SEI SAYS FAREWELL TO JӦRG MONAR
On Wednesday July 17th, the Sussex European Institute (SEI) organised a half-day workshop on the theme of ‘Justice and Home Affairs in the European Union’ to say thanks and farewell to SEI-based Professor of Contemporary European Studies Jӧrg Monar. Prof Monar, who will become Rector of the College of Europe in September, has been at SEI since 2001 including a period as SEI Co-Director from 2001-5.
The workshop was put together to celebrate both Prof Monar’s more general contribution to the sub-discipline of contemporary European studies, of which he is a leading academic specialist, and his specific contribution to the field of EU justice and home affairs where he is recognised as one of, if not the, outstanding specialists in the world.
The workshop began with a presentation by Professor Valamis Mitsilegas (Queen Mary University, London), one of Prof Monar’s research collaborators and co-authors, who spoke about ‘The evolution of the EU into an area of freedom, security and justice: why institutions matter’. Dr Ariadna Ripoll Servent (University of Vienna), a former doctoral student of Prof Monar, then gave a presentation on ‘Integrating institutions into the study of justice and home affairs’.
The final presentation was by Prof Helen Wallace (SEI), who was SEI’s founding Director from 1992-2001 and is now an SEI Visiting Professorial Fellow. Prof Wallace, who spoke on ‘Justice and Home Affairs and European studies’, discussed huge esteem in which Prof Monar is held within the sub-discipline. Prof Monar rounded off the workshop with wide ranging concluding remarks that reflected upon all the presentations and contributions to the discussion.
Prof Aleks Szczerbiak, who took over from Prof Monar as an SEI Co-Director in 2006, commented:
‘Jӧrg is an outstanding scholar and a wonderful academic leader and institution-builder. He has also been an amazing colleague who will be greatly missed. Working alongside Prof Jim Rollo, who retired as SEI Co-Director two years ago, and building on the amazing work done by their predecessor Helen Wallace, Jӧrg helped to build up and nurture SEI as the leading academic research and postgraduate training centre on contemporary Europe. This workshop was a very fitting way of saying goodbye to, and celebrating the intellectual achievements of, a great colleague and friend. We are looking forward to continuing to collaborate with him and welcoming him back to participate in future SEI events.’