Theme Week Warsaw – College of Europe

Thursday, 1 September 2016 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, EU blog post series, European Union, House of the Month, Universities, Colleges, Academies
Reading Time:  6 minutes

College of Europe © Diderotresurrected/cc-by-sa-4.0

College of Europe © Diderotresurrected/cc-by-sa-4.0

The College of Europe (French: Collège d’Europe) is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with the main campus in Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1949 by such leading European figures and founding fathers of the European Union as Salvador de Madariaga, Winston Churchill, Paul-Henri Spaak and Alcide De Gasperi in the wake of the Hague Congress of 1948 to promote “a spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding between all the nations of Western Europe and to provide elite training to individuals who will uphold these values” and “to train an elite of young executives for Europe.” It has the status of “Institution of Public Interest”, operating according to Belgian law. Since 1993 the college has also had an additional smaller campus in Natolin in Poland. Students are usually selected in cooperation with their countries’ ministries of foreign affairs, and admission is highly competitive. The number of students each year used to be very low—for several decades less than 100—but has increased since the early 1990s. The College of Europe is bilingual, and students must be proficient in English and French. Students receive a master’s degree (formerly called Diploma and Certificat) following a one-year programme. Traditionally, students specialise in either European law, international economics (i.e., European economic studies), or European political and administrative studies; in recent years, additional programmes have been created.

According to The Times, the “College of Europe, in the medieval Belgian city of Bruges, is to the European political elite what the Harvard Business School is to American corporate life. It is a hothouse where the ambitious and talented go to make contacts”. The Economist describes it as “an elite finishing school for aspiring Eurocrats.” The Financial Times writes that “the elite College of Europe in Bruges” is “an institution geared to producing crop after crop of graduates with a lifelong enthusiasm for EU integration.” European Commissioner for Education Ján Figeľ described the college as “one of the most emblematic centres of European studies in the European Union”. The BBC has referred to it as “the EU’s very own Oxbridge“. The college has also been described as “the leading place to study European affairs” and as “the elite training center for the European Union’s political class”. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has referred to the college as “a Euro-federalist hot-spot.” The Global Mail has described its students as “Europe’s leaders-in-waiting.” Each academic year is named for a patron and referred to as a promotion. The academic year is opened by a leading European politician. The College of Europe in Belgium shares several traditions with, and is often compared to, the École nationale d’administration (ENA) of France, but has a vastly more international profile. Its anciens include the former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb, the former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as well as Minister for Europe of Italy Enzo Moavero Milanesi, several of whom have also been professors at the college. Many of its anciens go on to serve as diplomats and senior civil servants in European institutions.

College of Europe © Diderotresurrected/cc-by-sa-4.0 College of Europe © Diderotresurrected/cc-by-sa-4.0
<
>
College of Europe © Diderotresurrected/cc-by-sa-4.0
The one-year programme lasts from September until the end of June and is taught in English and French. It includes lectures, research seminars, workshops and meetings with external specialists and various language courses. To be awarded the degree, students must take oral and written examinations at the end of each semester, and submit a 15 ECTS master’s thesis in English or French. The thesis gives students the opportunity to undertake individual research, conducted primarily in the second semester, under the supervision of a faculty member. The programmes are enriched by study trips to the European institutions and, for students at Natolin (Warsaw), also to neighbouring countries. Due to the college’s extensive network of contacts, students have the opportunity to meet and discuss with policy-makers, practitioners and representatives of the business community throughout their year at the college.

At Natolin (Warsaw) campus, the study programme European Interdisciplinary Studies offers four majors: European Public Affairs and Policies, The EU as a Global Actor, European History and Civilisation, and The European Neighbourhood Policy and the EU’s Neighbours. The academic programmes of the College of Europe are accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). Each study programme corresponds to a total of 66 credits (ECTS). Annual intakes are highly selective and student selection takes place in the Spring, usually in association with the foreign affairs ministries of their respective countries of origin. The Bruges programmes typically require a university degree in economics, law, political science or international relations plus advanced knowledge of the working languages of the college.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on College of Europe and Wikipedia College of Europe. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Theme Week Brunei - Muara

Theme Week Brunei - Muara

[caption id="attachment_219927" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Muara Port © Balou46/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Muara is a town in the north-easternmost part of Brunei-Muara District, Brunei. It is officially known in Malay as Pekan Muara (literally 'Muara Town') but is administered as a village-level subdivision under the mukim or subdistrict of Serasa. Muara has no municipal body. It is home to Muara Port, the main and only deep-water port of the country. The postcode for Muara is BT1128. Muara can be fou...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Berkshire - Hungerford

Theme Week Berkshire - Hungerford

[caption id="attachment_233707" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Cottages at Leverton © geograph.org.uk - AJD/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) west of Newbury, 9 miles (14 km) east of Marlborough, 27 miles (43 km) northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the River Dun, a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north...

