About Us

“Of all the EU Centers funded by the Commission as part of its 1998 initiative, I consider the EU Center of California to be the most successful. It has established a series of programs with real vitality and substance.”
—Hugo Paemen
Former EU ambassador to the United States

The mission of the European Union Center of California is to advance public understanding of European integration and transatlantic relations through education and research. The European Union Center of California was founded in 1998 with the assistance of the European Commission as part of a network of 10 European Union Centers in the United States. Undergraduate education is the Center’s top priority. To that end, the EU Center:

• Sponsors a curriculum in European Union Studies at the Claremont Colleges;
• Provides opportunities for students to study in Europe and to intern at various international organizations based in Europe;
• Hosts scholarly conferences as well as lectures by distinguished visitors, including the semi-annual State of the European Union Address;
• Partners with the EU Center of Seattle, based at the University of Washington, in organizing the West Coast Model European Union;
• Hosts the only regularly-scheduled academic conference in the United States dedicated to undergraduate research on European Union topics.