may become an NPC. Particular attention will be paid to EU institutions and competences, global trade, values and human rights, as well as the transformative impact of artificial intelligence.
The event will also feature the presentation of the third, substantially revised edition of the textbook “European Union Law, Volume I: Institutional Law”. Its editors are Christoph Schewe, Visiting Professor at the UL Faculty of Law, Arnis Buka from the UL Faculty of Law, and Kaspars Gailītis. The textbook was developed within the framework of the project “European Law I”, implemented by Prof. Dr iur. Arnis Buka and Prof. Dr Christoph Schewe.
Programme:
Opening remarks: Ieva Pranka, Executive Director of the Baltic-German University Liaison Office, and Heike Jantsch, German Embassy in Riga.
Introduction to the topic: Prof. Dr iur. Christoph Schewe, FHVD Kiel-Altenholz / University of Latvia.
Keynote address: Prof. Dr h. c. iur. Egils Levits, former President of Latvia and Judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Presentation “Writing the Rules or Playing the Game? The EU in the Global AI Governance Landscape”: Dr iur. Vija Kalniņa, Lead Expert at AI Master Lab.
Presentation “Challenges to the EU Institutional Structure”: Asst. Prof. Dr iur. Arnis Buka, Head of the Department of International and European Law at the University of Latvia.
Panel discussion: moderated by Prof. Dr Christoph Schewe.
Book presentation: Mag. iur. Kaspars Gailītis, translator at the Court of Justice of the European Union, and Prof. Dr Christoph Schewe.
The event will take place on 28 April at 17.00 EET in person at the UL Faculty of Law Conference Hall, Room 153, Raiņa bulvāris 19, and online via Zoom. Register here. The working language of the event is English, and participation is free of charge. Registered participants will receive the Zoom link by e-mail on the day of the event.
?” will take place in the Conference Hall of the University of Latvia (UL) Faculty of Law. During the event, the third, substantially revised edition of the textbook “European Union Law, Volume I: Institutional Law” will also be presented.){kind=link}