A FLAS Fellow's Semester Abroad in Amman

Audrey Dombro, an agricultural and consumer economics student and 2019-20 FLAS fellow, reflects upon her experience studying in Jordan.

Master of Arts in European Union Studies

The European Union Center at the University of Illinois offers the only Master of Arts in European Union Studies (MAEUS) program in the Western Hemisphere. Learn more here.

Nuclear Energy and Its Environmental, Policy, and Security Implications

On Earth Day 2022, the EU Center organized a symposium on the future of technology, energy, and security in Europe, featuring prominent scholars and policy makers from France, Germany, and the U.S.

Conversations on Europe

Watch the collection of online roundtable discussions on different EU issues sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh.

Accelerating Climate Change Mitigation: Policy Statements on the Road to Sharm-El-Sheikh and Beyond

Bruce Murray, Resident Director of the Illinois Program in Vienna, presents a series of student-written policy statements for accelerating climate change mitigation.

Videos of Previous Lectures

Missed an EUC-hosted lecture? Our blog's video tag has archived previous EUC-sponsored lectures.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Tomasz Kamiński: “Cities as Actors in the EU Policy Towards China”

Tomasz Kamiński
by Kelsi Quick, Political Science PhD Student & Research Assistant at the European Union Center

The European Union Center recently hosted political scientist and Associate Professor of the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Łódź, Tomasz Kamiński, for his lecture entitled “Cities as Actors in the EU Policy Towards China.” In this lecture drawing on a multitude of his previous research, Kamiński makes the argument that the European Union is majorly underutilizing cities and regions in their framework of foreign policy. Given his assertion that cities and regions are in fact vital components of relations between the EU and their non-EU partners, Kamiński advocates that the EU should do more in the future to actively utilize cities and regions as actors when it comes to implementing EU foreign policy. He explains this through the lens of ‘paradiplomacy’ and applies it to the crucial case of EU-China relations.

Paradiplomacy and Cities as Actors

A vital component of Kamiński’s emphasis on cities and regions can be understood through the lens of ‘paradiplomacy,’ which argues that diplomatic-adjacent interactions occur on the subnational level between regions and cities. As a result, the power of cities and regions have grown, increasing their influence, building their power, and so on in a cycle of ever-increasing importance. Kamiński provided the audience with an example in the American context of California Governor Gavin Newsom having a formal meeting with President Xi Xinping of the People’s Republic of China. Such a meeting between a regional/substate leader and a national leader is rather rare, underlining the importance of such an event. Kamiński uses this example to highlight how impactful California — the fifth largest economy in the world — has become. The occurrence extends beyond California, with other major cities and regions becoming major global players in all aspects of policy from climate preservation initiatives to the economy. Cities and regions, Kamiński argues, already conduct influential business with cities and regions from other countries that shape relations between the two countries. Why would the EU not, then, capitalize on the capacity of subnational units to implement a more cohesive foreign policy?

The European Union and China

The European Union, Kamiński argues, has not been utilizing cities and other subnational units to their maximum potential, especially when it comes to the EU’s relationship with China. He points to the fact that 2021 was the first time that the European Parliament, with their "New EU-China Strategy," mentioned the importance of coordinating policy with “regional and local actors.” China, in contrast, has been fully aware of and actively utilizing the power of subnational units for quite some time, seen most obviously in China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In China’s case, paradiplomacy is coordinated with Beijing, a level of coordination and cohesion in which the EU is sorely lacking in comparison. Drawing on extensive research done on over 400 cities between 2020-2021, Kamiński demonstrates empirically that cooperation with China is important in at least 40% of their sample, and that, in large cities especially, the importance of such a connection is standard across the EU. In order to be a better counterpart to China and to be on more level ground, Kamiński argues, the EU must work to coordinate supranational, national, and subnational policy in ways they have failed to do in the past.

Policy Implications for the EU

Kamiński argues that in order for the EU to better develop paradiplomatic structures that enhance the cohesiveness of the EU’s foreign policy, whether it be with China or other partners, that purposeful, coordinating exercises must be conducted. One such suggestion is the "mapping" out of where in the EU there exists strong subnational ties with foreign countries, making explicit the connection that the EU could utilize when needed. Another suggestion is purposeful inclusion of subnational units when writing and conducting foreign policy. And lastly, Kamiński also stresses the importance of subnational units receiving funding from the EU for their cooperation and coordination in meeting foreign policy goals. One of the biggest challenges to moving forward with greater subnational integration in EU foreign policy is the "mental nationalism" framework, where a state-centric view takes over and the capacity and even the existence of subnational power is overlooked. Ultimately, Kamiński makes a compelling case that the EU needs to catch up with China in integrating subnational units in foreign policy—and they may even need to look to China to see just how to do that. 