[ read more ]

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Northern England

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Northern England

[caption id="attachment_153202" align="aligncenter" width="579"] Canal boats at Appley Bridge © Strider52/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. Over a distance of 127 miles (204 km), it crosses the Pennines, and includes 91 locks on the main line. It has several small branches, and in the early 21st century a new link was constructed into the Liverpool docks system. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal main line is 127 mil...

[ read more ]

Covid-19 - your unique chance

Covid-19 - your unique chance

[caption id="attachment_221800" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Covid-19 © Colin D. Funk, Craig Laferriere, and Ali Ardakani/cc-by-4.0[/caption]"If someone thinks that the corona vaccinations could alter his or her genes, then he/she/it should take advantage of this unique opportunity, because it will not repeat itself that quickly. This is their big chance, as things are looking pretty unpleasant for them so far." - Twitter At the same time, of course, one must also resolutely oppose the common conspiracy myth that unvaccinated people would allegedly be discriminated: This is not true...

[ read more ]

Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera

Villefranche-sur-Mer on the French Riviera

[caption id="attachment_236798" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Ernmuhl/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Villefranche-sur-Mer is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera and is located south-west of the Principality of Monaco, which is just west of the French-Italian border. Villefranche-sur-Mer is immediately to the east of the city of Nice, along Mont Boron, Mont Alban and Mont Vinaigrier, and 6.2 mi (10.0 km) south-west of Monaco. The bay...

[ read more ]

The port city of Port Said

The port city of Port Said

[caption id="attachment_153663" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Building of Suez Canal Authority © Abdelrhman 1990[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 kilometres (19 mi) along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 604,000. The city was established in 1859 during the building of the Suez Canal. Port Said has been ranked the first among the Egyptian cities according to the Human Development Index in 2009 an...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Macedonia - Strumica

Theme Week Macedonia - Strumica

[caption id="attachment_151173" align="aligncenter" width="590"] World map fountain on Goce Delčev Square © Тиверополник/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. It is named after the Strumica River which runs through it. The city of Strumica is the seat of Strumica Municipality. The town is first mentioned in the 2nd century BC with the Hellenic na...

[ read more ]

Moulins in Auvergne

Moulins in Auvergne

[caption id="attachment_160785" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Moulins and Cathedral © Alphanumeric[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Moulins is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin the Anne de Beaujeu Museum. Moulins is located on the banks of the Allier River. Moulins-Montbeugny Airport is a small airport located near Moulins. Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bou...

[ read more ]

Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission

Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission

[caption id="attachment_203360" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © flickr.com - Amio Cajander/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Berlaymont is an office building in Brussels, Belgium, which houses the headquarters of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The structure is located at Schuman roundabout at Wetstraat 200 Rue de la Loi, in what is known as the "European Quarter". The unique form of the Berlaymont's architecture is used in the European Commission's official emblem. ...

[ read more ]

Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan

Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan

[caption id="attachment_192990" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Dushanbe Presidential Palace © VargaA/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Dushanbe is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. Dushanbe means Monday in the Tajik language, the local language is Parya language. It was named this way because it grew from a village that originally had a popular market on Mondays. As of 2016, Dushanbe had a population of 803,000. Historically a small village, Dushanbe was made the capital of the Tajik Autonomous Soviet S...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
© Ebyabe/cc-by-sa-3.0
Fontainebleau Miami Beach

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach (also known as Fontainebleau Hotel) is one of the most historically and architecturally significant (Miami Modern...

© Drow male/cc-by-sa-3.0
Downing Street in Westminster

Downing Street in London has for more than three hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most...

Dusk at the Pearl Qatar © flickr.com - Steven Byles/cc-by-sa-2.0
Theme Week Qatar – The Pearl

The Pearl-Qatar in Doha is an artificial island spanning nearly four million square metres. It is the first land in...

Schließen