Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence

French Ambassador to the U.S. Gérard Araud speaks at Georgia Tech (October 2015).
EU Ambassador David O'Sullivan with Georgia Tech faculty and students (April 2015).
Peter Swire analyzes the Court of Justice of the EU's Safe Harbor ruling (October 2015).
GPB's Rickey Bevington discusses media coverage in Europe (September 2015).
Participants in the workshop on Triangular Diplomacy (May 2015).
Participants in the workshop on the European Union as a Peacemaker and Peacekeeper (November 2015).
Caroline Vicini, Deputy EU Ambassador to the U.S., speaking at Georgia Tech (January 2016).

Situated within the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (2014-2016) engaged with Europe’s place in a changing world with an American reference point, but a broader focus. It considers the bilateral relationship (specifically the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations); triangular diplomacy towards Russia; transatlantic competition over global rules (particularly with respect to data privacy); and the EU’s role in peacekeeping.

The Centre leveraged existing expertise at Georgia Tech; fostered new inter-disciplinary collaboration; and engaged audiences within and beyond the campus. To that end it drew together an interdisciplinary team of scholars from across the Ivan Allen College, as well as from the Scheller College of Business.

The activities of the Centre included public talks, academic workshops, an international symposium and a working paper series. The main research activities were structured around three work packages focusing on:

Triangular Diplomacy: Strategic Implications of a Resurgent Russia for the European Union and the United States;
21st Century Trade Politics: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership as a Test Case;
Protecting Privacy: Transatlantic Perspectives and Challenges;

In addition, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in November 2015 the Centre hosted an international symposium on the EU as Peacemaker and Peacekeeper. The Centre also supported the reform of the Certificate in European Affairs.