Jean Monnet “EUROSOFT” Centre of Excellence Project

The “EUROSOFT” project is being implemented at the Faculty of International Relations of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU) from 2023 to 2026. The project aims to study the dissemination and influence of the European Union’s (EU) soft power in Central Asia.

Main Objectives of the Project:

The project’s objectives include, alongside research activities, the improvement of teaching European-related disciplines, as well as providing educational and methodological support for courses related to European history and politics in educational institutions across Central Asia. The project also aims to stimulate and support the research activities of students and young scholars studying European integration, diplomacy, and soft power.

Creating a permanent academic network of researchers from Central Asian countries, Mongolia, and Pakistan, who study regional issues in general and the EU’s influence in the region in particular, in close collaboration with European colleagues, is also a key focus. Disseminating knowledge, ideas, and research results not only within the academic community but also to the wider public in Central Asian countries is considered a core goal of the project.

As the “EUROSOFT” project enters its final stage this year, most of the planned objectives have been achieved. The project team has carried out extensive research, methodological, organizational, and informational-outreach work.

At the very initial stage of project implementation in 2023, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “EUROSOFT” was established at the Faculty of International Relations. L.N. Gumilyov ENU, as a co-founder of the project, contributed to the establishment of the Centre. Today, the Centre serves as an educational and research platform, visualizing the dissemination of the EU’s soft power in Central Asia, as well as the ideas and achievements of the project. The Centre hosts lectures and seminars for students at all levels, masterclasses, and discussions on topics related to the project.

In the field of teaching and methodological support of the educational process, the following has been accomplished:

• Courses have been developed and integrated into the curriculum, including “The Soft Power Factor in the European Union’s Global Strategy” for master’s students in the Political Science programme, and “The EU Legal Framework” for undergraduate students in the International Relations programme.
• Supervision of student research, diploma projects, as well as master’s and doctoral theses on European-related topics, including the issues of EU soft power in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, has been carried out.
• The project team has prepared and published textbooks: “EU Soft Power at the Contemporary Stage” in both Kazakh and Russian, and “The European Union and Central Asia: Traditions and New Forms of Interaction”.
• According to the project implementation plan, an annual International Distance School is held for university, college, and secondary school teachers: “Implementation of EU Soft Power in Central Asia: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects”. From 2023 to 2025, approximately 180 teachers from secondary schools, colleges, and universities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan completed professional development in teaching courses on European history, integration, foreign policy, and EU soft power, totalling 72 hours in a remote format. In April 2026, the 3rd International Distance School is scheduled to take place.

In the research aspect:

• The project team conducted scientific research on the topics: “The EU Experience in Creating an Integration Space in the Border Areas of Central Asia: The Soft Power Effect” and “Risks and Threats of the Development of Eurosceptic Political Views in the EU and Their Impact on Soft Power Policy in Central Asian Countries”. The results of these studies were published in two monographs: “Cross-Border Cooperation in Central Asia in the Context of EU Soft Power Influence” and “The European Union’s Soft Power in Conditions of Global Uncertainty: The Internal Context”.
• For two consecutive years, an International Youth Scientific Project Competition was held: “EU Soft Power in Central Asia: Manifestations, Influence, and Prospects.” More than 100 students from universities in Astana, Almaty, and other regions of Kazakhstan participated in the competition.
• An annual International Summer School, “Global and Regional Dimensions of European Union Soft Power” is conducted in a hybrid format totalling 72 hours. Over two years, more than 130 teachers and researchers from universities in Astana, Karaganda, Pavlodar, Shymkent, as well as representatives from educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, participated online.

The organization of the Summer School places a key emphasis on lectures by representatives of EU diplomatic institutions and EU Member States in Kazakhstan.

As part of the creation of an expert platform for discussing issues of Kazakhstan’s European-oriented foreign policy, the state of the EU, and its soft power, webinars were held on: “How Dynamic and Influential is EU Soft Power in the Context of Global Order Transformation?” and “Cultural Diplomacy and the Success Factors of Soft Power” with participation from scholars from EU countries.

In the information and outreach aspect:

• To inform the public and disseminate the ideas and interim results of the project, the Jean Monnet Centre “EUROSOFT” website is operational: https://eurosoft.enu.kz/ru.
• According to the project implementation plan, an “Ambassador’s Day” is held at the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. On this day, Heads of EU diplomatic missions and European countries in the Republic of Kazakhstan deliver lectures on EU foreign policy strategy and soft power to students and faculty of the Faculty of International Relations. Following the lectures, Ambassadors traditionally answer numerous questions from the audience. Lectures by the Ambassador of Hungary to Kazakhstan, Otto Ivan Rona, and the Head of the Mission of the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic in Kazakhstan, Mr. José Ataíde Amaral, generated significant interest among the participants.

Every year on May 9, the “Europe Day” is celebrated in the student dormitories of L.N. Gumilyov ENU. Team members show students videos about the EU, organize quizzes, and award prizes to the winners.

These activities demonstrate that the Jean Monnet Centre “EUROSOFT” team successfully fulfills its objectives in implementing the project.