Leiden University Europe Hub Vision

The Leiden University Europe Hub approaches Europe from a broad and inclusive perspective. Europe denotes the entire continent, its history, peoples, culture, and its political and legal systems, its past and present, its internal developments and global position. Within this larger context, we focus on the European Union - the defining ordering mechanism in Europe and the dominant theme of the research and teaching on Europe at Leiden University.

The Leiden University Europe Hub approaches Europe from a broad and inclusive perspective. Europe means the entire continent, its history, peoples, culture, and its political and legal systems, its past and present, its internal developments and global position. Within this larger context, we focus on the European Union—the defining ordering mechanism in Europe and the dominant theme of the research and teaching on Europe at Leiden University.

As such, the Europe Hub will contribute directly to the university’s aim (see our Strategic Plan) to promote interdisciplinary research and teaching on issues of high societal relevance. We aim to connect  with policymakers, NGOs and alumni in The Hague and Brussels, and to engage with other European universities through Una Europa, the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and other alliances. Finally, the Leiden University Europe hub is your go-to partner for research and teaching projects on Europe.

Part of the underlying research related to the topics covered by the hub is (and will be) carried out within the traditional academic disciplines but much of it requires cross-disciplinary collaboration. This research concerns institutions and processes at local, national and supranational levels across Europe, including but not limited to the European Union and its member states. It also encompasses Europe’s relationships with neighbouring states, key alliances in Europe (Council of Europe, NATO, OSCE) other regions, states, the United Nations system and other (emerging) institutions of global governance.

In its initial phase, the Europe Hub’s research agenda will prioritise four general pillars: (1) Europe in the world; (2) Markets, trade, and digitalisation; (3) Energy, environment and health; and (4) The foundations of European integration. Each of these is closely related to Europe’s and the European Union’s ambition to achieve greater strategic autonomy by reducing its dependence on foreign actors and increasing its ability to act coherently and effectively in pursuit of its goals while exploring the limits of its own normative boundaries. Each of these themes will be analysed as fundamental issues, especially in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Europe Hub will also promote research-led teaching and professional training on these themes. Where possible and useful, the hub will facilitate cooperation and coordination at all educational levels, from the undergraduate to the doctoral one.

For more information, please read our full mission statement (see the link to the right).