May 9 - June 1, 2007 | Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw
The European Union Center of Excellence at Indiana University will conduct its annual three-week program in Europe that will focus on the evolving European Union and its public policy impact. The course prepares approximately 20 graduate students for professional work in an international policy environment. Students will benefit from hands-on experience with real policy issues in seminars with high-profile public and private executives and policy makers.

This program is open to any graduate student with an interest in EU studies currently enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program at a US university. For detailed application information, please open the study trip brochure and visit the program website .

Deadline: February 12, 2007

July 16 - August 10, 2007 | Brussels, Belgium
The EU Studies Summer Program in Brussels offers US students the opportunity to study the emergence of a united Europe in its dynamic heart. Running from July 16 to August 10, the program will consist of two courses plus an EU simulation for a total of 12 quarter credits (or 8 semester credits). The Program is co-administered by the European Commission-sponsored EU Center of Excellence at the University of Washington (Seattle), the European Union Center of Excellence at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), and is hosted by the Universiti Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). The four-week program features lectures and seminars by leading experts on the EU from both sides of the Atlantic, as well as site visits to major EU institutions and organizations involved in European integration. In addition, the program is supplemented by cultural and social events in and around the city, as well as a field trip to Luxembourg.

Brussels' central location allows students to easily explore the area's rich history and culture at their own pace. The city is famous for its excellent dining, and the program will start and end with group dinners. Field trip costs and both welcome and farewell dinners are included in the program fee. Discover the new Europe through the EU Studies Program in Brussels!

For more information, please visit http://jsis.washington.edu/euc/brussels.shtml

Also, view a PowerPoint presentation detailing the trip.

Deadline: March 30, 2007

Smith Middle School in North Carolina wins "Getting to Know Europe" grant from the European Union

Smith Middle School in North Carolina has received a grant of 51,000 euros from the Delegation of the European Commission of the European Union. French Teacher Robin McMahon led the grant application process.  Her proposal includes a number of activities in which the school is already engaged by being a Global Connections School. The school will focus on a number of ways to include instruction about Europe into regular coursework and will conduct community awareness activities about the European Union.

Information about this competition was disseminated through the EUCE Network and was featured on our website's main and highlights pages this past summer and fall.

Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Initiative

The Franklin Fellows program, a new State Department initiative, brings 35 high school students from Europe, South Eastern Europe and Eurasia to explore transatlantic relations and communication. The fellows are based at Wake Forest University and will attend a day long seminar at the European Union Center of North Carolina. Highlights include a discussion led by Milada Vachudova on "Transatlantic Communication" and a lively and frank panel discussion, composed of Transatlantic Masters students, on the trials and tribulations of living, studying, and working abroad.

> itinerary of visit to UNC-Chapel Hill
> photoalbum
> BFTF Program website

April 7, Florida International University
"The EU Constitution: Where Are We Now?"
Margot Wallström, Vice President, European Commission, will be the keynote speaker at this two-day conference in Miami, Florida.


> conference flyer
> conference program
> Wallström bio

Distance Learning in North Carolina
"Europe as Identity: Histories, Spaces, and Relations"

Part of a series of video-conference courses in collaboration with North Carolina State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and UNC-Charlotte.

Students completing 2 courses in this series receive a certificate in EU Studies awarded by the European Union Center of Excellence at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Fall 2006, Poli Sci 498
Tuesday, 4:10-6:55pm
Peter Wagner, Prof. Political Science, NCSU
> course flyer

February 10 (Pittsburgh):
Speech delivered by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, at the Rededication of the EU Centre of Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh
Speech title: "From Pittsburgh to Lisbon: reform in times of change"

At the University of Pittsburgh EU Center of Excellence, Mr. Barroso said: "Both the EU and the US realise that the fulfilment of their ambitions cannot be carried out in a vacuum; we need to work together to promote common values such as democracy, freedom, respect for human rights and the rule of law; to strengthen the world economy, notably by co-operation within the WTO; to address the serious issue of climate change and, when called upon, work side by side to address the consequences of natural disasters."

>> speech transcripts

February 9 (Washington, DC):
President Barrosos receives honorary degree from Georgetown University.
Speech title: "Speaking with a Common Voice: Energy Policy in the 21st Century"

Barroso stressed the need for the EU to address its reliance on unstable regions for energy: "Europe is becoming ever more dependent on oil and gas imports from geopolitically uncertain regions... Europe is already the largest importer and second largest consumer of energy in the world, and it is currently dependent on external sources for 50% of its needs. This could rise to 70% by 2030..."

>> speech summary

Ambassador John Bruton, European Union Ambassador to the United States, visited Florida International University (FIU) to give a talk on EU-US relations.

