Year of establishment: 2023
Administrative headquarters: Department of Law, University of Brescia
In keeping with the principle of interdisciplinarity, the Centre’s activities involve faculty members from the following departments:
- Department of Law, University of Brescia
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia
- Department of Law, University of Bergamo
CREAF’s primary scientific objective is to study European policies from a multidisciplinary perspective legal, economic, engineering and historicalthrough an integrated approach based on direct interaction with society as well as with the scientific community.
CREAF aims to promote the economic, technical, cultural and social value of the knowledge generated by its network. Through basic and applied research, it seeks to provide training including through inter-university exchanges on European policies in the sectors with the greatest impact, as well as to promote and organise national and international conferences, round tables and opportunities for cultural exchange on European policy issues.
More specifically, by way of example and without limitation, CREAF aims to:
- Reconstruct, through historical, political and institutional research, the key features of the economic security strategy at the heart of the European Union’s new approach to international trade, taking into account Europe’s distinctive structure as a context characterised by the dialectic between unity and plurality, and as a place for fruitful exchange among different cultures and traditions;
- Monitor, including through critical analysis, the development of Europe’s current phase one oriented towards the so-called “just transition” which is characterised by the need to maintain an appropriate balance between environmental sustainability, social equity and economic growth. These factors often appear to be in conflict, and reconciling them requires broader reflection on the long-standing issue of a fair price;
- Accordingly, reconstruct the direct and indirect effects of European Union initiatives concerning sustainability and corporate social responsibility on individual and social rights, assessing their economic, financial and social impact;
- Identify the common features of a new European body of law which, potentially drawing on Europe’s historical tradition, seeks to translate into concrete legal practice a set of principles aimed at ensuring fairness in economic transactions, thereby innovating the body of rules underpinning business activity while remaining rooted in a centuries-old tradition;
- Study the European Union’s renewed interest in establishing a common defence programme, as well as its implications for the architecture of European institutions and for relations between the Union and its Member States;
- Study the energy and environmental policies of European countries in the context of international relations;
- Investigate policies concerning the security of the Union and its Member States, including cybersecurity, within the broader framework of international security;
- In general, and consequently, identify the critical aspects of the solutions adopted in the Centre’s areas of research, suggesting possible developments and ways of overcoming them;
- Assess the actual impact of the aforementioned political and regulatory initiatives on the behaviour of citizens, businesses and financial institutions, on improvements in socio-environmental conditions, and on the macroeconomic context.
As part of its institutional activities, and in compliance with the regulations governing university administration, CREAF also organises professional development and support activities, including consultancy services and the development of projects and programmes for public and private organisations.