Start of the EUGOV Term in Brussels

The EUGOV students started their second trimester on a strong European note: Yesterday, the Master in Advanced European and International Studies - Applied European Policy and Governance Studies programme officially commenced its first ever trimester in Brussels. The opening event was co-organised with the TEPSA - Trans European Policy Studies Association at the Fondation Universitaire.

The event began with a workshop examining European strategic autonomy from multiple perspectives. After introductory presentations by Niklas Helwig, Leading Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), and Zsolt G. Pataki, Senior Policy Analyst at the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) and CIFE Alumnus, students participated in four thematic working groups:

• Security & Defence, moderated by Niklas Helwig
• Space & Technology, moderated by Zsolt G. Pataki
• Economic Competitiveness, moderated by Ilaria Giustacchini, Partnerships and Project Manager at TEPSA
• Energy Security, moderated by Susann Heinecke-Kuhn, EUGOV Programme Director at CIFE
  The working groups then presented their findings in a plenary session for further discussion.

“European Strategic Autonomy” was the title of the following keynote speech by Cloos Jim, Secretary-General of TEPSA. In his address, Cloos called upon Europeans to change their mindset: the EU should make full use of its strengths such as its trading power, defend its interests more vigorously, and strengthen its governance pragmatically.
The event concluded with a networking reception attended by CIFE students, alumni, partners, CIFE Director General Matthias Waechter, CIFE and TEPSA staff and guests.

We are truly grateful to our partners at TEPSA for their valuable contribution to making this opening event a success and look forward to continuing our collaboration.

The trimester in Brussels will offer many more opportunities for the EUGOV students to engage with experts and practitioners from a variety of European institutions and learn about European policymaking at the crossroads of theory and practice.