International Summer School “European Union and Russia – cross-border cooperation”

From August the 15^th to September the 3^rd PetrSU hosted the International Summer School “European Union and Russia – cross-border cooperation”. DAAD fellows from Germany and Austria, as well as PetrSU students from the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences and the Institute of Foreign Languages participated in the school.

Within the school’s framework Anton Lapshin, senior lecturer of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences, gave lectures on theoretical basis and history of European integration, institutional structure of the EU, EU relations with other actors of international arena, as well as history and current state of relationships between Russia and the EU, current Russian policy and its cooperation with Nordic countries. Associate professor of the Institute of History, Political and Social Sciences, PhD Ilya Motelevich Solomeshch gave lectures on Russian and Karelian history. Research associate of the Karelian Research Center of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ekaterina Andreyevna Shlapeko was talking about theoretical basis, institutes and cross-border cooperation programmes, and such experience in Karelia and other regions in Russia. Anastasia Kuznetsova, director of the EU Centre in the Barents Region in Russia gave lectures on project management.  

In addition, participants met former head of the Contact Center of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Petrozavodsk Pavel Viktorovich Petrov, and the deputy minister of Economic Development and Industry of the Republic of Karelia Dmitriy Sergeevich Kislov. They also visited The EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia. Taking a Russian course was among the school’s objectives as well.

Students had a rich cultural programme. They visited museums of Petrozavodsk, the Kizhi Island, Kivach Waterfall, Marcial Waters, Sampo Mountain, Botanical Garden and the zoocomplex “Three bears”.

The school was a great opportunity for Russian and international students to communicate with each other, gain new knowledge and experience, as well as get acquainted with Karelian culture, traditions and nature. The school was organized by PetrSU Linguistic Centre and EU Centre in the Barents Region of Russia within DAAD programme “Go East”.