Еуропалық қатынастар мектебі: Бельгия және Польшадағы білім беру орталығы

International relations school based in Belgium & Poland

The College of Europe (Europacollege; ; Kolegium Europejskie) is a post graduate institute of European studies with its first campus opened in Bruges, Belgium, a second campus located in Warsaw, Poland, and a third one established in Tirana, Albania. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading historical European figures and founding fathers of the European Union, including Salvador de Madariaga, Winston Churchill, Paul Henri Spaak and Alcide De Gasperi. The College of Europe was one of the results of the 1948 Congress of Europe in The Hague to promote "a spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding between all the nations of Western Europe and to provide elite training to individuals who will uphold these values" and "to train an elite of young executives for Europe". It has the status of Institution of Public Interest, operating according to Belgian law. The second campus in Natolin (Warsaw), Poland, opened in 1992. The College of Europe is historically linked to the establishment of the European Union and its predecessors, and to the creation of the European Movement International, of which the college is a supporting member. Federica Mogherini, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, was appointed as the Rector to start in September 2020; former President of the European Council Herman, Count Van Rompuy is chairman of the board. Each academic year is named after a patron and referred to as a promotion. The academic year is opened by a leading European politician. Alumni of the College of Europe include the former Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning Schmidt, the former Prime Minister and current President of Finland Alexander Stubb, the former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Enzo Moavero Milanesi. Many of its alumni go on to serve as diplomats and senior civil servants in European institutions. The College of Europe was the most represented alma mater (university attended) among senior EU civil servants, based on a sample compiled by Politico in 2021. Politico even dedicated a section of their website to news related to the College of Europe.

The College of Europe was the world's first university institute of postgraduate studies and training in European affairs. It was founded in 1949 by leading European figures, such as Salvador de Madariaga, Winston Churchill, Paul Henri Spaak and Alcide De Gasperi, in the wake of the Hague Congress of 1948, that led to the creation of the European Movement. A group of Bruges citizens led by the Reverend Karel Verleye succeeded in attracting the college to Bruges. Professor Hendrik Brugmans, one of the intellectual leaders of the European Movement and the President of the Union of European Federalists, became its first Rector (1950–1972). John Bowie, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University, was appointed Director of the first session held by the college, in 1949. Henri van Effenterre, who was a Professor of Ancient History at Caen University and Alphonse de Vreese, International Law professor at the University of Ghent, also contributed to that first session. The College consolidated itself as an institution specialized in studies focused on the newly established European Communities (the college was founded in 1949, before the communities were established).

In 1988, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher delivered a speech that became known as the Bruges speech at the College of Europe as part of the opening ceremony for that academic year. The Bruges speech is considered by observers as the cornerstone of the Eurosceptic movement that eventually led to Brexit. Thatcher laid down her vision for Europe, claiming that the European Community should remain an economic union, refusing the claims for a closer political integration made by Commission President Jacques Delors. Thatcher outlined her opposition to any attempts to create "a European superstate exercising a new dominance from Brussels." The speech was perceived as not only an attack on European federalism but an attack on the European project, as such.

After the fall of communism and changes in Central and Eastern Europe, the College of Europe campus at Natolin (Warsaw, Poland), was founded in 1992 with the support of the European Commission and the Polish government. According to former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors, "this College of Europe at Natolin is more than the symbol of Europe found once again, it is the hope represented in this beautiful historic place. The hope that exchanges can multiply for greater mutual understanding and fraternity". Since the establishment of that second campus in Poland, the college operates as "one College – two campuses," and what was once referred to as the "esprit de Bruges", is now known as the "esprit du Collège". In 2012, the College of Europe became a supporting member of the European Movement International. The academic year 2018–2019 marked the first time in which a promotion was named after a College alumnus, Manuel Marín, Spanish Statesman, EU Commissioner and acting President of the Commission (known as the "father of the Erasmus Programme"), who had passed away early that year. In 2015, three years before the election of Marín as Patron, former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb was the first College alumnus to be invited to be the Orateur at the opening ceremony of that academic year. Former Spanish Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, 9th Baron of Claret, served as chairman of the board from 2009 to 2019; in 2019 former Prime Minister of Belgium and President of the European Council Herman, Count Van Rompuy was appointed the new chairman of the board.

The Paul Henri Spaak Building (named after the Belgian socialist politician, and popularly known as Dijver) is the College's main administrative building on the Bruges campus. It hosts the college's main reception, some of its offices, classrooms and the library. It is located on the Dijver Canal. A white classic façade stands at the front of the main building (where the European, Belgian, Flemish and Brugeois flags hang together), while there is a garden in its back side. The garden is used by the students, who frequently spare their break time there due to its proximity to the library (which is connected to the main building by a corridor). Signed portraits of all the orateurs hang in the walls of the main corridor of the building. The library building was built in 1965. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (later Queen Beatrix) laid the first stone of the library in a special commemorative event. Almost three decades after its completion, the library was reformed and enlarged (the works were completed in 1992). Most of the library funds are devoted to European Studies, together with law, economics, and political and administrative sciences. Access to the library is restricted to College students and academic staff. A bust of Salvador de Madariaga presides over the library main reading hall.

