EUNMUTE Doctoral and Early-Career Scholars Workshop
“Standing Up for the Voiceless? Exploring the EU’s Capacity for Rights Protection”
Brussels – 10 & 11 June 2024
The EUNMUTE Doctoral and Early-Career Scholars Workshop was a scientific event organized by the Institute for European Studies at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles, as part of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “Un-Muting Europe” (EUNMUTE).
EUNMUTE is an interdisciplinary platform bringing together experts in EU politics and law. Its goal is to investigate the EU’s ability to advocate for and promote the rights of the “muted” — individuals or entities often overlooked, silenced, outnumbered, outpowered, or otherwise marginalized in national political discourses and decision-making processes.
The project addresses fundamental issues surrounding the quality of democracy in Europe, with a particular focus on the protection of marginalised voices. It raised key questions such as:
- To what extent does the EU serve as an alternative political arena for the “voiceless” (e.g., women and sexual minorities, youth, future generations, third-country nationals, non-human living beings)?
- Does the EU’s proclaimed empowering capacity contribute to the creation of an “unmuting narrative” that, in turn, reinforces its own legitimacy?
About the Workshop
The workshop brought together doctoral researchers and early-career scholars from disciplines such as law, political science, sociology, political philosophy, and EU studies, to engage in a dynamic discussion on the EU’s role in protecting fundamental rights through its so-called “un-muting power.”
Participants examined whether and how the EU has acted as a driver of “un-muting,” and how voicelessness has been addressed in policy domains such as:
- Natural resource preservation
- Rule of law
- Migration and asylum
Beyond case-specific insights, the workshop sought to explore the broader narrative that positions the EU as an amplifier of unheard voices. Discussions were structured around six thematic panels, shaping the overall focus of the event.
Programme
Monday, 10 June
9:00 – 9:30 – Arrivals & Coffee
9:30 – 10:00 – Welcome Speech & Introduction
Cecilia Rizcallah (Professor in Law, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles) & Denis Duez (Professor in Political Science, UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles)
Panel 1 – Inclusion & Discriminations in the Digital Era
Chair: Cecilia Rizcallah
- Valentina Golunova – “Silencing Falsehoods: Enhancing the EU’s Unmuting Power through Tackling Online Gendered Disinformation”
- Stevi Kitsou – “The EU’s Fight Against Hate: Protecting the Marginalised?”
- Tiphaine Maloingne – “From Passivity to Empowerment of the European Patient in Light of New Digital Challenges”
- Sibylle Pouillaude – “Empowering Minorities by Safeguarding their Intimate Privacy: Unveiling the Role of the Right to be Forgotten in the EU”
Discussants:
Sophie Jacquot, Nathan Genicot
12:00 – 13:15 – Lunch Break
Panel 2 – Environment (1/2): Protecting Future Generations and Non-Humans
Chair: Clément Fontan
- Alice Campolmi – “Environment and Future Generations: Which Path to Follow in EU Law?”
- Norman Vander Putten – “Defining the Green to Make Future Generations Heard? Sustainability and EU Environmental Classifications”
- Tom Buytaert – “Unmuting the Environment in EU Competition Law: Considering Future Generations of Consumers”
Discussants:
Amandine Orsini, Antoine Bailleux
15:15 – 15:30 – Coffee Break
Panel 3 – Environment (2/2): Protecting Protectors
Chair: Amandine Orsini
- Amanda Kron – “Whose Just Transition? Analysing Protection of Environmental Defenders in the Green Deal”
- Maxime Tecqmenne – “Who Will Stand Up for the Environment? Collective Interests and Individual Rights”
- Costanza De Caro – “Access to Justice for Victims of Environmental Crime: Legal Standing under EU Law”
- Arnaud Gane – “Who Can Speak for Wild Nature in Europe?”
Discussants:
Delphine Misonne, Benedikte Zitouni
19:30 – Dinner with participants
Tuesday, 11 June
8:30 – 9:00 – Arrivals & Coffee
Panel 4 – Rule of Law
Chair: Antoine Bailleux
- Anita Kovacs – “EU Citizenship as a Rule of Law Instrument to Unmute the Hungarian Electorate?”
- Timothée Ceurremans & Elisabeth David – “Article 10(3) TEU: Unlocking Untapped Potential for Democratic Rights”
Discussants:
Ramona Coman, Mathieu Leloup
10:15 – 10:30 – Coffee Break
Panel 5 – Migration & Asylum (1/2)
Chair: Florence Delmotte
- Emiliya Bratanova – “Legal Pathways in EU Law: Enhancing Protection or Another Border?”
- Maxime Maréchal – “The Role of Interpreters in the French Asylum Process: A Legal Analysis”
- Silvia Rizzuto Ferruzza – “Echoes of the Voiceless: The EU and Frontex Through the Lens of the CJEU”
- Sarah Craig – “The Trajectory of LGBTI+ Asylum Claims Before the CJEU”
Discussants:
Sylvie Sarolea, Juliette Dupont
12:45 – 13:45 – Lunch Break
Panel 6 – Migration & Asylum (2/2)
Chair: Denis Duez
- Caroline Leclercq – “Refugee Resettlement: Will the New European Framework Give Voice to Refugees?”
- Zoé Briard – “Planned Relocation and Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change”
- Tehseen Jäger – “The Employers Sanction Directive: Deterrence or Protection?”
Discussants:
Lilian Tsourdi, Denis Duez
Concluding Remarks
15:45 – 16:15 Cecilia Rizcallah & Florence Delmotte
16:15 – 17:15 – Farewell Cocktail
Support and Acknowledgements
This event was organised with the support of:
- École doctorale thématique en études européennes (F.R.S.-FNRS)
- Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union
(Project 101047658 – EUNMUTE – ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH)
