ABOUT

Why Europe

Few ordinary citizens in the Mid-South know very much about the relevance of the EU and its member states for international affairs or for the local and regional economy. Most are unaware that EU member states have invested heavily in Tennessee and its neighboring states, accounting for almost $9 billion in Tennessee alone with another one billion dollars on the way with the selection of Chattanooga, TN, as the site of the new Volkswagen AG factory. Austrian, Belgian, Danish, British, Finnish, French, Irish, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Swedish companies also do business in Tennessee. The Nissan Corporation, a joint venture with Renault, recently moved its headquarters for North and South America to the Nashville area. Mercedes is in Tuscaloosa, AL; BMW in Greenville, SC; Thyssen AG in Mobile, AL. The EU and transatlantic relations hardly register in the public mind in the Mid South as a powerful partner, even though we share common security goals, common immigration challenges, common emphasis on human rights, and common commercial interests with EU-member states. While cultural exchanges are growing in frequency in the region, they are only gradually finding their way into the public spotlight. This lack of awareness of our interconnections with Europe inhibits our effectiveness in solving the challenge of human development at home and abroad.

Trip Purpose

The purpose of the Brussels Study Trip was to introduce key policy experts to the EU and to its initiatives in language and diversity issues, along with education reform in EU member states. The idea was to enhance awareness of the importance of the EU for the new dynamic in Europe and also for transatlantic relations in terms of a common set of challenges in dealing with security, immigration, diversity and identity. Ultimately, the final objective is to prepare citizens for a more informed and hence effective course of action at the local, regional, and hopefully global levels. Our economic, social, and cultural connections to Europe will serve as the vehicle for advancing human development and leadership qualities in general in the Mid-South.

Our interests gravitate to the following major themes
* The European Union: its institutions, policies, and impact;
* The significance of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Iron Curtain;
* European identity, culture, and diversity and their parallels in American society;
* Educational reform in Europe and the USA and its impact on human development;
* EU policies, re: climate change and sustainability;
* Common security challenges in Europe and the USA.