A recording of the lecture may be found here.

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Wednesday, December 6, 2023

100 Years of a Republic: The Next Chapter in Türkiye-EU Relations

Photo by Pixabay 
(https://pixabay.com/photos/blue-country-europe-european-union-2806/)

by Eylül Begüm Sağlam, PhD student in Political Science and a 2023-24 Research Assistant at the European Union Center

Alongside the pre-Republic shift towards more Westernization, enlightenment and modernity in the Ottoman era[1], the early diplomatic history of Türkiye-EU relations could be dated back to Türkiye’s application for association with European Economic Community (EEC) on 31 July 1959.[2] As the country celebrates its hundredth-year anniversary, Türkiye-EU relations deserve a fresh analysis.

A European Country in the Middle East?: The Early Days of Türkiye-EU Relations

            Domestic politics have been seen as a “significant barrier” for Türkiye’s accession to the EU since the early days of the negotiations.[3] On September 12, 1963, Türkiye and the EEC signed the Ankara Agreement, establishing “the legal basis of association.”[4] The Additional Protocol of 13 November 1970 could be regarded as a step from preparation to transition.[5] Although the country applied for full membership in 1987, it was not until the Helsinki European Council’s meeting in December 1999 that Türkiye became a candidate country, which could be regarded as a transformation from a vicious cycle kind of relationship to a virtuous one.[6] This shift could be interpreted as a change of relations from unresolved chains of disputes on how to proceed with expectations on both sides to willingness to apply particular criteria (e.g., the paced negotiation process on the EU part, and expected socio-economic changes in the domestic realm on the Türkiye part) on both sides.[7]

Accession to Suspension: An In-Between Türkiye

            Even if negotiations for accession started in 2005, Türkiye has continued to have a shaky relationship with the EU.[8] The low point came in the post-2016 period, when negotiations were suspended following two resolutions shared by the EU in November 2016 and July 2017, respectively.[9] Scholars have pointed to various factors in explaining the deterioration of relations between Türkiye and the EU, including the rise of populism, anti-Muslim sentiments, the changing dynamics of refugee influx, and Türkiye’s de-secularization as well as de-Europeanization.[10] Eventually, the Türkiye-EU relationship transformed from an accession-oriented position to a “strategic partnership,”[11] where Türkiye’s role has been mostly conceptualized as securing the EU with regards to refugee flows coming beyond EU borders.          

Those Were the Days?: The Future of Strategic Partnership

            Even if accession does not look as promising as it did in the heydays of the 1999 Helsinki Summit, it is possible to interpret the EU-Türkiye dynamic as an ongoing question. It is difficult to foresee how this relationship will evolve in time, however, one could not deny that both sides will at least stick to their strategic partnership in various issues from immigration to securitization, considering the long-lasting history of the EU-Türkiye relationship. Türkiye still remains as an essential regional partner for the EU, so does the EU for Türkiye. Immigration will not only be a salient issue in terms of the immigrants who are currently hosted in Türkiye, but also be an essential mediator of this bond with regards to the increasing number of Turkish immigrants in Europe.



[1] Önis, Ziya and Suhnaz Yilmaz. “The Turkey-EU-US Triangle in Perspective: Transformation or Continuity?.” Middle East Journal 59, no. 2 (2005): 267.

[3] Öniş, Ziya. “Luxembourg, Helsinki and Beyond: Towards an Interpretation of Recent Turkey-EU Relations.” Government and Opposition 35, no. 4 (2000): 465.

[5] Directorate for EU Affairs. “History of Türkiye- EU Relations.” Accessed November 14, 2023, https://www.ab.gov.tr/111_en.html.

[6] Öniş, Ziya. “Turkey-EU Relations: Beyond the Current Stalemate.” Insight Turkey 10, no. 4 (2008): 37-38.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Müftüler-Baç, Meltem. “Remolding The Turkey-EU Relationship.” Turkish Policy Quarterly 17, no. 1 (2018): 120.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Kaya, Ayhan. “Right-wing populism and Islamophobism in Europe and their impact on Turkey–EU relations.” Turkish Studies 21, no.1 (2020): 11.

