Jean Monnet Chair of the European Union

The European Union, through the Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency, named Professor Karine de Souza Silva as the holder of the Jean Monnet Chair. The Jean Monnet Chair is the most important international distinction given to a teacher/researcher in the context of studies on regional integration and European Union law. Professor Karine de Souza Silva is the first Jean Monnet Chair in Brazil. The Federal University of Santa Catarina now has the EU’s institutional and financial support for the development of teaching, research, and outreach activities through the Jean Monnet Program.

Description: Jean Monnet Chair UFSC

The Jean Monnet Chair is part of the “European Union (EU) Jean Monnet Program,” which is officially established by the European Commission. This Program aim to stimulate excellence in teaching and research, in addition to promoting a deep level of reflection and debate in the study of European Integration in institutions of higher education inside and outside of the European Union.

The study of European Integration involves subjects related to the origin and evolution of the EU, in all of its aspects. Furthermore, it analyzes the internal and external dimensions of integration, including the role of the EU in the dialogue between people and cultures and the forces to solidify world peace.

The principle actions enabled through the above Program are: the implementation of the Jean Monnet Chair and the formation of Centers of Excellence that focus on supporting professors and researchers as they develop research and information activities related to European Integration.

The holder of the Chair is officially recognized through the EU as a high level researcher committed to teaching and furthering debate of topics of regional integration. This professor becomes part of an important network that brings together professors from the most important universities of the world.

The activities related to the Chair function as a hub of research about regional integration. These studies will bring grants for the deepening of debates about EU law, about the models of integration of Europe and South America, and notably, for the further strengthening of relations between the EU and Brazil.

Thus, UFSC will become the first Brazilian federal university to receive institutional and financial support from the EU for the development of activities of teaching, research, and outreach through the Jean Monnet Program.

The Chair is installed in the Graduate Program of International Relations (PPGRI) and the Undergraduate Program in International Relations at UFSC.

The Jean Monnet Chair UFSC is active after receiving financial support from the European Commission from 2012 to 2015.