First semester study trip to the Baltic States

From 4 until 11 October 2015, the Natolin (Warsaw) campus of the College of Europe organized a study trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for all Natolin students.

The academic programme of the study trip took place in the three capitals: Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. This year's general theme of the study trip was titled: "European Solidarities, Baltic Perspectives".

The study trip has been structured bearing in mind some specific academic aims:

• Survey the current European crisis from the exposed north-eastern frontier of the EU and NATO;
• Acquire a 'view from the edge' to facilitate a wider, more distant and more balanced perspective than one closer to the 'Brussels bubble';
• Discover the historical and cultural heritage, both on the ground and in the minds;
• Compare and contrast the political and economic challenges across the region;
• Evaluate the regional security concerns (in the fields of energy, media and internet);
• Analyze the foreign and European policies of the Baltic States.