Jean Monnet Scholars Met at Brussels Online Study Visit

Jean Monnet scholars who completed their studies in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years as part of the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme met at the Brussels Study Visit, which was held online due to the pandemic. The event started with the opening speech of Mr. Bülent Özcan, Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation of the Directorate for EU Affairs.

Brussels Study Visit continued with the ‘Turkey and EU Relations Panel’ moderated by Mr. Hakan Atik, Head of Department of Project Implementation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Directorate for EU Affairs with the participation of Ambassador Mr. Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Permanent Delegate to the European Union, and Ms. Angelina Eichhorst, Managing Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and the United Kingdom at the European External Action Service.

‘Business World and Civil Society Sector in Brussels’ panel, which was organised to inform the scholars about career opportunities in Europe, was moderated by Ms. Elif Kurşunlu, Head of the Accession Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Directorate for EU Affairs.

The panel that took place in the afternoon was about sharing the experiences of the former Jean Monnet Scholars who have shaped their careers in fields related to the EU. Former scholars shared their EU experiences in Europe and Turkey with the newly graduated scholars at the panel moderated by Ms. Yeliz Turan, Expert for EU Affairs of the Directorate for EU Affairs. Economic Development Foundation (IKV) and TOBB Brussels Representative Mr. Haluk Nuray, TÜSİAD EU-Brussels Representative Ms. Dilek Aydın and TOBB Brussels Representative EU Relations Manager Ms. Seval İskender attended the panel and shared their views and suggestions.

With his speech titled "Adding Value to Life", Mr. Ahmet Şerif İzgören from İzgören Academy drew attention to how a small touch can have great effects with examples from Turkey and the world, and he emphasized the importance of turning potential into performance in helping institutions and people to take firm steps towards their goals.

The Brussels Study Visit event continued with the speech of Mr. Devrim Küçük, who emphasized the points to be considered in career choices.

In the closing session of the event, the current situation of the scholars was evaluated, feedback was received from participants, and the representatives of the Directorate of EU Affairs and CFCU listened to our scholars and answered their questions.