The EU Centers in the US

 In 1998, the Commission launched an ambitious initiative to establish a network of EU centers in American universities providing information and education about the European Union. The objectives of the EU - centers are to increase awareness in the USA about the political, economic and cultural importance of the transatlantic relationship, to promote greater understanding in the United States of the European Union and its policies, and to disseminate information and publicize EU views on issues of transatlantic interest within regional communities. The Commission now supports 10 such ‘European Union centers of excellence’ in universities across the USA in recognition of the high quality, variety and depth of their EU studies activities, which promote the study of the EU and EU-US relations through teaching program, scholarly research and outreach activities in their local and regional communities.

Following a call by the European Parliament, the Commission launched in 1998 an ambitious program to establish a network of Centers of information and education about the European Union in the United States . 69 leading US Universities participated in the original call for proposals, which culminated with the selection of 10 successful candidates.

EU Centers are devoted to promote increased transatlantic knowledge and understanding, in line with the New Transatlantic Agenda (NTA) and its ‘people to people’ objective: building bridges across the Atlantic. The project is supported by the European Union, the host Universities, and other donors and institutions.

In view of the success of the initiative and the excellent results obtained, and the continued need for accurate information and communication across the Atlantic , the Commission decided to continue and reinforce the program through a new selection process which was conducted in 2001. As a result, a consolidated and enlarged network of EU Centers in the US is now fully operational in the following Universities:

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Washington-Seattle
• American Consortium on EU Studies, D.C (American University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, The Johns Hopkins University)
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Florida International University and the University of Miami
• Maxwell School , Syracuse
• University of Michigan
• Indiana University
• Texas A&M University