The UK referendum of 23rd June 2016 was a significant caesura in the history of the European integration process. The so called "Brexit" hit the Union during a complex and challenging situation. With regard to recent developments, the EU Commission introduced a white paper on the future of Europe on 1st March 2017, which sets out possible paths for the future of Europe and offers five scenarios for the Union's evolution by the year 2025.

The 9th network conference aimed to give an overview of the current reform proposals and opened a discussion amongst scholars for possible future structures of the EU.