The international environment in which the European Union operates is undergoing profound changes. Ongoing wars and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, intensifying geopolitical rivalry, and the erosion of established multilateral norms and institutions pose fundamental questions about the EU’s capacity to act collectively and effectively.

The EU is seeking to adapt to the increasingly fragmented and contested international system. On the one hand, it aims to maintain existing partnerships and develop new forms of cooperation in areas such as trade, climate diplomacy, and migration governance. The Union’s enlargement policy has also gained renewed momentum as a key geopolitical instrument. On the other hand, debates about "strategic autonomy" have intensified as policymakers seek to reduce strategic vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience to economic and energy shocks as well as security risks. Advances in artificial intelligence are likely to have far-reaching and potentially disruptive effects on European economies. How is the EU's role as a global actor being transformed by growing geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty, and internal pressures for reform?

The 10th edition of the EUIA conference (#EUIA27) will take place from 12 to 14 May 2027. It offers a forum to debate the European Union's role as a foreign policy actor in today's geopolitical context. #EUIA27 invites submissions from senior and early-career scholars, either as individual papers or full panel proposals. Reflecting the conference's interdisciplinary character, the programme welcomes contributions from across the social sciences and humanities.

Thematic areas for panels and papers include:

• The EU’s adaptations to a world of geopolitical tensions, rearmament and technological disruptions;
• The EU’s role in diplomacy, multilateral and regional organisations, global governance, and international trade;
• The international dimension of EU policymaking (such as security, energy, climate, gender, digital governance and space);
• Tools of European formal and informal external engagement (such as development aid, sanctions and migration arrangements);
• EU enlargement and institutional reforms;
• The role of AI for foreign and security policymaking;
• Non-European actors' perspectives and agency vis-à-vis the EU;

#EUIA27 seeks to advance scholarly debate on the EU's international role and the external dimensions of its policies. To foster an interdisciplinary and international debate, we invite contributions examining European external policy domains, actors, and practices from both European and non-European perspectives. In addition to academic panel discussions, the conference will foster exchanges between scholars and practitioners through keynote lectures and roundtable sessions. The programme will further feature networking opportunities, awards, and interactive sessions with editors of leading academic journals.