Jean Monnet Scholars Gathered at the Brussels Online Study Visit
Jean Monnet scholars who completed their studies during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 academic years came together at the Brussels Online Study Visit, organized within the scope of the Jean Monnet Scholarship Programme. The event began with an opening speech by Bülent Özcan, Director General for Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at the Directorate for EU Affairs.
The Brussels Study Visit continued with a panel on Turkey–European Union relations, moderated by Hakan Atik, Head of the Project Implementation Department at the Directorate for EU Affairs. The panel featured Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Turkey’s Permanent Delegate to the EU, and Angelina Eichhorst, Managing Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey, and the United Kingdom at the European External Action Service.
A panel titled “Business and Civil Society Sector in Brussels” was held to provide scholars with insights into career opportunities in Europe. The panel was moderated by Elif Kurşunlu, Head of the Accession Policy Department at the Directorate for EU Affairs, and featured Haluk Nuray, Representative of the Economic Development Foundation and TOBB in Brussels; Dilek Aydın, TÜSİAD Representative to the EU; and Seval İskender, Manager of EU Affairs at TOBB Brussels Office.
In the afternoon, a session was held for former Jean Monnet scholars who have built careers in EU-related fields to share their experiences. Moderated by Yeliz Turan, EU Affairs Expert at the Directorate for EU Affairs, the panel offered valuable insights from alumni who shared their EU experiences in both Europe and Turkey with newly graduated scholars.
Ahmet Şerif İzgören from İzgören Academy delivered an inspiring talk titled “Adding Value to Life,” highlighting how small actions can create significant impact through examples from Turkey and around the world. He emphasized the importance of transforming potential into performance to achieve institutional and individual goals with confidence.
The event concluded with a presentation by Devrim Küçük on key considerations in career choices, followed by a closing session during which representatives from the Directorate for EU Affairs and the CFCU listened to the scholars’ feedback and answered their questions.