Following the increase in the number of students attending the College each year, the College of Europe (with the support of different entities and institutions, including the Flemish Government and the City of Bruges) reformed the 17th century protected monument of Verversdijk to provide additional lecture theatres (auditoria), teaching rooms and offices for academics, research fellows and staff; and to extend its activities. The reform was led by the office of Xaveer De Geyter Architects (XDGA), and the project was nominated for the Mies van de Rohe award in 2009. The Verversdijk premises began to be used by College students in 2007. Besides its academic and administrative use throughout the course, a cocktail is served in its garden to each promotion, following their graduation ceremony at St. Walburga Church (Bruges). The historical site of Verversdijk owes its name to fact that the owners of the houses standing there at medieval times were dyers who used wool traded with Scotland, as the area was populated by several Englishmen during the Middle Ages. During the Spanish rule, it hosted the schooling houses and the monastery established by the Jesuits in the 17th century. In 1792, the monastery auditorium was used as a meeting place by the Jacobin Club.) was built along the canal, and was used as an athenaeum since 1851. (when they were transferred to the newly established Groeninge Museum). Since 2008, following and agreement between the College and the Groeninge Museum, the college hosts the 'Extraordinary Groeninghe Art Collection', an installation of contemporary works of art featuring international artists at Verversdijk's hallways. Members of the Groeninghe Art Collection meet every two months at the College to discuss art, attend lectures by art experts and consider possible purchases. A project sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council of the Chinese Government, the library (decorated in Chinese style) is home to ten thousand books and documents in more than six languages, Garenmarkt also hosts the canteen for all College students.

The residence is located in a home built in classicist style during the 19th century. The building is located in Biskajersplein, a small square named after the Spanish region of Biscay (the square is located on the side the dock where ships coming in from that region unloaded their merchandise in the 15th and 16th centuries). The actual residence is located on the lot occupied by the Mareminne house, which hosted the consulate of Biscay in the past, although the original building was demolished. Traces of the old consulate building can be found in the inner garden of the residence, which kept the shape of the consulate's horse stable. The residence hosts 53 students every year.

The Gouden Hand residence is housed in a Bruges style building dating back to the 17th century. It is a listed monument. It was renovated during the 2005–2006 academic year. The name of the residence, directly translates from Dutch to "Golden Hand", after a Medieval legend about the canal bordering the residence. Gouden Hand is also the name of two streets along the same canal. The 15th century painter Jan Van Eyck lived and owned a studio in the Gouden Handstraat nr. 6, behind the current residence. The Gouden Hand student bar is situated in the cellar. The building has been a backdrop for many films and documentaries.

The College of Europe is bilingual. Students are expected to be proficient in English and French. Students receive an advanced master's degree following a one year programme. Students specialise in either European Political and Administrative Studies, EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies, European Law, European Economic Studies, or European Interdisciplinary Studies (at the Natolin campus). For much of its history, the college only admitted a few students, the number has increased since the 1990s.

The College of Europe has developed several traditions. Some are shared with the École nationale d'administration (ENA) in France. Both the College and ENA name their promotions after a historical figure, being in the College of Europe an outstanding European figure, which is called "patron". Besides the choice of a prominent historical figure to name each promotion, each academical year is traditionally inaugurated by a prominent European figure. Furthermore, each year, College of Europe students are named honorary citizens of Bruges prior to their departure. Another tradition dating back to the first years of existence of the college is the visit to Flanders fields during the first weeks of the academic year. During that visit, students lay a floral tribute at the Menin Gate war memorial in Ypres.

