Opening Conference:

EU-STRAT (“The European Union and its Eastern Partner Countries - An Inside-Out Analysis and Strategic Assessment”)

Why has the European Union fallen short of creating peace, prosperity and stability in its Eastern neighbourhood? How can the EU support political and economic change in Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, such as Ukraine, Belarus or Moldova? Against the background of the war in Ukraine and the rising tensions with Russia, a reassessment of the European Neighborhood Policy has become as urgent as challenging. Starting in May 2016, a new Horizon 2020 project named EU-STRAT (“The European Union and its Eastern Partner Countries - An Inside-Out Analysis and Strategic Assessment”) sets out to address these questions and challenges.

The project will be kicked-off in Berlin with a panel discussion on the topic “Looking Inside-out: Strategies for Transforming the Neighbourhood” at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Germany on June 8, 2016. Throughout the ensuing three-day conference, all project partners, invited guests, and the interested public have the opportunity to discuss EU-STRAT’s research questions and agenda.

Funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, EU-STRAT will run from May 2016 to April 2019 with Freie Universität Berlin as its coordinating institution and Prof. Dr. Tanja A. Börzel, Jean Monnet Chair and Director of the Center for European Integration, as its project coordinator. EU-STRAT’s eleven-partner consortium includes six universities, three think-tanks, one civil society organization and one consultancy.

For further information or registration for the kick-off conference from June 8-10, 2016, please contact eustrat@zedat.fu-berlin.de.