STUDY TRIP TO SHAPE (NATO) – Mons

On Thursday 7 November 2013, 69 College of Europe students visited the NATO Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) located in the Belgian city of Mons. This study trip was organized for students of the departments of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies and of European Political and Administrative Studies by Professor Marco RIMANELLI who holds the Fulbright-Schuman Chair on US-EU Relations at the College of Europe for the academic year 2013-2014. The group heard a series of lectures dealing with different NATO-related issues. The first speaker was Lieutenant-Colonel Miroslaw OCHYRA (PL) who presented the role of NATO and its current missions. Then Dr Gregory PEDLOW (US), former CIA historian and current SHAPE historian, introduced the students to the history of the institution and its evolution over the years. Finally, Commander Krasimir KIRANOV (BG) from the EU Cell at SHAPE addressed the CSDP and EU-NATO relations. At the end, a vivid debate took place in the form of a panel discussion in which the students asked many questions to the three speakers.