NCRE Activities Mark Historic EU Event

European Union Enlargement:

NCRE Activities Mark Historic EU Event

NCRE Homepage: www.europe.canterbury.ac.nz

8 April 2004

On 1 May 2004, the European Union integration process which began in 1957 with a grouping of just six West European States, will evolve into a democratic, single market embracing 25 countries and a population of some 454 million citizens – from Ireland to Greece, and from Portugal to Estonia.

This dramatic event "represents the fulfillment of a dream for millions of Europeans who have striven to bring down the remnants of the Iron Curtain and return freedom, democracy and respect for the rule of law to countries arbitrarily kept on the other side of the curtain," according to Ambassador Piergiorgio Mazzocchi of the European Commission.

To mark this historic occasion, Professor Martin Holland, Director of the National Centre for Research on Europe (NCRE) at the University of Canterbury, announces the sponsorship of three national initiatives to draw New Zealand’s attention to the importance of EU Enlargement.

a.. "From 15 to 25" Enlargement One-day Workshop in association with Auckland University and the National Business Review on 24 April. This one-day conference will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by enlargement. Full programme details can be found at: http://www.cce.auckland.ac.nz/conferences/index.cfm?P=5841

a.. National Year 12/13 Schools Essay Competition: Five prizes of $300 each will be awarded to high school students for the best essays on the future of the European Union. This "Visions of the Enlarged Europe" essay competition will encourage NZ secondary school students to consider what impact this enlargement will have the EU and NZ, as the Union becomes one of the largest political, economic and cultural organisations in the world today. What is the significance of the EU enlargement process? What effects will it have on New Zealand? On the world?

Submissions for the NCRE’s 2004 national high school essay competition are due before Enlargement Day, 1 May 2004. Full details can be found at:

http://www.europe.canterbury.ac.nz/essay_contest/ncre_visions.pdf

a.. The External Impact of EU Enlargement for New Zealand. In March 2004, NCRE post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Matthew Gibbons began working on a two-year project to examine the consequences of EU enlargement for New Zealand and consider what economic and political responses New Zealand should undertake. This project has developed out of a 2003 pilot project completed by Stuart McMillan.

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The NCRE is the only dedicated European research centre in New Zealand. It is a multi-disciplinary Centre of Academic Excellence and Expertise that operates nationally, uniting students and scholars from a wide range of fields to research and study European issues.

The Centre has significant responsibility for the European Union's outreach efforts within New Zealand and the Pacific. Raising a critical awareness of the EU, informing government, the media and public opinion are all equally important aspects of the NCRE's core function.

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