The Europaeum Special Debate at the Estoril Political Forum
Each June, the Europaeum Special Debate brings a select group of postgraduates to Portugal’s Coast of Kings to discuss a key topic in contemporary politics, in front of an audience which includes leading policymakers and academics from the US, UK, Portugal and the rest of Europe. This year, you can apply to join a team of four students speaking for or against the motion: “The future of Democracy depends on the capacity of Europe and the USA to build a coalition with the Global South.”
The Europaeum Special Debate occurs during the Estoril International Political Forum from 3-5 June 2024, which is organised by the Institute of Political Studies of the Catholic University of Portugal. This year, the International Political Forum’s theme is “Commemorating the Portuguese Revolution of 1974 and Evaluating the Future of Democracy’s Third Wave.” The Estoril Political Forum is hosted at the Hotel Palácio Estoril on the Portuguese Riviera, an inspiration for the first James Bond novel Casino Royale and a filming location for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Selected students receive transport costs, accommodation, meals and conference dinners for the Forum.
The Europaeum Special Debate is a rewarding experience for postgraduates, and differs from the usual conference structure of posters, papers and panels. We caught up with Stuart Neave, a PhD student working on federal thought in Britain between 1860 and 1940, who spoke at the 2023 Europaeum Special Debate, to hear more about this unique event.
What motivated you to apply to the Europaeum special debate at the Estoril Political Forum?
When I found out about the forum in an email sent out by the School of History, what immediately stuck out to me was the topic – “Democracy is the Good Management of Conflict, not the Pursuit of Consensus.” It was a small part of the wider theme, ‘Rebuilding the Democratic Consensus at Home and Abroad,” and in fact was one of the few moments throughout the conference where participants were asked to challenge the value or even possibility of achieving consensus through democracy.
It also so happened that I had spent the early part of the summer term speculatively reading for an article on the reception of the writing of John C. Calhoun in the United Kingdom, something which had led me towards all sort of mid-to-late-Nineteenth century thinking about the benefits and drawbacks of democratic institutions. It happened on me then that I could use this debate to play a sort of historical game and repurpose some of these Victorian arguments (often now neglected, and in many cases for good reason) about democracy for a Twenty-first century setting.
The Estoril Political Forum is an Oxford Union-style debate, in front of a distinguished audience. How did you prepare/practice for this?
Before we landed in Lisbon, we were introduced to members of both the Institute of Political Studies at the Catholic University of Portugal and to members of the Europaeum, particularly the Core Events Director, who oversaw various training workshops ahead of the debate. These were creative and engaging. First, focusing on Ciceronian rhetoric, we thought about how best to structure an argument. Another workshop aimed at improving our public speaking and involved reciting a soliloquy from Shakespeare before giving one another feedback. Finally, we were given a rundown of the various rules and intricacies of an Oxford Union Style debate, including how to interject in an argument and how we should address our teammates and opponents.
On how to handle nerves in front of the crowd, we were given some advice, however, I would point out that it isn’t really something you think about too much while you’re giving your talk. Further, while many of the members of the audience are distinguished in their field, in my case they were supportive and chimed in with informative questions.
You were the first of three speakers defending the motion. How did you find working with your team-mates from other Europaeum universities?
Going first was a nerve-wracking experience. However, it was also in some ways the easiest position to go. As the first speaker there is naturally nobody I needed to respond to yet, and as a result I could make use of a fully drafted speech that attempted to direct the course the latter speakers would take. The order of our speeches, as well as their contents, were decisions we made as a team. As my speech was more historically focused, we felt it would work well at the start. Everyone in the team brought different ideas to the debate, and it reflected not only our national differences, but also our different degree focuses and interests. Particularly useful was that our different nationalities allowed us to incorporate examples from all across Europe, as opposed to a single area of interest.
What was the best bit of attending the Estoril Political Forum?
The best part of the conference was actually the access to the conference itself. The forum featured a rich and diverse array of panels and talks, each considering ideas and problems from almost every possible angle. It gave the listeners an opportunity to learn about features of European politics they would not typically encounter at home (in my case in the UK). The hot topic of the forum was of course the war in Ukraine, but perhaps more interesting were discussion about the politics of Poland, Italy, and the host country of Portugal.
It is also noteworthy that the conference itself is situated in a grandiose spot dominated by the Estoril Casino – supposedly one of the inspirations for Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. It also allows for easy access to Lisbon (half an hour on the train), and is a short coastal walk away from the old resort town of Cascais. It offers a lot to take in and explore when you find the time.
I would recommend participating in future debates to anyone who has a broad interest in European politics, whether or not they have experience debating. The event is a fantastic way to bring together students from universities across Europe and to introduce them to aspects of European politics they won’t have considered before. If you’re lucky, like I was, the debate topic might even give you an opportunity to incorporate some of your own work or interests and refine the way you think about them.
Thank you to Stuart for his thoughts. You can also read an overall report of the 2023 Europaeum Special Debate. The deadline for applications to the Europaeum Special Debate is 3 May 2024. If you are a St Andrews postgraduate interested in European politics, the Europaeum Brussels Policy Making Seminar “The Impact of Elections” will be held from 25-27 September 2024 . The deadline for applications is 24 May 2024.