“The EUTW is a very successful international cooperation project, especially in the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the EU,” said Su Hung-dah, executive director of EUTW and an associate professor at National Taiwan University's (NTU) Department of Political Science, in a recent interview with the Central News Agency.

“Directly funded by the European Commission, the EUTW plays an important role in expanding exchanges between Europe and Taiwan in the academic and civic areas,” he added.

The EUTW is a collaborative effort between the European Commission and a consortium of seven Taiwan universities, led by NTU, to facilitate exchanges and mutual understanding between the two sides. It is aimed at creating a foothold for EU studies in Taiwan's higher education circles and serve as an information resource for a broad Taiwan audience.

The EU Centre network in the Asia Pacific region spans South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Taiwan is the third East Asian country to join the network.

The European Commission is providing a grant of 1.1 million euros over the next four years, while the rest of the 1.55 million budget will be met by NTU, National Chengchi University, National Chung Hsing University (NCHU), National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), National Dong Hwa University, Tamkang University and Fu Jen Catholic University.

“Collaboration among universities is vital to the success of the project and will produce better results than if NTU was going it alone,” Su said.

According to Su, the concept was to combine the strength of the seven participating universities, which are located in different parts of Taiwan, to provide a national platform for EU research and related activities.

Over the past six months the EU Centre in Taiwan has organized several international seminars and events, including a forum in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and another on the post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations, which focused on EU's experience and Taiwan's challenges, Su said.

A summer school program for high school teachers was also organized to allow them to learn more about the EU, he added.

Last week, NTU established an “EU research group,” inviting membership among professors of political science, economics, cultural studies, language, public health, energy and climate change research. Su said this will further boost the promotion of EU studies in different departments.

He said the EUTW has planned several major events, including a Nov. 9 international conference on the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU, and the first Taiwan-Europe Higher Education Conference scheduled for Nov. 10 in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

Moreover, a major exhibition on climate change, which has toured NTU and NCHU under the auspices of the Taipei-based European Economic and Trade Office (EETO), will open at Kaohsiung Arena Nov. 13, according to Su.

He said President Ma Ying-jeou, Premier Wu Den-yih, EETO head and top EU envoy to Taiwan Guy Ledoux, and other EU diplomats in Taiwan will also attend the event. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng is expected to deliver a keynote address.

The EU Centre in Taiwan has also mapped out its plans for next year, which include hosting a series of forums and seminars to discuss recent developments in the EU and the bloc's main policies, Su said.

The libraries at each of the participating universities will also install EU Study Programs and create EU study areas, he added.

In addition, scholarships will be provided to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to study in Europe and to support study in Taiwan by students from the EU, he said.

Reviewing the process of establishing the EU Centre, Su said it was a valuable experience for Taiwan, which is isolated in the international community and is relatively unfamiliar with international organizations' operational procedures and regulations.

“The project helped Taiwan's higher education institutions to develop the skills to engage in exchanges with international organizations,” he said. “It was certainly a very difficult task but also very good training for all of us.”