"35 Years of Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Actions" Anniversary Conference

Prof. Azirah Hashim who was the lead coordinator of a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the Asia-Europe Institute and a coordinator of a Jean Monnet Network (between 2017 to 2021) was invited to attend the “35 Years of Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Actions” Anniversary Conference organised by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission in Brussels from 9-10 October 2024.

The celebration was held for the wide Jean Monnet communities and provided participants the chance to reactivate the Jean Monnet communities and build long-term cooperation and exchange on EU matters among academics from all over the world.

The event took place at the Square Brussels Convention Centre. On the first day, the event was opened by Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General, DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission. There were sessions on the EU and research insights on key EU priorities. An exclusive reception and dinner was followed by a performance of "This is Europe" by Hendrik Vos, Frans Grapperhaus and Filip Standaert were held at Vaudeville Theatre, Brussels.

On the second day, there were parallel thematic workshops, a video on "Learning EU Initiatives" for schools as well as a session on ‘Shaping the Future: The European Union's Influence on the Global Stage’ with Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe, Belgium, and Jean Monnet Chair Professors from different countries. The conference closed with a speech by Stefaan Hermans, Director, Policy Strategy and Evaluation, DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission.