In 2005 Mark Leonard postulated, "Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century.” Ten years later, the EU has seen the rejection of European Treaty, stalled enlargement, the inability of European soft power to affect the Arab spring, a weak response to Russian dismantling of Georgia and Ukraine, and the Eurozone crisis. The rise of nationalist parties threatens the very integrity of the Union. In contrast, the ECB has responded to the crisis with concerted action, Croatia joined the Union as the 28th member, and the final institutional changes of the Lisbon Treaty are taking effect. After such a tumultuous decade, is there still cause for optimism regarding the European project? The Organizing Committee of the Tenth Annual Graduate Student Conference on the European Union welcomes submissions from all disciplines and topics including, but not limited to, EU politics, governance, economics, history, security studies, institutions and behavior studies, as well as policy, enlargement, immigration, development, trade, and foreign policy. Papers addressing the theme of the conference will receive special consideration.

The University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh houses one of the largest and most complete archives of primary and secondary documents on the European Union, dating back to the beginnings of the European Coal and Steel Community. Conference presenters are given access to the archive for research during their stay.