In their EUCAM fellowship ‘research week’, Anastasiya, Gulnura and Sabrinisso conquered Brussels. In their meetings, they sought input for their individual research projects that are mostly focussed on EU-Central Asia trade relations and economic development. They also strengthened their understanding of how the European institutions work and interact with each other.

They grasped and distinguished the role of DG TRADE (as a negotiator), DG DEVCO (in planning and implementation), the EEAS (diplomacy), the European Parliament (as a watchdog). Also, they saw how civil society organisations, including think-tanks, work in Brussels and the importance they attach to dissemination and advocacy strategies in order to maximise impact on policy-making.

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