The III International Summer School "Global and Regional Dimensions of the Soft Power of the European Union" has been continuing successfully

The III International Summer School "Global and Regional Dimensions of the Soft Power of the European Union" for 150 participants representing experts, the academic community of the countries of Central Asia and Europe (professors of universities, colleges, secondary schools, as well as young researchers (master's and doctoral students) has been continuing successfully. The holding of this school is envisaged by the implementation plan of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence "EUROSOFT" project and is co-financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Erasmus+ program. Speakers at the summer school are high-ranking representatives of embassies of EU member states, employees of the diplomatic service of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and academic experts from Spain, Poland, and Argentina.

José Ataíde Amaral, Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Portuguese Republic to the Republic of Kazakhstan, honored the audience by sharing his perspective on Portugal's soft power in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. His Excellency the Portuguese Ambassador is a great friend of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and the Jean Monnet EUROSOFT Centre of Excellence project.

The summer school participants had the opportunity to hear a lecture by Ms. Greta Comor Thiloua, Attaché for Education and University Cooperation at the Embassy of France in Kazakhstan, on the role of European textbooks in shaping France's soft power and that of the EU as a whole.

In her lecture, "Erasmus+ EU as an Effective Tool for Developing Partnerships in Education and Science," Laura Paluanova, Coordinator of the National Erasmus+ Office in the Republic of Kazakhstan, detailed the opportunities provided by the European Union for expanding academic mobility for students and faculty, joint projects between European and Central Asian universities, and for improving Kazakhstan's higher education system.

The audience was interested to hear from European researchers themselves about the potential and limitations of the EU's soft power. Professor Juan Luis López Aranguren (Spain) examined the spread of Europe's soft and hard power in the Indo-Pacific region in his lecture. In doing so, the professor revealed the global geography of the EU's soft power implementation, encompassing virtually every region of the globe.

Szymon Kardaś, Senior Research Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Warsaw, Poland, analyzed the EU's path to energy independence, providing a deeper understanding of the state of the economic foundation of soft power for both individual countries and the EU as a whole.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Georgia David Aptsiauri shared valuable, relevant information and data on the topic "The EU and China in the Current Geoeconomic Situation." As an experienced diplomat and researcher, the professor highlighted controversial aspects and latest trends in the global economy and the roles of the EU and China within it.

A lecture by Manarbek Shakirovich Kabaziyev, PhD, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the soft power component of Kazakhstan's foreign policy, which is a necessary indicator for a state positioning itself as a middle power, generated considerable practical interest among participants.

Following all the lectures, a question-and-answer session and lively discussions on the issues highlighted were held. Participants, both online and offline, expressed their gratitude verbally and through chats.