The 11th National Graduate Student Conference on European Studies was successfully held online for the first time on 2nd July  2021. Originally scheduled for 10th June 2021, the event was postponed due to the pandemic. Although in-person meetings were not possible due to ongoing restrictions, the organizing team worked closely with the host institution to ensure the event could proceed as planned. As a result, the conference was held online, with paper presentations and discussions conducted virtually.

The opening ceremony featured remarks from Professor Shu-pin Liu, Chair of the Department of Political Science at Soochow University, and Professor Hung-Dah Su, Director of the EU Centre in Taiwan. Professor Su also conveyed greetings on behalf of Mr. Filip Grzegorzewski, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office. In addition, Ambassador Ruey-Sheng Gu, Director of the Department of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a long-time contributor to EU studies in Taiwan, delivered a keynote address, offering encouragement and insights to participating students.

In response to the growing relevance of global and regional issues, this year’s conference featured six thematic sessions and included 27 papers, in both Chinese and English, presented by graduate students from across Taiwan. Topics included:

• EU Foreign Policy and Strategic Affairs
• European Economic and Industrial Developments
• European Society and Social Trends
• European Culture and Tourism
• European Cybersecurity and Business Strategy
• European Human Rights and Refugee Issues

As in previous years, each session awarded a Best Paper Prize, selected by session chairs and discussants. Award recipients received certificates from the EU Centre in Taiwan, along with a NT$3,000 scholarship sponsored by the European Community Studies Association–Taiwan.

This year’s Best Graduate Paper Award winners included:

• Chu Hsiang-Yuan, Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, NSYSU
• Hung Yu-Ting, MA student in European Studies, Department of International Affairs and Business, Nanhua University
• Tsai Yu-Hsuan, Graduate Institute of European Studies, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages
• Kuo Ying-Hsi and Chou Ying-Ju, Graduate Institute of European Cultures and Tourism, NTNU

The Best Doctoral Paper Award was presented to Lin Chun-Chi, a Ph.D. student at National Sun Yat-sen University and KU Leuven.

Since 2011, the EU Centre in Taiwan has collaborated with partner universities to organize this annual forum to promote EU and European studies in Taiwan. The 11th edition was hosted by the Department of Political Science, Soochow University, whose outstanding preparation and execution ensured the conference’s success. Special thanks were extended to the European Community Studies Association–Taiwan and the NTU Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for their support.

All graduate students at public and private universities in Taiwan are warmly encouraged to submit papers to next year’s conference.