Originally scheduled for 10June, the conference was postponed to 2 July due to the pandemic. Although we were unable to hold an in-person meeting as initially planned, after thorough discussions with the organizing unit, we decided to adopt an online format for presentations and discussions, ensuring that the conference could proceed as scheduled despite the pandemic.

The opening ceremony featured remarks from Professor Liu ShuPin, Head of the Department of Political Science at Soochow University, and Professor Su Hungdah, Director General of the European Union Centre in Taiwan. Director Su also conveyed the greetings of Mr. Filip Grzegorzewski, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office, to all student presenters and faculty reviewers. We were also honored to have Dr. Klement Ruey-sheng GU, Director of the Department of Policy Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a prominent figure in EU studies in Taiwan, deliver a speech in which he offered encouragement and guidance to students involved in EU research.

In recent years, global and regional issues have gained increasing prominence. This year's workshop featured six themes and sessions, with a total of 27 papers, presented in both Chinese and English by master’s and PhD students from various universities nationwide. The topics covered included "EU Foreign Policy and Strategy," "European Economy, Trade, and Industry," "European Society and Trends," "European Culture and Tourism," "European Cybersecurity and Business Strategy," and "European Human Rights and Refugees."

As per tradition, each session’s best paper was selected by the session chair and reviewers. In addition to receiving a certificate from the European Union Centre in Taiwan, the European Community Studies Association Taiwan awarded a scholarship of NT$3,000 to encourage the winners. This year’s Best Paper Award recipients included: Zhu Xiangyuan from National Sun Yat-sen University's Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Hong Yuting from Nanhua University's Department of International Affairs and Business, Tsai Yuxuan from Wenzao Ursuline University's Graduate Institute of European Studies, Guo Yingxi and Chou Yingru from National Taiwan Normal University's Graduate Institute of European Culture and Tourism. The Best Paper Award for PhD students was awarded to Lin Jiunchi from National Sun Yat-sen University and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

To advance European and EU studies in Taiwan, the European Union Centre in Taiwan has partnered with various universities since 2011 to host the National Graduate Student Workshop on European Studies. This year, the 11th workshop was organized by the Department of Political Science at Soochow University, in collaboration with the European Union Centre in Taiwan. The dedicated efforts of the Soochow University Political Science team played a key role in ensuring the event's success. We also extend our sincere thanks to the European Community Studies Association Taiwan and the NTU Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for their valued participation. We warmly invite and encourage graduate students from universities across Taiwan, both public and private, to join next year’s significant EU research conference.