EU*Connect is proud to launch its third edition and welcome the record number of 92 participants from Ukraine, Moldova, France and Germany!
Peace. Sustainability. Prosperity. Freedom. Stability. Democracy. Federation. These were the terms the EU*Connect participants expressed most often when asked "What are your dreams and wishes for the future of the EU?"
In his opening speech, CIFE President Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council and President of CIFE, expressed his hope that "by next year we will see a return of peace in freedom on our continent." He warmly welcomed the participants to the digital campus and hoped that they will "come out of it as true Europeans. Later, they will be better able to put European beliefs into practice. There will never be enough Europeanists. Join the club!"
Read President Herman Van Rompuy's opening speech.
The official opening session of EU*Connect 2024/25 took place on 17 October 2024. The participants of the programme were introduced to the programme and the official partners. They were greeted by Matthias Waechter, CIFE Director General and Luidmila Pustovoit, International Cooperation Officer of the Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service of the Taras Shevchenko University in Kyiv. Both Secretaries General of the Franco German Youth Office, Anne Tallineau and Tobias Bütow, joined live from Paris and Berlin to welcome the participants. The opening session ended with an intercultural activity animated by Charlotte-Sophie Huhn, Young European Federalists Berlin-Brandenburg.
In their first week of courses, the participants followed a lecture by Matthias Waechter on “European integration as a response to the key problems of the 19th and 20th centuries”.
EU*Connect is CIFE's interactive platform for introducing today's and tomorrow's European citizens to EU issues and enabling the exchange of experiences between young professionals and students from Ukraine, Moldova, France and Germany.
Two years ago, CIFE launched EU*Connect with a two-fold objective: To provide EU expertise for young Ukrainians, and to make French and German participants aware of the particular challenges of Ukraine in the context of war, its quest for EU accession and reconstruction. For this second edition of the programme, which will run from October 2023 to March 2024, we are also inviting young people from Moldova to participate in the project.
For EU*Connect, CIFE partners with the Institute for Public Administration and Civil Service (IPACS) of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the Young European Federalists of JEF Berlin Brandenburg. The programme, funded by the Franco-German Youth Office, is 100% digital and free of charge.
CIFE has a long-standing experience in developing academic courses for international students and has trained hundreds of young citizens from accession and neighbourhood countries.
During the 5-months-long programme, participants will take part in lectures, training, and discussions. Key topics are the fundamentals of the European Union (institutions, decision-making, law), the role of the EU in current conflicts, the process of EU accession, and the specific challenges of Ukraine in the context of war and reconstruction. All classes will be held in English.
For questions and suggestions, contact us at euconnect@cife.eu.