On 19 March 2010 the College of Europe Natolin (Warsaw) campus organised an international conference on “EU policies towards Belarus: Results and Perspectives”. The conference was inspired and prepared by the Belarus Working Group.
The conference was organised in the frame of the study visit to the Natolin (Warsaw) campus of a group of 11 students from Belarusian Collegium in Minsk (19-20 March). The visit was organised within the framework of the "Belarus Working Group" (BWG) activities. The program included participation in the conference on EU-Belarus relations, lectures on “Political and Social Changes in Central Europe in 1989-2004" (by prof. Wnuk-Lipiński) and on “Economic impact of the EU enlargement to Central and Eastern European countries” (by prof. Maurice Guyader), as well as a debate with the Natolin (Warsaw campus students on "Benefits and costs of the EU integration for Eastern European Countries".
The "Belarus Working Group", founded in 2004 by students at the College of Europe Natolin (Warsaw) campus, aims to create awareness, mainly amongst students and the younger generation, about a variety of issues concerning Belarus. The initiative of forming the BWG was a result of the pressure exercised by the Belarusian authorities on native students in order to influence their vote in the national referendum that was held in October 2004.
During this academic year (2009-2010), the BWG, formed by students of the Charles Darwin Promotion, is focused on informing students about the current political situation in Belarus and the economic challenges that the country faces, as well as developing contacts between representatives of Belarusian civil society and active youth, and the students of the College of Europe. To achieve these goals the BWG organises a series of workshops for young Belarusians, as well as lectures and discussions about Belarusian history, politics and economy at the Natolin (Warsaw) campus of the College of Europe. The "Belarus Working Group" is also planning to complete this academic year’s activities with a study trip to Belarus for students at the College of Europe in June 2010.