The New Zealand European Union Centres Network
Welcome to the website of the New Zealand European Union Centres Network, a network of seven New Zealand universities that aims to combine the three elements of research, teaching and outreach under a unique thematic umbrella focused on the impact, role and understanding of the European Union within New Zealand and the wider Pacific region.
The Network is multidisciplinary in orientation and open to all New Zealand universities with an interest in European Union Studies. The 1999 EU-NZ Joint Declaration - involving economics, politics, security, innovation, development, democratic values and people and cultures - defines the scope of the Network's activities.
European Union - New Zealand Trade Conference: Creating opportunities in markets
Ensure you're open for global business by joining leading European and New Zealand political and business commentators who will come together in February 2010 to discuss trade solutions that underpin our economic future. Your insights as a front-line business person are vital.
Hon Tim Groser, Minister of Trade, will open proceedings. Mr Mauro Petriccione, Director, Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission will discuss the impact and learnings European FTA negotiations have provided to negotiators and European business. Crawford Falconer of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) will share what New Zealand has learnt from its FTA negotiations.
Date: Tuesday 23rd February Time: 7.30am - 12.30pm (registration starts at 7.15am) Venue: Hyatt Regency, Cnr Waterloo & Princes Street, Auckland City Tickets: $45.00 + GST
To register please click here or email events@chamber.co.nz
| Europe 1989-2009, Reunited and Revitalised |
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Wall and Communist rule in Europe, as well as the 5th anniversary of the EU’s enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus and Malta, a series of events examining the
legacy of these changes for Europe and the world will take place across New Zealand.
11th Europa Lecture
The Rt. Hon. Lord Christopher Patten of Barnes will be presenting the latest Europa Lecture in Christchurch on the 29th of October in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre at 6pm. He will be talking on "London, Hong Kong and Brussels - Leadership and Sovereignty in a Muddled World".
For further details and to register click here.
Europe Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Overcoming “East and West” – International Conference - Update 07.08.09
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, 3-4 November 2009
We would like to thank everyone for their interest in this conference. Registrations have now closed.
The organizers are very pleased to announce that the Parliament of New Zealand has generously permitted conference sessions to be held in the Parliament Buildings. The organizers are also pleased to make known that they have secured the presence of another extraordinary political figure of European modern history.
For further information on the conference and organisational updates please see our conference webpage >> Further Information
University scheme for EU studies marks 20 years
A university student support scheme on EU integration this year marks two decades of helping new member states and candidate countries grow accustomed to European Union history, law and economics.
Named after a French entrepreneur who in the aftermath of the Second World War played a key-role in the creation of what later became the European Union, the Jean Monnet programme was introduced in 1989 to help universities set up departments and courses on European studies.
It has since expanded to 62 countries all over the world and reaches 250,000 students every year, with an annual budget of over €23 million.
Poland and the Sleeping Beauty of European Integration, 1989-2019
Pawel Swieboda, president of DemosEuropa visits New Zealand on 30 August - 19 September 2009 on the invitation of the New Zealand European Union Centre Network, New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Victoria University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Mr. Swieboda attended the roundtable meetings in the MFAT and was received by Mr John Allen, Ministry's Chief Executive and Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
On the 31st of August at Victoria University, Mr Swieboda delivered an address "Poland and the sleeping beauty of the European Union, 1989 -2019". He was interviewed by The Dominion Post and Radio New Zealand."
Click here for Pawel Swieboda's full address.
EUCN Scholarships for 2010
Applications are now open for EUCN Scholarships for the 2010 Academic Year. Applications are invited from post-gradutate students studying in New Zealand at a EUCN partner univeristy whose research and study is focused on the European Union. The deadline for applications is the 23rd of October. Further Information and Online Application.
European in Residence - Mr. Pawel Swieboda. 
Mr Swieboda is the founder demosEUROPA – Centre for European Strategy. Previously, and he has previously worked as advisor to the president of Poland on EU issues in the years 1996-2000. He will be spending three weeks in New Zealand as part of the EUCN European in Residence scheme where he will be government, academic and public groups to disucss issues around engaging with the EU.
Further details (including details for public lectures).
10th Europa Lecture
The Hon. Murray McCully, Minister for Foreign Affairs presented the 10th Europa Lecture on Wed 12th August in Auckland.
For further details click here.
Launch of the new EU Schools Curriculum
Images from the opening of the new EU Secondary School Curriculum in Wellington.
New Resources for Secondary Schools
These new teaching resources, written for Year 12 Social Sciences teachers, provide innovative and exciting teaching and learning units to support the study of the European Union across the social sciences disciplines. They are aligned with the new New Zealand Curriculum and have been written by New Zealand teachers and reviewed by curriculum experts.
Click here for further details.
EU Quiz
EU Quiz now available online - click here to run the quiz.
Singapore Economic Review Conference 2009 Call for Papers
August 6-8 (Thursday-Saturday) 2009, Singapore
Distinguished Speakers:
Joshua Aizenman (University of California, Santa Cruz), Pranab Bardhan (University of California, Berkeley), Ali Khan (John Hopkins University), Peter John Lloyd (University of Melbourne), Warwick J McKibbin (Australian National University), Ronald McKinnon (Stanford University), Danny Quah (London School of Economics), Donald Rubin (Harvard University), Clement Tisdell (University of Queensland), Wing Thye Woo (University of California, Davis), Peter John Lloyd (University of Melbourne), Cheng Hsiao (University of Southern California) and Hal Hill (Australia National University)
The Singapore Economic Review (SER) has been a leading journal in economics in Asia since it was founded in 1956. The SER is a general economics journal devoted to publishing papers of high academic standard. It covers a wide range of economic issues, especially those impinging on Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. SER is also indexed in major economics indices such as the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI); Google Scholar; EconLit; and RePec.
