With the support of the Erasmus+  Programme
of the European Union

With its focus on Europe’s evolving security landscape, Ukrainian Institute for Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution with its Jean Monnet Spring Seminar on European Security bridges a gap in knowledge and understanding of current and new threats in Europe’s strategic orbit and contributes to development of research-led teaching in European Security Studies by considering theoretical and practical issues relating to security cooperation between the EU and its neighbourhood. 

 Jean Monnet Spring Seminar on European Security has been implemented in Ukraine since 2008. Our mission  is to increase the quality of higher education in the field of European integration in the area of European security and contribute to the development of research-lead teaching by promoting independent and critical thinking, empowerment of the academics as agents of change and applying new research and teaching tools from an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective. As a part of our continuity project Jean Monnet Spring Seminar on European Security offers an interdisciplinary program featuring a variety of lectures, seminars, panel discussions, briefings and simulation games in the field of European Security.

 During the project implementation in Ukraine we have witnessed dramatic events and processes, started from the mass protests in Kyiv (‘the Euromaidan’), annexation of the Crimea and war in Eastern Ukraine. Ukraine became the main flashpoint on the map of the Eastern Neighbourhood and the main corner-stone and challenge to the European security architecture after the Cold War. Under such conditions Jean Monnet Spring Seminar on European Security aimed at in-depth and broad and theoretically well-grounded understanding of current and future threats and challenges that the EU faces in its neighbourhood regions, and it is particular well-timed.

 At the core of the SSES’s concept is the spirit of a truly interactive and  meaningful collaboration between representatives of academic, policy and civil society communities from EU member states and the European Neighbourhood countries through active exploitation of already existent theories, methodologies and practices and creation of new strategic forecasting, analytical scaffolding and preventive mechanisms based on synergy of independent and critical thinking and applying new research and teaching tools from an interdisciplinary and cross cultural perspective.

Our annual meeting concentrates on Europe’s political and social challenges, the EU’s global role and its neighbourhoods. The concept of ‘deep’ learning and research-led teaching are methodologically are at the heart of the Spring Seminar. Jean Monnet Spring Seminar on European Security is a series of intellectual and personal development meetings designed to hone and develop new generation of leaders in Ukraine committed to such basic, yet important values as freedom, rule of law, human rights and integrity.