About the conference
FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS AND POLITICS 
ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH AND EASTERN EUROPE AND THE BLACK SEA REGION (ASECU)
UNION OF ECONOMISTS IN BULGARIA
About the conference
As of 1 February 2020, the United Kingdom (UK) is no longer a member of the European Union (EU). For the first time in the history of European integration we have witnessed a withdrawal of a Member State, terminating its 47-year membership. Moreover, this used to be the EU’s second largest economy, the strongest EU military power, one of the two EU’s nuclear powers and UN Security Council members, the largest global financial centre, the country, that gave the world the modern "lingua franca" and some of the world's best universities. By no doubt Brexit is the biggest shock for the European integration from its formal beginning on 01.01.1958. and raises a number of important political, economic, social, legal and cultural issues.
Brexit has coincided with the worst socio-economic crisis in the global economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, objectively shifting the academic community interest. Furthermore, during the transitional period, which expired at the end of 2020, there was complete uncertainty about the parameters of the future partnership between the EU and the UK. Possible scenarios included options for a "soft" exit (with the UK remaining in the European Economic Area similar to Norway) and a “hard” exit (in which trade and economic relations are governed by the WTO rules). After lengthy talks, London and Brussels managed to reach a "last minute" agreement on December 24, 2020. Thus, from January 1, 2021 the United Kingdom, while maintaining duty-free trade in bilateral relations with the EU, has exposed them to a number of non-tariff barriers, leaving the internal market and the customs union.
The international conference “The EU after Brexit” aims to gather scholars from different fields in Social Sciences, providing a platform of discussion and exchange of ideas on Brexit’s multifaceted implications. The objective is to contribute to the interdisciplinary debate on Brexit, focusing on the risks and opportunities for the EU, Southeast European countries, Bulgaria and third countries, shedding light on the political, economic, social, legal and cultural aspects of the phenomenon.
The conference will take place at UNWE-Sofia, on June 4th, 2021 and will have a hybrid format with in-person sessions that can also be accessed remotely for those who are unable to travel due to COVID-19 or other reasons. All participants will be issued a certificate of participation.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE of the conference is English.