International conference “EU Role in the Barents Region of Russia”

On November 23, 2016, PetrSU hosted an international conference “EU Role in the Barents Region of Russia” as a part of EU Days. At the opening of the conference Vice-rector for International Affairs Marina Stanislavovna Gvozdeva welcomed participants on behalf of the Rector A. V. Voronin and on her own behalf.

She gave special thanks to the colleagues that came from afar: from the Northern (Arctic) Federal University and the University of Turku (Finland). “There are only 6 EU Information Centers in Russia, and one of them is in PetrSU. We are surely proud to have it. Center’s activity allows us to improve the training of our students, helps lecturers in developing new innovational courses, as well as to build a participatory dialog with representatives of public organizations and executive authorities” – noted Marina Stanislavovna.

Sven-Olov Carlsson, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation also became a meeting participant. He expressed his appreciation for having an opportunity to take part in the conference and visit Karelia and Petrozavodsk.
“European Union and the Republic of Karelia have a long and successful history of cooperation. The development of international relations between the republic and various regions of Russia has begun in the 90-s. Your active participation in dissemination of the knowledge about the EU has naturally led to the creation of the EU Center in the Barents region.

I am happy to welcome its representatives today. Center’s activity is aimed not only at academia, but also at communicating with local communities. At this moment we managed to establish a truly close and mutually beneficial cooperation between regions and people. Such cooperation will definitely continue and develop in the future”.

Conference moderator was the Head of the Karelian branch office of Association of European Research, Head of the Chair of Foreign History, Political Science and International Relations of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences, Director of the Institute of Northern European Research, Petrozavodsk State University. He also participated in the conference with the report “Finland in the European Union, 1995-2015, outcomes and perspectives”.

After the conference there was a round table meeting “EU-Russia Cooperation: Past, Present and Future”.
The events were organized within the “EU Center in the Barents Region of Russia” project, implemented with the financial support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.