Academic years at the College are known as promotions. Each promotion is named after an outstanding European, referred to as the promotion's patron. The opening ceremony each year is presided over by a prominent politician, referred to as the Orateur; they have included Angela Merkel, David Miliband, Jean Claude Juncker, Javier Solana, José Manuel Barroso, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Juan Carlos I of Spain, Margaret Thatcher and François Mitterrand. Being invited as the college's Orateur is considered a high honour. +List of promotions Year Name of promotion (Patron) Students Speaker at opening ceremony (Orateur)2023 2024Madeleine Albright 462 Petr Pavel (Bruges)2022 2023David Sassoli ca. 470 Roberta Metsola (Bruges) and Stevo Pendarovski (Natolin)2021 2022Éliane Vogel Polsky 472 Alexander De Croo (Bruges) and Olha Stefanishyna (Natolin)2020 2021Mário Soares 477 Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (Bruges) and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Natolin)2019 2020Hannah Arendt 471 Donald Tusk (Bruges) 2018–2019 Manuel Marín 461 Antonio Tajani (Bruges) & Tibor Navracsics (Natolin) 2017 2018 Simone Veil 462 António Costa (Bruges) & Andrzej Duda (Natolin) 2016–2017 John Maynard Keynes 467 Jean Claude Juncker (Bruges) & Ivanna Klympush Tsintsadze (Natolin) 2015–2016 Frédéric Chopin 479 Alexander Stubb (Bruges) & Johannes Hahn (Natolin) 2014–2015 Falcone & Borsellino 437 Mariano Rajoy (Bruges) & Petro Poroshenko (Natolin, cancelled) 2013–2014 Voltaire 445 Íñigo Méndez de Vigo (Bruges) & Bronisław Komorowski (Natolin) 2012–2013 Václav Havel 444 Helle Thorning Schmidt (Bruges) & Vladimir Filat (Natolin) 2011–2012 Marie Sklodowska Curie 448 Giorgio Napolitano (Bruges) & José Manuel Barroso (Natolin) 2010–2011 Albert Einstein 435 Angela Merkel (Bruges) & Štefan Füle (Natolin) 2009–2010 Charles Darwin 402 Jerzy Buzek (Bruges) & Toomas Hendrik Ilves (Natolin) 2008–2009 Marcus Aurelius 381 Yves Leterme (Bruges) & Hans Gert Pöttering (Natolin) 2007–2008 Anna Politkovskaya & Hrant Dink 415 David Miliband (Bruges) & Carl Bildt (Natolin) 2006–2007 Nicolaus Copernicus 413 Jean Claude Juncker (Bruges) & Alaksandar Milinkievič (Natolin) 2005–2006 Ludwig van Beethoven 384 Javier Solana (Bruges) & Viktor Yushchenko (Natolin) 2004–2005 Montesquieu 404 José Manuel Barroso (Bruges) & Josep Borrell Fontelles (Natolin) 2003–2004 John Locke 391 Joschka Fischer (Bruges) & Danuta Hübner (Natolin) 2002–2003 Bertha von Suttner 370 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Bruges) & Erhard Busek (Natolin) 2001–2002 Simon Stevin 365 Aleksander Kwasniewski (Bruges) & Guy Verhofstadt (Natolin) 2000–2001 Aristotle 375 George Papandreou (Bruges) & Jan Kulakowski (Natolin) 1999–2000 Wilhelm & Alexander von Humboldt 374 Jacques Delors (Bruges) & Jean Luc Dehaene (Natolin) 1998–1999 Leonardo da Vinci 337 Jean Luc Dehaene (Bruges) & Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (Natolin) 1997–1998 Hendrik Brugmans 326 António Guterres (Bruges) & Ursula Stenzel (Natolin) 1996–1997 Alexis de Tocqueville 319 Wim Kok (Bruges) & Aleksander Kwasniewski (Natolin) 1995–1996 Walter Hallstein 306 Klaus Hänsch (Bruges) & Jacques Santer (Natolin) 1994–1995 Ramon Llull 296 Juan Carlos I of Spain (Bruges) & Andrzej Olechowski (Natolin) 1993–1994 Stefan Zweig 263 Thomas Klestil 1992–1993 Charles IV 264 Jacques Santer 1991–1992 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 212 Flavio Cotti 1990–1991 Hans & Sophie Scholl 245 Richard von Weizsäcker 1989–1990 Denis de Rougemont 200 Jacques Delors 1988–1989 Christopher Dawson 204 Margaret Thatcher 1987–1988 Altiero Spinelli 178 François Mitterrand 1986–1987 William Penn 177 Ruud Lubbers 1985–1986 Christopher Columbus 158 Felipe Gonzalez 1984–1985 Madame de Staël 123 Altiero Spinelli 1983–1984 Jean Rey 133 Garret FitzGerald 1982–1983 Joseph Bech 122 Gaston Thorn 1981–1982 Johan Willem Beyen 123 Bruno Kreisky 1980–1981 Jean Monnet 131 Simone Veil 1979–1980 Salvador de Madariaga 140 Dries van Agt 1978–1979 Paul Henri Spaak 130 Guy Spitaels 1977–1978 Karl Renner 128 Mario Soares 1976–1977 Peter Paul Rubens 120 Leo Tindemans 1975–1976 Adam Jerzy Czartoryski 101 Edgar Faure 1974–1975 Aristide Briand 111 Herman De Croo 1973–1974 Giuseppe Mazzini 92 Karl Otto Pöhl 1972–1973 Richard von Coudenhove Kalergi 59 George Brown, Baron George Brown 1971–1972 Dante Alighieri 58 Altiero Spinelli & Hendrik Brugmans 1970–1971 Winston Churchill 57 Jean Rey & Hendrik Brugmans 1969–1970 William the Silent 49 Prince Albert of Belgium & Hendrik Brugmans 1968–1969 Konrad Adenauer 47 Robert van Schendel & Hendrik Brugmans 1967–1968 Comenius 54 Alfons de Vreese 1966–1967 George C. Marshall 56 Jean Rey & Hendrik Brugmans 1965–1966 Thomas More 52 Hendrik Brugmans 1964–1965 Robert Schuman 45 Salvador de Madariaga & Hendrik Brugmans 1963–1964 Thomas Paine 48 Hendrik Brugmans 1962–1963 August Vermeylen 46 Pierre Harmel & Hendrik Brugmans 1961–1962 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz 37 Hugo Geiger & Hendrik Brugmans 1960–1961 Saint Simon 38 Hendrik Brugmans 1959–1960 Sully 43 Hendrik Brugmans 1958–1959 Fridtjof Nansen 40 Hendrik Brugmans 1957–1958 Henry the Navigator 40 Hendrik Brugmans 1956–1957 Raoul Dautry 36 Hendrik Brugmans 1955–1956 Virgil 33 Hendrik Brugmans 1954–1955 Alcide De Gasperi 36 Hendrik Brugmans 1953–1954 Erasmus 39 Hendrik Brugmans 1952–1953 Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk 40 Hendrik Brugmans 1951–1952 Juan Vives 30 Hendrik Brugmans 1950–1951 Antoine de Saint Exupéry 35 Hendrik Brugmans 1949 Préparatoire (no name) 22 Victor Van Hoestenberghe & Salvador de Madariaga

