CONFERENCE
Andris Piebalgs had a meeting with Prof. Andris Kangro, UL Study Pro – rector, Ojārs Judrups, Director of Academic Department, Prof. Tatjana Muravska, Director of Master’s Programme in European Studies, Zane Zeibote, UL representative of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, and Dr. Jānis Vaivads, UL Senior Reasercher, Chairman of Final Examinations Committee in Master’s Programme in European Studies.
The main point on the agenda was international evaluation of quality of the Latvian education system How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better, 2010. In this report Andris Piebalgs was named a leading promoter of international reforms in the Latvian education system. Mr. Piebalgs said that cooperation with the UL is among his top professional priorities, and together with the UL members made arrangements for a guest lecture series in the spring semester of the academic year 2014/2015. Lectures will cover topics such as the EU budget, energy, development cooperation, and will aim at raising public awareness of EU related matters. The course will be based on Piebalgs’ own extensive experience as European Commissioner for Energy (2004 – 2009), European Commissioner for Development (2010 – 2014), European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget (7.-11. 2014).
These lectures will form a part of the interdisciplinary Master's Programme in European Studies, and are to be open to other UL students, lecturers and visitors. Guest lectures in English and Latvian are planned to be broadcast on-line, and will be also available as a video file on the UL homepage.
The Master's Programme in European Studies has always focused on the topical EU issues, and Latvia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2015 has made these matters even more relevant. The UL is pleased to involve students and academic staff in a wider public debate with EU officials and experts from Latvia.
