The “Taiwan European Film Festival” has been co-held by European Economic and Trade Office and Infine Art and Culture Exchange for six years. Since 2009, European Union Research Centre at National Dong Hwa University has become one of the coordinators and has been responsible for showing the films in Hualien. This year, in the sixth “Taiwan European Film Festival” in Hualien, 14 films recommended by the EU member states will be shown for two weeks in December.

The “Taiwan European Film Festival” has been co-held by European Economic and Trade Office and Infine Art and Culture Exchange for six years. Since 2009, European Union Research Centre at National Dong Hwa University has become one of the coordinators and has been responsible for showing the films in Hualien. This year, in the sixth “Taiwan European Film Festival” in Hualien, 14 films recommended by the EU member states will be shown for two weeks in December.

Dr. Christopher M. Dent is a Senior Lecturer in the East Asian Economy in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Leeds, UK. Currently, he is writing a book on the proliferation of free trade agreement (FTA) projects in the Asia-Pacific.
As visiting fellow at EUTW, he delivered two speeches at NTU on November 10, 2010. One of his topics was about FTA Policies in the Asia-Pacific and Taiwan’s Choices. He concluded that FTAs have transformed the economic diplomacy landscape in the Asia-Pacific and globally. The EU’s new FTA projects with Asian nations are to avoid marginalization in world trade system. In Asia, Taiwan has the economic, technocratic and institutional strengths to sign a wide-ranging FTA. Taiwan could be an important FTA partner to the EU in this region. Or Taiwan could find a new FTA partner like Japan, Singapore or South Korea. But Beijing’s opposition to Taiwan signing FTAs with China’s diplomatic partners may still hold, even after an ECFA deal is done.

Transnational Workshop on EU Study for post doctors, Ph. D. Students, and senior graduate students hosted by EU Centre in Taiwan (EUTW) on February 22nd-23rd, 2011 at National Taiwan University

The Entry into effect of Lisbon Treaty put a victorious end to the EU Constitution-building movement in the past decade. Lisbon Treaty has not only integrated the ex-Community and Union into a new Union granted with legal personality but also created some very symbolic posts (e.g. Chair of European Council) and new institutions (e.g. European External Action Service). However, the financial tsunami and particularly the debt crisis in Greece have provoked, inside and outside of the EU, intensive debate over the future of Eurozone and even the value of European integration as a whole. The renewed structure imposed by Lisbon Treaty seems not be able to reduce the Euroskepticism and rekindle the general passion for European integration.

In Asia, the ASEAN-PRC FTA entered into effect on January 1st, 2010, marking a new era of transnational integration in the region, and the majority of Asian countries have been recovering from the economic recession ahead of their European and American counterparts. In June 2010, the PRC and Taiwan signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), symbolizing an important step towards general détente in the Taiwan Strait. But these optimistic developments were soon overshadowed by the emerging tensions and even conflicts throughout the region. The inter-Korean tensions never ceased to be increasing in the aftermath of tragic incident of SS Chonan. The PRC and US were in quarrels over the latter’s military maneuverings in Yellow Sea and South China Sea. Diplomatic tension broke out between Beijing and Tokyo immediately after Japan arrested Chinese fishing boats at the sea nearing Diaoyutai (Senkaku) Isles.

While the European integration is frustrated by the debt crisis and rising Euroskepticism, the still very young Asian integration also seems to be easily shaken by any potential conflicts in the region. Will the regional integration, often crowned by the EU experience, still be a valuable form of cooperation and reconciliation in international relations? Could Asians take some lessons from the EU experience in transnational integration? Will the EU and Asian countries still be able to develop fruitful and contributive inter-regional relations in this new and fast globalizing world?

All these questions will provide the basis of a two-day workshop to be held at the National Taiwan University on February 22nd and 23rd, 2011. This workshop is developed based upon the bilateral workshop for doctoral students on EU Studies between Korea and Japan in past years. EUTW will organize this workshop in 2011 for all Asian Pacific doctoral students and senior postgraduates (third grade or above) on the EU Study.

Papers are invited that address any of the above questions. Papers are welcome from Law, Political Science, History, European Studies and other disciplines – Interdisciplinary and theoretically- grounded approaches are also welcome. Accepted papers will be organized into panels, with the following themes likely to be included.
- The Future of European Integration (e.g. reforms in the Eurozone; new structure introduced by the Lisbon Treaty)
- European and Asian Integration in Comparison (ASEM in the new era)
- EU-Asian Relationship (EU’s Asian policies; European policies of Asian countries)

Graduate students are also welcome to attend the poster- session, introduce their research findings and interchange with the participants.

