Visiting researcher: Giorgia Castiello

Background

Giorgia Castiello is a PhD candidate in Transnational Governance at Scuola Normale Superiore and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. She is currently working on a project that aims to analyse the impact of the joint purchasing initiatives - presented in the health, energy and defence sectors - on the process of European integration. Her project is financed by the Italian Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Previously, she studied at the College of Europe in Bruges where she completed a master’s degree in European political and governance studies.
 

Research topic and interests

Her research examines the dynamics of European integration by analysing both the overarching institutional architecture of the European Union and the evolution of key policy sectors such as health, energy, and defence. She investigates how competencies are shared, contested, and redefined across EU institutions and member states, especially in times of crisis. She examines whether the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent energy and security crises have reshaped interinstitutional dynamics within the EU and created momentum for advancing innovative policy solutions to tackle the emergencies.
 

Supervisor at IEE-ULB

During her stay at IEE-ULB, Giorgia was supervised by Professor Ramona Coman who offered Giorgia methodological advice for the successful implementation of her fieldwork. Moreover, she was instrumental in organising an internal seminar at the Institute, which will give Giorgia the opportunity to present her ongoing research and discuss part of her empirical findings and data collected during her fieldwork.
 

Why the IEE-ULB for your research visit?

Giorgia decided to apply for a research visit at the Institut d’Études Européennes of the Université libre de Bruxelles (IEE-ULB) because the Institute is internationally recognised for its multidisciplinary approach bridging together law, political science, economics to study the European Union and its integration progress. She is staying at the Institute until the end of February to conduct an extensive fieldwork, which constitutes the backbone of her research project. During these first months, she had the chance to interview EU officials pertaining to the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament as well as Member States’ representatives and Parliamentary Assistants.
 

Academic goals

This research visit was fundamental for Giorgia, as it allowed her to delve into the empirical side of her project. It represented a pivotal moment for testing her research assumptions and for beginning to draft the empirical section of her thesis.