About the initiative named “SGH in the EU, the EU in SGH” that involves numerous actions, aimed at increasing the awareness of the current European issues and spreading expert knowledge of the European integration, writes dr hab. Małgorzata Molęda-Zdziech, prof. SGH, Rector’s Representative for cooperation with the European Union, head of the Department of Political Studies, SGH Collegium of Socio-Economics.
When I was appointed Rector’s Plenipotentiary for Cooperation with the EU, I launched the initiative named “SGH in the EU, the EU in SGH”. It involves taking numerous actions, such as holding a series of webinars under the same name, aimed at increasing the awareness of the current European issues and spreading expert knowledge of the European integration, at collaborating with partners, organising special events, as well as organising student study trips to Brussels.
The webinar series featured 11 meetings with EU experts. Among the invited guests were Marzenna Guz-Vetter, PhD – pp. of the Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland in 2015–2016 and 2022–2023, Bartłomiej Balcerzyk – Director of the European Parliament Liaison Office in Poland (currently pp. of the Director of the European Commission Representation in Poland), Renata Mieńkowska-Norkiene, PhD, from the University of Warsaw – expert at Team Europe Direct Polska (TED), Justyna Napiórkowska, PhD – an art historian, Europeanist, TED network expert, Art Director of Katarzyna Napiórkowska’s Art Gallery, Andrzej Lisiecki-Żurowski and Karolina Deryńska from Network.pl Association which groups Polish officials in EU institutions, Magdalena Sapała-Maenhout, PhD, – analyst from the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), and Grzegorz Radziejewski from the Budget Directorate of the EC, Deputy Head of the department responsible for EU institutions’ administrative spending.
The meetings were attended by the SGH community as well as the students and interested parties from other universities, expert centres, think-tanks and EU institutions. More webinars have been scheduled to run as of March 2024. A complete list of webinars along with their recorded footage on SGH YouTube channel can be found at: HTTPS://WWW.SGH.WAW.PL/SGH-W-UE. As a Rector’s Plenipotentiary, I maintain a close partnership with the Network.pl Association which has signed a cooperation agreement with SGH.
Another action undertaken as part of the initiative “SGH in the EU, the EU in SGH” is spreading a word of the activity of EC experts grouped in the TED network and working at SGH. Until 2023, SGH had been represented in the network of Team Europe Direct by six scientists-researchers from various SGH collegia: Adam Ambroziak, PhD, from the Collegium of the World Economy, Prof. Stanisław Kasiewicz, Lech Kurkliński, PhD, from the Collegium of Business Administration, Małgorzata Molęda-Zdziech, PhD, from the Collegium of Socio-Economics, Prof. Artur Nowak-Far from the Collegium of Socio-Economics, Marta Pachocka, PhD, from the Collegium of the World Economy. Currently, after the review conducted by the EC, the TED network is represented by Małgorzata Molęda-Zdziech, PhD and Marta Pachocka, PhD, from the Department of Political Studies of the Collegium of Socio-Economics at SGH.
Under the event framework, we also promoted the EU career path during SGH Career Days. On 25 October 2022, during a Career Day, a series of meetings on traineeships in EU structures were held under a common slogan “Career in the European Union”.
On 9 May 2023, we staged a European Day at SGH in cooperation with the SGH Student Board and the Student Scientific Club of Foreign Affairs under the honorary patronage of SGH Rector and the European Commission Representation in Poland. The event was attended by Olgierd Łukaszewicz, a famous Polish actor and social activist, initiator of the Foundation “We, EU Citizens” who presented the figure of professor Wojciech Bogumił Jastrzębowski, the founding father of the Constitution for Europe of 1831. An exhibition titled “The First Constitution for Europe”, courtesy of the House of Meetings with History, was also shown during the event. Karolina Deryńska from the Network.pl Association organised a workshop on climate diplomacy. SGH students also held a debate on the introduction of the euro. Attendees included the students of SGH and participants of the SGH Third Age University.