Contact details
The organizer of this workshop is Dr. Hungdah Su, executive director of EUTW and Jean Monnet Chair of National Taiwan University. For this event, he will be assisted by Mr. Tarco Chang (deputy executive director of EUTW).

Abstract (300-500 words) should be submitted to Mr. Chang (tarcochang@ntu.edu.tw). The deadline for submission of abstracts is November 12th, 2010. Information on acceptance of paper proposals will be communicated in mid-November 2010. Accepted papers (6000-8000 words) should be submitted to the conference organizer, Dr. Su, by 20 January 2011.

During Aug 15th to 27th, 2010, Fu Jen Catholic University ((FJU) hosted the 2010 European Union Officers’ Mandarin Training Programme at FJU. The Programme is sponsored by Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are 10 EU officers participating in the programme.

These 10 officers come from three different organizations, including the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union. Many of the officers are in charge of Asiatic affairs.

The closing ceremony of the Training Programme is held on August 26th. The results of the programme are fruitful; the officers present their achievements by singing Taiwanese folk songs, reading poems and playing Chinese riddles. They also share their experiences of traveling alone in Taiwan (e.g. Penghu).

While sharing memories of Taiwan, the EU offices are touched by the passion we have shown and efforts made to make their Training Programme in Taiwan most memorable. They would like to bring the experiences back to Brussels and look forward to meeting us in the future.

European Integration at 60: Progress, Problems, Perspectives
25 – 26 November 2010, Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ


This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration that called for greater cooperation between European states and from which was born the European Coal and Steel Community, the fore-runner of today’s European Union. Since then, European Integration has changed face dramatically. From six original members focused on sharing control of Europe’s Coal and Steel industries it has grown into the European Union, which now boasts a membership of 27 Member States; undertakes monetary policy for the Eurozone; influences social and human rights policy; and provides a framework for European constitutional and criminal laws. The Lisbon Treaty is again reworking European Integration, with new roles and responsibilities for the EU, its institutions and citizens. How will this impact on Europe? How will this impact on the rest of the World?

This is a multidisciplinary conference to investigate the past changes and future challenges faced by European Integration, as well as the impact and reaction to these changes within the Asia Pacific.

Special focuses within the conference include:

-EUs relationships with the Asia Pacific region
-The EU as a reference point for Asia-Pacific regional integration architecture
-The challenges of Climate Change and the Financial Crisis to the EU and its external relations
-The progress and problems faced in relation to agriculture and trade policy both within the EU and with its external partners.

This conference aims to bring together researchers who are interested in the EU within a range of academic disciplines from within New Zealand and the wider Pacific region.

Call for Papers In the first instance we are calling for abstracts from potential presenters.

Abstracts of 300 words should be submitted online by the 1st of August 2010. Please go to www.eucnetwork.org.nz

Successful applicants will be notified by email by the end of August.

Full conference registration will open in early September.

A limited number of travel bursaries will be available to those attending the conference. If your institution is unable to fund the full cost of attending, please complete the bursary section on the online form. We strongly encourage post-graduate students to submit abstracts for this conference and a number of the bursaries will be specifically available for students. Preference will be given to presenters from EUCN partner universities.

We are grateful for the broad participation from around Taiwan in the EU film competition. The qualified proposals for the next stage are listed below and the films are to be completed and submitted to EUTW along with the materials required no later than August 31.

European Union Night Party

The party is hosted by the European Union Centre in Taiwan (EUTW) and EU Student Club to welcome all students from EU member states and bring students from EU and Taiwan together for exchange. We sincerely welcome you and may you enjoy the party!

Date : Friday, May 14th, 2010 from 18:00 ~ 22:00.
Venue: Khaki Café Bar
Address: No.15, sec.4, Ren-ai Rd. Taipei, Taiwan.
Charge: NT $ 250 Per Person.

* This party is host by European Union Centre in Taiwan and European Union Student Club, and sponsored by European Union Centre in Taiwan.

* We sincerely welcome your participation and hope everyone has a wonderful night with all of us!!

* To join the party, please complete and send the application
form to : ntueuclub@gmail.com

In order to promote Taiwanese understanding of higher education in France (a member state of the European Union), European Union Research Centre at National Dong Hwa University cooperates with Campus France in Taiwan and is going to hold a Study in France Seminar in NDHU, on May 14, 2010. The representative of Campus France in Taiwan will introduce items, such as French educational system and students’ life in France.

Close Meeting: Prospect for an EU-Taiwan FTA

-Date: 2010.04.27 (Tue.) 9:00-10:00
-Host: Razeen Sally (Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, ECIPE)