Speaker bio: John Bruton was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland from 1994 to 1997. Ambassador Bruton was first elected to the Irish parliament in 1969 but resigned his seat in November 2004 to become the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States. Throughout his career, Ambassador Bruton was deeply involved in the Irish peace process. John Bruton presented his credentials to President Bush in December 2004. He leads a large multi-national staff at the embassy offices in Washingotn, DC, and acts as the representative for the 25 European Union member states in the United States of America.

>> more information

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke at the EU Center in Washington, DC, on October 18, 2005. The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined in the event via video link. Footage of the address, including the Q&A following, are listed below.

Video: requires Windows Media Player
Speech: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/media/barroso_101805.wmv
Q&A: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/media/barroso_101805qa.wmv

Audio:
Speech: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/mediastream/barroso-speech.ram
Q&A: http://www.sais-jhu.edu/mediastream/barroso-qa.ram

Getting to Know Europe
*a grant competition*

The Delegation of the European Commission in Washington DC  has relaunched the "Getting to Know Europe" grant competition for activities that encourage greater understanding of the European Union among local communities in the US and the many ties between the United States and the European Union. 

Activities can include competitions, publications and other information products, training and briefing sessions, study and exchange visits, and town twinning arrangements.  Full details of the competition can be viewed at the Delegation's web site http://www.eurunion.org/infores/CallforProposGetttoKnowEU.htm

The newly launched Call for Proposals requires that all submissions be received by 8 November 2006 .

Changes and clarifications to the Call for Proposals include the following:

• All activities should be targeted at local communities and local government in the United States; 
• All activities must take place between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007; 
• In addition to activities celebrating Europe Day, applicants are encouraged but not required to include activities related to the 50 th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome (25 March 1957) establishing the European Community; 
• Institutions from the United States , EU Member States and  EU Acce ding States may apply;
• Universities are included among institutions eligible to apply provided that they are not currently receiving European Commission funding for European Union Centers of Excellence.

All applicants must use the correct Grant Application and Proposal Narrative forms, covering the January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007 period for eligible activities. These documents are available as attachments to the current Call for Proposals.

Helen Henderson BEM
Delegation of the European Commission
Political & Development Section
2300 M Street NW, Suite 300
Washington DC 20037
Fax: 202 429 1766
Email: helen.henderson@ec.europa.eu
Website: www.eurunion.org

European Union Today Study Tour
CDS International, Inc., together with the Carl Duisberg Centrum, Cologne, Germany, is pleased to announce the European Union Today Study Tour. This very special opportunity for students of European Studies will be conducted entirely in English and will take place from May 28 – June 11, 2006. It is conveniently timed to give students already in Europe, or about to begin summer internships there, a great launching point.

Students on the European Union Today study tour will spend two weeks exploring the history and recent events that make the EU the institution it is today. This will be a great opportunity for students of European Studies “to put faces on the places” they study at their home institutions. Students will not only get to see the European Parliament, the European Commission and the center of it all, Brussels, but they will have the opportunity to speak with actual representatives from the European Parliament, the new member states and various lobby organizations. Students will also learn about the impact the EU has beyond Europe, and what it means to Americans by visiting the US Mission to the EU.

An added bonus to this study tour is a three-day seminar that will allow students well versed in European Studies to learn EU history and recent events from a completely European perspective. Students new to European Studies will be able to learn the ins-and-outs of the EU from the individual courses, the sites visited and a meeting with their European peers. Students will also be treated to several historically and geo-politically significant cities. These include Cologne and Düsseldorf in Germany, Brussels, Antwerp, and Bruges in Belgium, and Maastricht in The Netherlands. The deadline to apply for this study tour is March 31, 2006 .

For further information, please visit our website: http://www.cdsintl.org/fromusa/EUToday.pdf and/or contact Melissa Graves by email: mgraves@cdsintl.org or phone: (212) 497 3502.

European Union Delegation Announcement of EUCE
The EU Delegation in Washington, DC, recently posted its announcement of the 2005-2008 EUCE network site awardees. The program is intended " to promote people-to-people ties across the Atlantic."

• Announcement link
• Excerpts:

"The EU Centers program has helped create a foothold for EU studies in US higher education and served as an information resource for a broad US audience, with extensive outreach to regional audiences and the policy community. The recipients of awards in this cycle have been designated "Centers of Excellence" in recognition of the high quality, variety and depth of their programming."

" The University of North Carolina will serve as Network and Outreach Coordinator, with the goal of promoting cooperation and sharing best practices within the network. North Carolina will also establish a network website providing easy access to research and teaching materials produced by the Centers."