On 9 March 2011 the College of Europe inaugurated the newly created TOTAL Chair of EU Foreign Policy, which is based in the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies in Bruges.
The Chair is supported by TOTAL with the aim of stimulating research on EU Foreign Policy. In addition to offering courses on ‘The EU as a Foreign Policy Actor’ on the Bruges and Natolin campuses, the Chair will carry out research on the development, relevance and effectiveness of European foreign policy, organise conferences and produce publications on the subject. The first part-time Chairholder of the TOTAL Chair of EU Foreign Policy is Professor Stephan Keukeleire, Jean Monnet Chair in European Foreign Policy at the Institute for International and European Policy of the University of Leuven (K.U. Leuven) and co-author of the widely used textbook ‘The Foreign Policy of the European Union’. His work is supported by Dr Bohdana Dimitrovova as a half-time Senior Research Assistant.
The inauguration was opened by Professor Paul Demaret, Rector of the College of Europe, followed by an address by Mr François Cornélis, Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee and President of Chemicals TOTAL. Professor Sieglinde Gstöhl, Director of the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies, presented the Chairholder before Professor Stephan Keukeleire gave his inaugural lecture on ‘EU Foreign Policy beyond Lisbon: The Quest for Relevance’.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by a reception.