[11]  Saatçioğlu, Beken. “The European Union’s refugee crisis and rising functionalism in EU-Turkey relations.” Turkish Studies 21, no.2 (2020): 170-171.





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Wednesday, November 15, 2023

EU Center at the Multicultural Night of Leal Elementary School



by Eylül Begüm Sağlam, PhD student in Political Science and a 2023-24 Research Assistant at the European Union Center

On November 14th, 2023 (from 6pm to 7:30pm), the EU Center participated in the Multicultural Night of Leal Elementary School. The Multicultural Night included many activities to familiarize students with different cultures in the world, from being introduced to different alphabets to meeting various traditions.

The event hosted many different Illinois Global Institute members, including but not limited to Center for African Studies, Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Every center had their own activity to contribute to the multicultural aspect of the event.

The EU Center was represented by the EU Center Research Assistant Eylul Begum Saglam. As a part of the Multicultural Night, the EU Center organized guessing the flag game, which included forty European countries (including the EU member states, EEA countries, candidate countries and potential candidates). Students chose a flag and tried to guess which country the respective flag belongs to. Regardless of their answer, all students who participated in the guessing game received symbolic travel stamps on their symbolic passports. 



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Monday, November 13, 2023

TED Global STEM Conference Brings Together Educators from 16 Countries, 18 U.S. States

By Dr. Rhett Oldham, moderator of the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) program

One of my favorite aspects of being the moderator of the Transatlantic Educators Dialogue (TED) program is how many talented educators I get to interact with during each cohort. Each teacher brings a growth mindset and incredible curiosity to the group, so it was no surprise when Sara Leisten brought up an idea that needed to be explored. Sara, a biology teacher from Connecticut and TED 2023 alum, noticed that most of the collaborations between American and European teachers revolved around social studies and language topics. So she suggested that TED create a platform for STEM educators to meet, discuss global collaboration possibilities, and bring in keynote speakers to provide in-depth analysis of topics in STEM. The TED Global STEM Conference was born!

On November 5, 2023, STEM educators from 16 countries and 18 U.S. states signed up to come together and discuss best practices in STEM education and ways to collaborate globally. The lineup of keynote speakers was simply outstanding:
  • Thomas Leisten has worked as a mathematics teacher in Glastonbury, Connecticut for more than 15 years and is a 2023 state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching. Thomas is a doctoral candidate at the American College of Education, focusing on curriculum and instruction with a specialty in instructional leadership. His professional interests include developing authentic and engaging collaborative activities that challenge students to apply critical thinking skills in diverse and interdisciplinary situations
  • Nuria Muñoz is a physics and chemistry teacher and the headmistress in a school in Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain. She is on the board of a STEM teacher association called DIVERCIENCIA that organizes an international science fair and many other STEM activities every school year. She is also on the board of a specialized group of didactics and history of physics and chemistry. She belongs to the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry and serves as the Spanish ambassador for Science on Stage. 
  • Marco Nicolini teaches mathematics and physics at Liceo Scientifico Statale "A.Tassoni" in Modena, Italy, and he teaches astronomy at the Planetario di Modena. He also works with Science on Stage, an organization in Europe focusing on forming collaborations between students in different countries.
  • Dr. Michael Tissenbaum is an associate professor of curriculum and instruction and educational psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He studies how digital games, simulations, and augmented and mobile technologies can transform physical spaces into immersive, engaging, and embodied learning environments. This work has shown how the interplay between physical space, technology, and data representations can provide learners with unique opportunities to set their own learning goals and collaborate with peers. These findings have had important implications for understanding open-ended exploratory collaboration. Mike uses this data to develop new forms of real-time support for both teachers and learners.
  • Dr. Janice Gobert is a professor of learning sciences and educational psychology in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. Her work focuses on developing technology for learning that makes use of AI, including data mining and eye tracking. She is an esteemed science education expert with over 25 years of experience who has executed over $25 million in federal research funding. She has spearheaded and oversees the research and development of Inq-ITS.
What made this conference so unique was the format. After the keynote speakers presented, conference attendees went to one of five breakout rooms led by the keynote speakers to participate in a deeper dive of the topics presented. That process was then repeated. During the final rotation, participants moved to a breakout room based on the ages of the students they teach for further discussion. 

Overall, the TED Global STEM Conference was a great time with outstanding collaboration from participants and keynote speakers alike. It would not have been possible without the hard work and vision of Sara Leisten and the global vision of the Transatlantic Educator Dialogue.

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