The Decision Making in the European Union Before and After Lisbon (DEUBAL) was a Multilateral Research Group funded by the European Union Commission’s Jean Monnet Program within the broader Life Long Learning Program. It aimed to contribute to the goals of the life-long learning program of the European Union by building a transatlantic network of both senior and more junior scholars focusing on research related to EU decision-making and EU institutional structures. It explicitly drew Ph.D. students into the research network and creates a dynamic research community involving partners in the EU, Canada and the U.S.A.
The project created new networks and research collaboration among the universities of the project leaders, but in addition, it was the goal of the DEUBAL project to develop important linkages with both a broad network of other academic pursuing related research and professionals/practitioners who are close to the EU decision-making process.
The DEUBAL project served to foster new primary research on EU decision-making, and integrates various experts and young scholars into these research endeavors. Through the organization of both an academic workshop, in which papers were discussed by peers who are experts on EU integration and EU institutions, and a practitioner oriented conference aimed at sharing insights between the practical and academic communities, it enhances its reach and also addresses a wider audience consisting of both academics and professionals in the field. In addition, a number of the research findings disseminated in the framework of these two workshops was published in a special issue of West European Politics (WEP) released in late 2013.