From January 29 to 31, 2019, the third event of the Horizon 2020 SEnECA project will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, organized by the Central Asian Institute for Strategic Studies (CAISS). This event will include an internal consortium meeting, an international conference, and a scenario-building workshop on EU-Central Asia relations.
Together with the SEnECA consortium researchers, scientists, government officials, practitioners, and experts from Europe and Central Asia will gather to discuss the current state of EU-Central Asia relations, ways to develop policy recommendations for decision-makers, and to engage interested and influential stakeholders in the new EU Strategy for Central Asia. Peter Burian, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, will be among the conference participants, highlighting the relevance and political significance of the project. During the scenario-building workshop, conference participants will develop possible scenarios for future EU-Central Asia relations. This scientific event will not only help identify key drivers and trends in contemporary Central Asia but also deepen the analytical skills of the conference participants.
In addition, the conference will provide an excellent opportunity for researchers and stakeholders to meet, exchange ideas, and strengthen ties between the two regions. The policy recommendations training will enhance the researchers’ capacity to transform their research results into political advice for decision-makers. This is particularly important at a time when the European Union is developing a new strategy for Central Asia and advising relevant parties on possible directions for action. The strategy is expected to be completed in 2019, and the SEnECA project will influence the strategy through various project outcomes.
The “SEnECA – Strengthening and Energizing Relations between the EU and Central Asia” project aims to improve research cooperation and strengthen the research and policy recommendation capacity in both the EU and Central Asia. It includes an international consortium with twelve partner organizations from the EU and all five Central Asian countries. The project is led by Professor Dr. Michael Kaeding, Professor of European Politics at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), and Dr. Katrin Bettger, Director of the Institute for European Politics (IEP). The project is funded with approximately 1.5 million euros under the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program for a two-year period (January 2018 – December 2019).
More detailed information can be found on the official project website: https://www.seneca-eu.net/news/seneca-midterm-conference-and-scenario-workshop-eu-and-central-asia-relations-current-trends-and-future-prospects/
This project is funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 770256.
