Research topics include:

► European integration:
- EU and Slovenia as a member of the EU
- Voting arrangements in European and international organisations; 
- Democratisation in the international society: the role of international parliamentary organs (with special emphasis on Europe);
- Ethnic conflicts, conflict management and minority protection;

► International relations:
- Foreign policy of small states;
- Codification of the international law of diplomacy;
- International security;
- Contemporary regionalism;
- Theory and the methodology of International Relations;

► Globalization:
- Globalization and regionalisation processes in the world economy;
- Foreign direct investment (FDI), exports and outsourcing;
- Internationalisation process of Slovenian companies;
- Small states in the changing world system;

► Development:
- R&D policies, technology development, national innovation systems;
- Role of services in development and international trade;
- Current transformation processes in Central and Eastern Europe;
- Regional and social policy of the EU;

 

Research projects

1. ServPPIN

Centre for International Relations (CIR) is partner in EU FP7 project ServPPIN - The Contribution of Public and Private Services to European Growth and Welfare, and the Role of Public-Private Innovation Networks, coordinated by the University of Alcalá, Spain. The principal aim of the ServPPIN is to analyse the interactions between private and public services and their impact on growth and welfare by focusing on service innovation and public-private innovation networks. CIR cooperates in two WP. http://www.servppin.com/

CIR coordiator for ServPPIN: Dr. Metka Stare

2. MULTIPART

Under the leadership of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (Italy) CIR participates in another VII Research Framework Programme of the EU. The Project is entitled Multi-stakeholder partnership in post-conflict reconstruction: the Role of the EU (MULTIPART). Its aim is to investigate whether, how, and under what conditions multi-stakeholder partnerships can positively impact on human security and thus, facilitate non-violence and long-term peace, and provide a productive framework for relations between local actors and external actors, including third party mediators and international organisations.

CIR coordiator for MULTIPART: Asst. Prof. Dr. Petra Roter

3. GARNET

The Centre of International Relations is a member of GARNET – EU Network of Excellence on Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation within EU Framework 6, Priority 7: Citizens and Governance in a Knowledge Based Society. GARNET came into formal existence in July 2005. It will create a community of academics, from 44 institutions across Europe, undertaking scholarly and policy-oriented research into the theory and practice of governance and regulation across a range of policy areas. Together with the University of Wroclaw, the University of Ljubljana, the Centre of International Relations, co-ordinates the Jointly Executed Research Programme (JERP) on The EU and Central Eastern Europe. See Executive Summary for more information on GARNET and the JERP on The EU and Eastern Europe.

Centre of International Relations organized workshop "The EU and Eastern Europe" which was held on July 8, 2006 in Ljubljana, SLOVENIA. See the details of the programme here.

CIR coordiator for GARNET: Asst. Prof. Dr. Petra Roter

4. CONSENT

The Centre of International Relations is also a member of EU-CONSENT - Wider Europe, Deeper Integration? This is a Network of Excellence, funded by the European Commission (DG Research, Sixth Framework Programme, Thematic Priority 7, Research Area 4). It started operating in 2005 and will close in 2009. EU-CONSENT encompasses 48 partner institutes, including 25 universities as well as approximately 200 researchers and 80 young researchers from 22 EU member states and three candidate countries. It is a Network for joint research and teaching focusing on the construction of a new Europe and addresses questions of the mutual reinforcing effects of deepening and widening by developing and working with different sets of expectations for analysing the past and developing an innovative framework for the future integration beyond Western Europe.
 Project Co-ordinator is Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wessels from the University of Cologne, Germany while CIR coordinator in EU-CONSENT is Ms. Ana Bojinović. More information on the Network can be found on http://www.eu-consent.net. Brief overview of EU-CONSENT is available here.

CIR is actively participating in work packages II/III, V, VI, VII, VIII, X and XI. Within work package V, one of our members is a Team leader:
Team 11: Charter of Fundamental Rights: human and ethic dimension of European integration
Team Leader: Asst. Prof. Dr. Petra Roter
Contact persons: Petra Roter, Milan Brglez.

The CIR members have in the past undertaken research projects, including EU-integration-driven investment networking: outward foreign direct investment of candidate-countries; PHARE ACE (2001-2002), Small states in the post-Cold War world: Slovenia and NATO enlargement (1999-2001), Outward internationalisation facilitating transformation and European Union Accession: the case of Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia; PHARE ACE (1999-2001), Processes and modes of internationalisation and Slovenia (1995-2000), Small states in the processes of transformation of the international community (1996-2000), The European Union and Slovenia: training for accession; TEMPUS PHARE (1998-1999), Introducing European Studies curricula; TEMPUS PHARE (1999-2001), Ethnic conflict, peacekeeping and peacemaking towards 2000 with a special emphasis on former Yugoslavia (1993-1995).