The implications of their imperial pasts continue to affect the contemporary internal and external policies of six European Union member states (France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands and Spain). These connected, entangled historical legacies manifest themselves most obviously in the diverse diplomatic associations which draw together countries formerly colonised by these states: La Francophonie, the Commonwealth, the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa and the Cumbre Ibero-Americana; but all six European states maintain varying institutional links. A comparative analysis of these institutions is timely, as that there has been too little integrated, policy-relevant academic research into the ways in which European policy makers continue to contend with the enduring legacies of the process of decolonization. These legacies also play into the EU as a political space where the long impact of the endings of empires is being played out, between the national and international spheres.

This conference will focus on the complex web of post-imperial legacies for these EU countries and their societies, in terms of political institutions, immigration and community relations, trade, investment and aid, culture and education. It is intended to highlight new research on critical process of transition for these former imperial powers, as well as to bring historians, political scientists and international relations scholars into contact with contemporary actors and policy makers.

Paper abstracts are invited on the following aspects of colonial legacies and processes of transition, for Britain, Portugal, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium:
- Political institutions and policy making
- Trade and investment relationships and organisational modes
- Cultural relations (including education and training; media and memory)
- Legal frameworks and discourse
- Aid and development policies
- National dimension versus supranational organisations.