The College of Europe originally had no permanent teaching staff; the courses were taught by prominent academics and sometimes government officials from around Europe. Especially in the last couple of decades, the college has increasingly employed professors and other teaching staff on a permanent basis.

In February 2019, a series of press pieces published by EUobserver revealed that the Bruges based institute was paid by the Saudi government to set up private meetings between Saudi ambassadors, EU officials, and MEPs. Although EU lobby transparency rules say that academic institutions should register if they "deal with EU activities and policies and are in touch with the EU institutions", the College of Europe is not listed in the EU joint transparency register. On 20 February, Marietje Schaake of the ALDE group presented a written question to the European Commission on this issue. This written question was the subject of a response from the European Commission published on 17 May in which it explained not having any direct evidence as to the facts reported, nor being able to comment on the sources of revenue of the College of Europe beyond European subsidies. A group of College alumni collected signatures to demand the institution to stop organising private meetings between MEPs and the Saudi government. In a letter to the President of the European Parliament's Budget Control Committee Ingeborg Gräßle, Jörg Monar, Rector of the College of Europe, confirmed the organization of trainings for Saudi officials and criticized the media for reporting them as lobbying. The rector indicated that these meetings had no lobbying dimension but sought to show to the Saudis the reasons why the Union defended certain values, privileging communication over isolation to defend European values. Inside Arabia Online, an online publication, characterised the lobbying by Saudi Arabia as part of a concerted effort to reverse the Kingdom's inclusion on the EU's "blacklist", which intends to penalize countries failing to combat terrorism financing and money laundering.

The French language weekly news magazine Le Vif/L'Express published an article on 21 February 2019 based on the testimony of former students from recent years. The article reported a culture of sexual harassment and misogyny at the College of Europe. Cases of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour were described in the magazine, including frotteurism, forced kisses and groping. Various students reported to Le Vif/L’Express that the administration observes a code of silence on this issue. Cases of inappropriate behaviours by the academic staff were also reported. Contacted by Le Vif/L’Express magazine, the administration replied that: "In some occasions in the past, some students have crossed the personal barriers of other students". On 5 March 2019, a former student of the College of Europe, published an opinion in Le Vif/L’Express magazine, stating that a culture of sexual harassment and misogyny existed at the College of Europe when she was studying there.

In October 2022, EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell made controversial comments in a speech to the College of Europe's new European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges. In his speech Borrell designated Europe as “a garden” and he called most of the world a “jungle” that “could invade the garden”. Federica Mogherini, the rector of the College of Europe was hosting Josep Borrell, who succeeded her in the function of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU did not express any disagreement.

In 2024, Politico Europe published an article detailing longstanding accusations of sexual harassment by an unnamed professor at the university. The article details that accusations against the professor had been logged as long ago as 2012, but that he continued to be employed by the university. The publication of that article led to the dismissal of the professor Olivier Costa, whose identity was revealed further by Politico after the end of the disciplinary procedure.