RESEARCH CENTER - INTERCOLLEGE

RESEARCH WORK AND EVENTS

In November 2006, as the programme “Coordination and Formulation of EU Policy in a Federal Cyprus” neared completion, the Research Center launched six new research programmes. All are supported by European Union grants: “Promoting Urban Sustainable Development in Local Authorities”, “The Mediterranean Brain Drain”, “Management of Water Resources and Wetland Protection in Tourism Developing Areas”, “Mediterranean Risk Management”, “Establishing A Media Observatory For Strengthening The Civil Protection In The Central And South-Eastern Mediterranean Basin”, and “Developing the EU Biodiversity Research Strategy”. In the framework of these programmes, the Research Center – Intercollege is cooperating with a long list of leading research and academic institutions across Europe, most of them pioneers in their field.

Furthermore, two European and one UNDP programme are now under contract preparation and will be launched in the beginning of 2007. These are: “Crime Repression Costs in Context”, “Prevent – Action” and “Setting the Foundation for a Pan-Cyprian Network of Nature Conversation Organizations” respectively.

The Center is also carrying out a study on “The Evolution of Labour Law in the new Member States of the European Union: 1995-2005 – Country Study on Cyprus and Malta” contracted on behalf of the European Commission. This report will form part of similar reports carried out by the rest of the member states. Moreover, the programmes “Economic and Social Consequences and Implications from the Partial Lifting of the Restrictions on Free Movement” (in Greek) and “The Future of the (Check the word ‘the’) Language in Cyprus” (in Greek), both funded by the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation, are in progress.

The Department of European Studies and International Relations and the Research Center – Intercollege, with the support of the Jean Monnet Programme and in collaboration with The ECPR Standing Group on the European Union (SGEU) will organize The 1st CYPRUS SPRING SCHOOL ON THE EUROPEAN UNION on 15 – 22 April 2007.  The Spring School will bring together established academics and practitioners and provide PhD students and advanced Masters students with an opportunity to present their work. The Spring School will address the following subjects: a) Integration, Constitutionalisation and Europeanisation, b) The Internal and External Dimensions of European Economics: The Euro and the Lisbon Agenda on Europe’s Competitiveness, c) Citizenship, Democracy and the Role of the Regions, d) Internal Cohesion and Convergence in the EU, e) EU Enlargement and European Identity, f) Foreign, Security and Defence Policies, g) Cyprus, the EU and Regional Cooperation (incl. the Middle East).

The Center has also submitted six research proposals, which are now in the process of evaluation, and fall under European, UNDP and Cyprus funded programmes.

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In the framework of its series of activities, the Research Center – Intercollege organized a presentation on November 27 of the new and timely book “Accession to the Eurozone and the Reunification of the Cyprus Economy”. The book, edited by Andreas Theophanous and Yiannis Tirkides, is the result of a research programme supported by a Research Promotion Foundation grant.

The Director of Risk Management of the Hellenic Bank, Dr Marios Klerides, presented the book and focused on the double challenge facing Cyprus, of completing accession to the EMU and the reunification of its economy within the framework of a political settlement. Dr Andreas Moleskis, President of the Board of the Research Promotion Foundation delivered the opening remarks and Professor Andreas Theophanous, Scientific Coordinator of the programme launched the discussion that followed which was chaired by the journalist Savvas Iacovides.

On 6 November the Research Center – Intercollege presented the two-volume book of Andreas Fantis, “The Cypriot Trade Union Movement during the Period of the English Colonialism (1878 – 1960)”. Dr Emilios Solomou, Historian and Member of the Board of Directors of the Research Center – Intercollege, chaired the event and delivered the welcoming address. Mr Diomides Diomidous, Secretary General of DEOK, opened the event, while Professor Andreas Theophanous, presented the book. The author of the book, Mr Andreas Fantis, made a quick intervention, which was followed by a lively discussion.

