History Archives - The Natolin Blog - Widen Your Perspective on Europe

Dying isn’t scary, not living is: Happy Independence Day Greece!

Ευαγγελισμός (Evangelismos) is the word we use in Greek for the Annunciation of Virgin Mary (observed religiously on March 25th), meaning literally “the announcement of good news”. March 25th is also commemorated as the commencement of the Revolution against the Ottoman Empire which culminated in the establishment of an independent state, even though the Revolution […]

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Debate introduction: What does it mean to be European?

By Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski

‘What does it mean to be European?’ All students of the College of Europe have probably been asked this question at some point. On 4 November 2015 six students from the Natolin campus gave their answers to an audience of Varsovians and fellow-students at an event jointly organized by the European Civilization Chair and the

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What does it mean to be European?

By Maria Gutierrez

I would like to start by sharing with you I wrote in when I was applying to be a speaker in this panel: “To me being European means no longer being surprised when you cross a frontier. If you can sleep through a frontier without noticing anything and wake up in a foreign country that

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What does it mean to be European?

By Maria Gutierrez

What is “Europe”? Is it a (sub)continent, a way of living, a concept, a myth, a dream or a hope as Jacques Le Goff stated? Europe’s history started with the kidnapping of a young mortal by a selfish god. Later on, in the Middle Ages, what we currently call Europe was the Christianitas, only seen as the

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Geopolitics in the Caucasus: between history, Russia and the ongoing conflicts

By Nicola Accardo

History deeply influences the reactions to the current geopolitical conflicts in Armenia and Georgia. Both countries oscillate from the East to the West, from NATO’s protection to Russian support, in their struggle for survival. Pro-western Georgia sees Russian sympathies rising while pro-Russian Armenia is apprently tempted by the “Swiss model” of neutrality. On a recent

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That time the College sent me to the other side of the world

By Chris Powers

For eight days in December, 10 students from the College of Europe (of which 3 from Natolin) were able to sample Japan as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the MIRAI programme, which welcomed around 150 students from all across Europe and Central Asia. The trip to Japan was really

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