The new procedure for selecting the President of the European Commission is subject to institutional and political struggles. Regardless the fate of the system after the European elections in 2019, SIEPS’ director Göran von Sydow argues, a genuine European level contestation over executive office is not likely to emerge soon.

The outgoing European Commission has been defined by the idea of a more “political” institution. While the ambition proved difficult to implement, a return to the role as a neutral arbiter is no longer an alternative.

At a SIEPS seminar on March 28 2019, the voter turnout of the elections in 2014 was discussed and used as a basis to make some predictions about the turnout of the elections in May. Hermann Schmitt and Sebastian Adrian Popa, leading researchers at the University of Mannheim, presented their findings.

At a seminar in Stockholm, 8 March 2019, renowned experts and policymakers discussed the banking union from a Nordic-Baltic perspective. The seminar was arranged jointly by SIEPS and the Swedish inquiry on potential participation in the banking union.

On 30 November 2018, Christopher J. Bickerton and Ulrike Guérot held a lecture presenting their ideas about the state of democracy in the EU. They shared a set of concerns about the state of democracy in Europe, but had distinctly different conclusions. The seminar was part of a series co-organized by SIEPS and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).

On 9 November 2018, Frank Schimmelfennig gave a talk on the topic of differentiated integration as a threat or solution to the current state of European integration. The seminar was part of a series co-organized by SIEPS and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).

At a seminar held on 5 October 2018, EU member states' positions, the role of the EU institutions, the legal aspects of the possible negotiation outcomes as well as provide insight into the state of negotiations, were discussed.

At a SIEPS seminar on 21 September 2018, Michael Kaeding gave an overview of the national perspectives on the future of European cooperation. In addition, the seminar devoted special attention to the debates in the Nordic states with contributions from leading researchers Juha Jokela and Marlene Wind.

At a SIEPS seminar on 18 April 2018, the future of the EU budget was discussed. The seminar was arranged together with the European Commission in Sweden.