Apart from the above mentioned activities, as a Plenipotentiary I engage in disseminating information about traineeships in EU institutions, staying in touch and maintaining collaboration with the Career Centre for Cooperation with SGH Alumni. One of the initiatives was holding a meeting with Dr. Grzegorz Ambroziak, a manager in the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), an SGH alumnus.
In November 2023 a group of twelve students of SGH took part in a study trip to Brussels organised at the invitation of Prof. Danuta Huebner, a Member of the EP. While managing a PAN PolSCA (Polish Science Contact Agency) in Brussels and visiting the European Parliament I could watch, with a mix of envy and awe, large groups of youngsters explore the secrets of the EU capital and institutions. I have had this dream about the students of my alma mater – SGH – being able to come to Brussels and stroll PE corridors in a laid-back manner, just like their colleagues from Western Europe. I feel I have been putting this plan to action as a Rector’s Plenipotentiary for EU Cooperation. Thanks to the invitation by Professor Danuta Huebner, a Member of the EP, former two-time EU Commissioner and a long-standing SGH professor, the first group of twelve SGH students went on a study trip to Brussels in November 2023.
Professor Huebner has had a strong affiliation with SGH for a long time now. She worked as a lecturer in the Department of Economic Development and Economic Policy of the Institute of International Studies at SGH. She also acted as Editor-in-Chief of the monthly “Gospodarka Narodowa” [“National Economy”] and Vice Editor-in-Chief of the bimonthly “Ekonomista” [“The Economist”]. She was a chief negotiator of the Polish membership in OECD and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe with the rank of UN Deputy General Secretary. In Poland she headed the European Integration Committee Office. She also held the post of the Minister for European Affairs responsible for the Polish accession to the EU. Recently, since 2009, Danuta Huebner has been a Member of the European Parliament. She has worked in the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Economic and Monetary Commission and International Trade Commission. She is also a member of the Delegation for Relations with the US. Prior to that, she was a chief negotiator of the Polish membership in OECD and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe with the rank of UN Deputy General Secretary. In Poland she headed the European Integration Committee Office. She also held the post of the Minister for European Affairs responsible for the Polish accession to the EU. On 28 March 2022 in a series of webinars “SGH in the EU, the EU in SGH” we were honoured to have Prof. Danuta Huebner as our guest.
Thus, we understand the renowned professor inviting our students to visit the EP to be a great honour and an expression of her deep attachment to our university. The students deeply appreciated this opportunity to meet Professor Huebner who embodies Polish aspirations of presence in the EU. They pointed out to the inspirational value of Professor Huebner’s professional path which provides encouragement to all young economists dreaming of a career in public administration or politics. The success story of Professor Huebner as a politician and economist is highly motivating to SGH students and indicates how a strong grasp of economic processes may lead to creating impact in political decisions both at the national and European level. Our students will long remember the sight of the EP chamber or the European district, vital hands-on experiences which take their theoretical knowledge of the institution to a whole new level. A memorable highlight of the trip to Brussels was visiting the House of the European History. It should be noted that the history of Europe is presented there through the history of great ideas, not individuals, which helps build an awareness of the common European roots. The exhibition accentuates common values of all member states, such as human dignity, freedom or democracy, at the same time outlining the range of historical and cultural diversity. It constitutes a perfect illustration to the EU motto: united in diversity. Visiting the Parlamentarium was a great opportunity to expand the knowledge of the history of European integration, as well as that of how the European Parliament and other EU institutions work, in a light-hearted manner which combined learning and fun thanks to a modern and interactive nature of the museum exhibition.
Today our students are in their twenties, peers of the Polish accession to the EU. They have no memories of Poland before it joined the EU, and naturally take the membership for granted. Faced with the war in Ukraine, political volatility, a general sense of the global turmoil and the threat of disinformation, we should cling to the European values of piece, cooperation and mutual responsibility. Holding debates with those who established the position of Poland in the EU is the best way of promoting reliable information and sound expertise to fend off disinformation and proliferation of the European fallacy.
DR HAB. MAŁGORZATA MOLĘDA-ZDZIECH, prof. SGH, Rector’s Representative for cooperation with the European Union, head of the Department of Political Studies, SGH Collegium of Socio-Economics.