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As part of its series of conferences dedicated to key international issues and following the recent conflict in the Middle East brought together experts on Monday, October 9, 2006 to present their views on “The new landscape in the Middle East and Implications for the International Community”.

Professor Andreas Theophanous opened the proceedings and chaired the first part of the conference, during which Professor Shlomo Avineri from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Habib Malik from the Lebanese American University presented their views on current challenges for conflict resolution and regional peace in the Middle East.

Professor Michalis Attalides, Rector of Intercollege, chaired the second part of the conference where Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Cyprus, H.E. Andrey A. Nesterenko, and the British High Commissioner in Cyprus, H.E. Peter Millet, explored the perspectives from the international community.

The prospect for peace building in the Middle East and the role of the EU and Cyprus were the issues that were examined at the conference “Reflecting on Peace Building in the Post Cold War Period”, organized by the Research Center – Intercollege and the Finnish Presidency of the EU on October 20 Mr Stein Toennesson, Director of the International Peace Research Institute of Oslo, examined “Why has the Post-cold War Period been so relatively Peaceful?”; Prof Andreas Theophanous, Director General of the Center, explored the subject “The Political Landscape in the Middle East and the Role of the EU”; Ms Tarja Väyrynen, Director of the Tampere Peace Research Institute (Tapri) at the University of Tampere, addressed the issue “Peace building and Gendered Silences”.Finally Mr Oliver Richmond, Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at the School of International Relations of St. Andrews University in Scotland gave a speech entitled “Critiquing Liberal Peace Transitions”. The conference was chaired by Professor Andreas Cl. Sophocleous, Dean of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law at Intercollege, during the first part, and during the second part, by Gina Lende, Manager of the PRIO Cyprus Centre. Ms Sanna Selin, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finaland in Cyprus delivered the welcoming address.

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Professor Andreas Theophanous was the keynote speaker at a Conference held in New York on November 17, 2006, entitled “Turkey’s European Union Candidacy and Cyprus”, organized by the Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at Queens College, of the City University of New York (CUNY). The title of his address was “The US, Euro-Turkish Relations and Cyprus.”

Furthermore, Professor Theophanous was the speaker at a Seminar entitled “The Failure of the Annan Plan and Future Prospects” at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in Manhattan, on November 15. The Graduate Center, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the US, is responsible for graduate research and doctoral studies at CUNY.

On October 19-21, Tania Charalambidou, Research Fellow of the Research Center – Intercollege, represented Cyprus at the Second ALF Euro-Med Youth Meeting in Barcelona. This Workshop was organized by the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, in partnership with other Mediterranean institutions.

The workshop entitled “The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Young Alliance of Civilizations" aimed at gathering young people from the 35 Euro-Mediterranean countries in order to exchange experiences and discuss ways of resolving the existing problems of mistrust and incomprehension between European and Mediterranean countries as well as between Western and Muslim societies. The output of the workshop was a declaration submitted to the High-Level Group of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, taking into consideration the actions and the results of what have already been implemented in the framework of the Barcelona Process.

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On December 11, the Research Center – Intercollege and the United Nations Association of Cyprus will organize the conference: “Security Challenges in the 21^st Century and the Role of the UN”. Mr Christos A. Theodoulou, President of the United Nations Association of Cyprus and Member of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of the United Nations Associations (WFUNA), will give a welcoming address, while Mr Michael Moller, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus will deliver an opening speech. The event will proceed with the speech of Mr Jay Rothman, Fulbright Lecturer/Research Fellowship and President of The ARIA Group, USA, “The ‘New’ UN: Moving Towards Effective Conflict Prevention – A Discussion of Challenges and Opportunities”, and with the speech of Mr Alexander P. Shcherbakov, Minister – Counsellor of the Embassy of the Russion Federation in Cyprus, “Security Challenges and the Role of the UN: A View from Moscow”. Prof Andreas Theophanous will share his reflections and open the floor for a fruitful discussion.

Download the full programme of the conference:                

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