Opening Conference on “The EU, Central Asia and the Caucasus in the International System” in Almaty, Kazakhstan

18.08.2016

International Opening Conference 30. -31. August 2016 in Almaty, Kazakhstan
Programm: Agenda EUCACIS Conference

The international conference “The EU, Central Asia and the Caucasus in the International System” (EUCACIS) will take place in Almaty (Kazakhstan) on 30-31 August 2016. The conference which is jointly organised by the Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE) and the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) will also function as kick-off for the linked EUCACIS PhD Support Programme, which is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission.

More than 60 participants from Central Asia, the Southern Caucasus, Europe and beyond will discuss the current state of EU-Central Asia and EU-Southern Caucasus relations in a global context. The conference will focus on a critical review of the EU’s policies towards both regions, the countries’ foreign policies as well as the prospects of regional integration. Invited speakers from China, India, Russia, and the US will contribute an outside perspective on the regions’ relations with Europe. It will also serve for the final selection of the fellows of the PhD Support Programme.

For three years, the programme offers scholarships and academic support to excellent doctoral students from Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as from the Chinese region of Xinjiang and the Indian region of Kashmir. Applying a blended learning approach, the programme will offer online courses and webinars as well as conferences, PhD schools and research training stays at several locations in Europe, Central Asia, and the Southern Caucasus. The fellows will also receive individual mentoring, while writing the doctoral thesis and policy/research papers. This way, they can pursue their PhD studies at their home university as well as profit from the programme’s academic support.

Please find further information about EUCACIS on the programme’s website: www.eucacis.eu.