News from the IES

On 1 July 2019, the Institute for European Studies had the pleasure of welcoming Korean students at the first day of our SNU in the EU Brussels Programme.

Being the very first edition of this programme organized by the IES, this programme will further deepen the already established good relations between SNU and the IES. In the upcoming two weeks the students will participate in lectures on the history and future of EU integration, EU institutions and decision-making procedures, EU foreign and security affairs, combined with visits to the ROK Embassies, NATO and EU institutions. Organising this programme is a logical continuation of the institute’s activities related to Korea. In 2017, the Institute for European Studies launched the  KF-VUB Korea Chair, as a primary contact point in Europe on policy issues related to Korea and the Korean Peninsula.

We wish the SNU students a productive and memorable two weeks in Brussels!

The EUTOPIA alliance of six European universities, one of which is Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), has been chosen by the European Commission as one of the seventeen pilot projects for developing a ‘European university’, thereby  receiving a 5 million EUR grant from the Erasmus+ ‘European Universities’ programme.

The PARENT project's final conference took place in Brussels on 4 and 5 June, 2019. It brought together political actors, researchers and civil society organisations concerned with energy and sustainability in Brussels. Over two days, the conference discussed the project's core themes: sustainability, collaboration and technology. This was done in a collaborative and interactive environment amongst the 90 participants, with workshops organised by various partners, information stands from seven different organisations across Brussels, and an evening session with a keynote speech from Chris Roorda. As a result of the project, several mapping initiatives have been launched, with the ambition to fill the gaps in knowledge on sustainability actions in the region. The dialogue set up amongst actors will continue in the future, as we continue to push for a more sustainable Brussels.

After several years of declining attention for defence matters in the Belgian political debate, emerging international trends are putting the foundations of national security back on the agenda. Belgium has traditionally safeguarded its international interests within the framework of a strong transatlantic relationship that also supports European integration. NATO membership, in particular, is at the core the country’s security and defence policy and reflects its decision to guarantee security in a multilateral framework. But the balance of power between the world’s major powers is shifting and Belgian policy-makers are therefore compelled to reflect on how to continue to safeguard security and defence going forward.