>>Submission information
Mr George Cunningham confirmed as Guest Speaker for the New Zealand Europe Business Council AGM
Mr George Cunningham
Chargé d'Affaires
European Commission Delegation to New Zealand.
Previously, he was coordinator for bilateral trade relations with the United States at the European Commission's Directorate General for Trade. He has served as the number two and Head of the Accession Process and Cooperation Section at the European Commission's Delegation in Nicosia (2003-05) and was Head of Press and Public Affairs and political counsellor at the EC's Delegation to the United Nations in New York (2000-2003).
Tuesday, 5th May, at 5.30pm
at the offices of the British Consulate General,
Level 17, IAG House, 151 Queen Street, Auckland
(Corner of Queen and Wyndham Street)
Speech on Baltic Security, University of Auckland
HE Mr Urmas Paet, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Estonia will deliver a speech at the University of Auckland on Friday 17th of April.
National Europe Centre Public Lecture Series - Africa: Europe's Energy El Dorado
Speaker: Dr Karis Muller - Associate, National Europe Centre
Wednesday 29 April, 12:30-2:00 pm, Australian National University
Since the early twentieth century Europeanists have regarded secure access to Africa's energy reserves as the basis of a mututally beneficial relationship. Today, as the EU tackles environmental problems and faces increasing competition, it continues to favour Africa as a reliable source of electricity and fuel.
European Elections Website
A new website for the forthcoming European Elections has been launched.
Richie (International Research Network of Young Historians in European Integration)
The aim of our activities is to get in contact with young researchers and to assist them in answering calls for papers. We organise conferences and workshops, open to young researchers in European Integration History, and we have created a directory of young researchers and phd students in the field of European Integration. We publish an electronic-newsletter.
Our organisation is also in charge of a mailing list consecrated to the European Union.
EUCN European Union Studies Graduate Weekend School
To be held from Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd May 2009
At the UC Field Station in Kaikoura
The aims of the weekend are to highlight areas of interest for postgraduate students, create a network of expertise and to set up a “region of knowledge” on the European Union.
Get away from the everyday stresses of your studies, come along and:
- Hear presentations by other students
- Practice presenting
- Gain valuable, constructive feedback from others in the field
- Attend workshops on research and study tools, publishing and presenting, and other academic skills
- Network with other students and leading academics
Mrs Quintin's Speech at the University of Melbourne
Visit of Mrs. Odile Quintin to Australia 2 March 2009 Speech at the University of Melbourne, hosted by EU Centres and Jean Monnet Centre.
One of my reasons for visiting Australia is to exchange ideas about higher education with the Australian authorities. Earlier today, I met my counterparts from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Our enriching discussions underline just how much we can improve by sharing our experience. In fact, the European Union itself places a high value on improving performance by learning from each other within a broad policy cooperation framework. It is worth remembering that within the EU, each of the 27 Member States is responsible for their own education systems. Although each system is unique, we all face the same challenges, and mutual learning can inspire all partners towards change.
The job of the European Commission is to support countries in taking forward their reforms, agreeing common objectives, and identifying successful policies and practices. We also manage a significant Lifelong Learning Programme, with a budget of about 7 billion euro (14 billion Australian dollars) from 2007 to 2013, which supports large-scale mobility within Europe, for schools, teachers, vocational education and adults, as well as higher education mobility in our popular Erasmus funding strand.
>> Full Text
Upcoming Swedish EU Presidency Launches Logo
European affairs minister, Cecilia Malmstrom, on Monday presented the logo
of the upcoming Swedish EU presidency of in the second half of 2009.
Climate change and financial regulation are likely to dominate Stockholm's
agenda.
>> Read More
EUCN Board Members among New Years Honours Recipients
The European Union Centres Network extends its congratulations to two of its Board members, Margaret Wilson (Waikato) and Prof. Caroline Saunders (Lincoln), who were awarded in the New Years Honours List 2009. Margaret Wilson received the DCNZM for services as a Member of Parliament and as Speaker of the House of Representatives, while Caroline Saunders received the ONZM for services to agricultural research.
Additional funding round opened for Student Scholarships and Resarch Awards
The EUCN is pleased to announce an addtional funding round for students studying the EU within New Zealand. Funding is available to cover tuition fees for post-graduate students through our EUCN Fees Scholarships. Students can also apply for Research Awards which are aimed at helping students cover the costs of their research.
Application close Friday 6th February 2009. For further information and application forms please see our Scholarships page.
Ambassador Delivers Farewell Address
On Wednesday the National Centre for Research on Europe hosted the Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Australia and New Zealand, Mr Bruno Julien. The Ambassador is based in Canberra and was on a farewell visit to New Zealand as his posting comes to an end in November 2008.The Ambassador helped to inaugurate the new Lifesize videolink online system within the Centre, with interested academics and students from Auckland and Victoria Universities listening and participating via video conference.This was a great success and in 2009, it is hoped to utilise this technology to host many more national round table sessions. Further Information
Keynote Speech at Conference given by New Zealand's Speaker of the House
The EUCN were honoured to have the New Zealand Speaker of the House, Hon Margaret Wilson as keynote speaker for the EUCN Conference: Europe in the Changing World. Ms Wilson focused on New Zealands relationship with Europe, in particular on the strong relationship between the European and New Zealand Parliaments. Ms Wilson also acknowledged the shared visions of Europe and New Zealand, characterised by the conclusion last September of the Joint Declaration on relations and cooperation. Full text of speech.