On the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) and the College of Europe on 3 February 2020, GIP has established its special prize for the best MA Thesis on Eastern Partnership for College of Europe students.

The MA thesis prize aims at promoting academic research on the EaP region, as well as at encouraging young scholars’ ideas and research on the future prospects of the Eastern Partnership program. Students of both Bruges and Natolin campuses, who obtain the mark of 16/20 (Very good) or higher and whose research covers the EaP region – either by providing a comparative study of two EaP countries or by discussing the prospect of the EaP format – are eligible to apply for the MA thesis prize. The submitted theses are assessed by the CoE administration and the GIP researchers based on the pre-set criteria determining the academic quality of the students works. The winner is awarded with (1) the monetary prize of EUR 500, which could contribute to an optional research stay at the Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi, (2) peer-reviewed publication of the winning contribution in the form of a working paper on the GIP platforms. 

We proudly present the first winner of the GIP prize – Ms. Katsiaryna Lozka, whose winning contribution – “Burden-sharing in Conflict Mediation? Intergovernmental Spillover and EU Mediation in Georgia and Ukraine” has been published by GIP. 

Katsiaryna Lozka holds an MA degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium as well as a master’s degree in European Studies from Comenius University in Bratislava. She is currently a trainee with the Belarusian Helsinki Committee monitoring and reporting on the human rights situation in Belarus. Her previous experience includes voluntary activities and internships at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), GLOBSEC and the International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS).

Katsiaryna’s award-winning MA thesis uncovers the role of EU in the intergovernmental practice of peace mediation in Georgia and Ukraine arguing about the complementarity between the EU and its Member states. It aims at answering two questions: (1) To what extent does the intergovernmental approach provide the basis for explaining and understanding EU mediation? And, (2) What are the challenges and opportunities of the EU’s intergovernmental setup for its peace mediation? The study looks into the positions of EU Member states toward conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine and examines accommodation of national preferences. It argues about the limits of intergovernmentalism in explaining peace mediation and introduces the neofunctionalist concept of spillover to uncover the role of the EU in mediation. 

GIP award was presented at the CoE’s closing ceremony for the academic year 2019-2020, among more than 20 prizes established by different European institutions, foundations and business organizations.  

 

“I am delighted to receive the thesis award from the Georgian Institute of Politics. I take this opportunity to heartily thank my supervisor Prof. Antje Herrberg and the College of Europe in Bruges for their continuous encouragement and guidance throughout my studies as well as GIP for their support. This recognition motivates me to continue pursuing my research on EU policies in its Neighborhood and striving for academic excellence”, – Katsiaryna Lozka