IKV organised a conference on European Studies on 23-24 November 2018 in cooperation with Marmara University EU Institute. The moderatorhip of the conference which was composed of four sessions was assumed by IKV Vice-Chairman Prof. Halûk Kabaalioğlu. Prof. Anne-Klebes Pelissier from University of Strasbourg and Consul General of the Netherlands Bat van Bolhuis attended to this session as panelists. Anne-Klebes Pelissier made a presentation on WTO, trade disputes that are directly related to Turkey and the decision of the US administration to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminium. Bart van Bolhuis touched upon Turkey-EU relations and the future of the EU.

During the second session of the conference where European regional policy was discussed, Militsa Yordanova evaluated the role of local and regional authorities in making effective EU policies on the basis of European Committee of the Regions. Afterwards, Gökçen Yavaş delivered a speech on national sovereignty and European integration within the context of the United Kingdom and Brexit and then touched upon their historical development in language. The last panelist of this session, Magdalena Kania who is PhD student at Krakow University looked closer at horizontal and vertical effects of development aids that are provided by the EU to the third countries.

At the third session of the panel where legal issues in the EU were brought to the table, Julija İlhan scrutinised the balance between freedom of religion and the right to conduct business within the scope of Achbita and Bougnaiou cases of the Court of Justice of the EU.  After the cases based on people’s preferences for clothing and religious discourses, Assistant Prof. Feyza Başar from Gedik University gave a presentation on the right of the child relating to migration and asylum under the EU and international law. After having stated that there are 50 million refugee children around the world and they account for half of the refugees, Başar discussed the right of children within the comparison of the EU and international law.

During the last session at which Turkey-EU relations were discussed, academics and graduate students introduced their research areas. Firstly Ali Onur Özçelik from Eskişehir Osmangazi University approached the impact of Europeanization in Turkey within the scope of regional development agencies. Secondly Erman Ermihan who is graduate student at Sabancı University International Relations Department evaluated Turkey-EU relations with a constructivist approach and discussed them on the basis of religion, culture and history. Thirdly Ahmet Cemal Ertürk from Istanbul Kültür University delivered a presentation on Turkish transport sector. The last panellist of the fourth session Alaaddin F. Paksoy made a presentation concerning Euro-scepticism in Turkish media and public opinion within the context of five newspapers. The conference ended up with Q&A session and distribution of certificates to the panelists.