PITT PICKED AS EUROPEAN UNION CENTER IN THE UNITED STATES

PITTSBURGH, July 7 -- The University of Pittsburgh has been named one of only ten European Centers in the United States through an initiative designed to promote study of the EU, its institutions and policies, and EU-US relations at universities across the United States.

"In the past, most of our efforts have been concentrated on helping working professionals to learn what the European Union is all about," said Ambassador Hugo Paemen, head of the European Commission's delegation in the United States. "We believe it makes sense to contribute to the learning process much earlier, while people are part of an education process and becoming qualified in their chosen field."

Joining the University of Pittsburgh as European Union Centers in the United States are: The University System of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology; Harvard University; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; the University of Missouri-Columbia; the New York Consortium for European Studies; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Duke University; Scripps College, the Claremont Colleges and the University of Southern California; the University of Washington at Seattle, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"We hope, through the Centers, that more and more American students will gain insight into the European Union and the European integration process, and take that with them into their working lives," added Paemen.

According to Alberta Sbragia, director of the Center for West European Studies at Pitt, "This insures that the University of Pittsburgh will remain at the forefront of research and teaching on this historic integration of Europe."

Among the initiatives of the EU Centers will be to host visiting scholars and short-term visitors from the EU, including representatives of non-governmental organizations, labor unions, business and the policy community. The Centers also will cooperate to form a national network, and conduct outreach programs in their regional communities -- involving local businesses and chambers of commerce, World Affairs Councils and other groups -- to promote greater knowledge of the EU.

-30-