IUS Receives Prestigious Jean Monnet Grant
International University of Sarajevo (IUS) was awarded a highly prestigious Jean Monnet Actions in Higher Education grant by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency under the powers delegated by the European Commission.
Named after Jean Monnet (1888–1979), a French diplomat, civil servant, and one of the key architects of the European integration process, the Jean Monnet Actions in Higher Education supports teaching and research in the field of European Union studies worldwide. The Jean Monnet Actions strive to function as a vector of public diplomacy among countries, facilitating future engagement and people-to-people dialogue. It promotes EU values – what the EU stands for and intends to achieve in the globalized world.
Since the early 2000s, energy security has gained increasing attention in the EU political agenda. Reliable and affordable energy supplies are vital for the European economy. Yet most European countries do not have enough domestic energy resources to cover their needs. Dependency on energy imports is probably the main European external vulnerability, which is weakening its position in the world.
That is why the Jean Monnet Actions project “European Energy Security” will be implemented at IUS by a motivated team from the Department of International Relations and Public Administration, led by the Project Coordinator, Assistant Professor Dr. Aliaksandr Novikau, whose research agenda focuses explicitly on energy security, environmental policy, and sustainable development.
The Jean Monnet Module “European Energy Security” aims to improve student knowledge and boost public awareness, trust, and acceptance of European Energy security policies, thus enhancing energy security in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU. The Project will educate students, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, the media, and the general public about the EU energy system, energy security challenges, and strategies and policies, such as the EU Energy Roadmap 2050 and European Green Deal. It will also foster dialogue on energy-related issues in education, research, and policymaking between BiH and EU universities, NGOs, and governmental organizations. The Project’s activities will include designing and implementing semester-long courses taught in English about European energy security at the International University of Sarajevo at all three study cycles – undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral studies. In addition, topics about EU energy security will be incorporated into the existing International Relations and Political Science syllabi. It will result in innovative curricula and increased capacity to teach and research EU subjects, especially sustainability and energy. The Project will also include public lectures and seminars that will bring together local and international energy security experts, non-governmental organizations representatives, government officials, the media, the public, and students. The participants will discuss energy security issues in the European Union and how EU internal energy market rules and principles can be applied to the Western Balkans countries.
The Project starts in December 2022 and will last for three years.
