The European Union Center at UC Berkeley is hosted by the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE), the Institute for European Studies (IES), and the Institute for International Studies (IIS). The existing framework of these three research institutes allows the EU Center to reach a broad range of academic, public, and industry audiences from the outset, without requiring new infrastructure. The facilities and resources provided by the three organizations and the support of the EU grant have successfully facilitated an extensive array of activities geared toward promoting understanding of transatlantic issues.

The EU Center at UC Berkeley has defined as its primary theme the EU-US interactions over issues raised by the ‘new economy’. Research focuses specifically on the effect of digital information and communication technologies on European and American economies and societies. Our ambition is that as we work to enable people to take full advantage of newly developed information technology and services, we will move toward the realization of a transatlantic Information Society. Research is both comparative and international, and is embedded in a clear awareness that these economic relations are set within an understanding of the political security relationships of Europe and the US. This focus on digital economy issues is designed to build on the existing geographical, institutional and academic strengths of the University of California, Berkeley. Standing at the gateway to Silicon Valley, the EU Center at UC Berkeley has nourished links between EU citizens and leaders and the technological, business and policy communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. By creating direct these links between academics, stakeholders, business leaders and policymakers in the US and in Europe, EU Center activities directly contributes to the creation of a transatlantic research network on New Economy issues

The EU Center’s proposed activities for 2003-2004 include academic conferences, business seminars, and policy workshops; visiting scholars in residence and other guests; undergraduate and graduate course offerings; research colloquiums, pre-dissertation and graduate student fellowship; faculty research grants; working papers, research publications, academic periodical contributions, news and press articles, and the publication of conferences proceedings; an online academic journal; Conversations with History project series; and website development.

The EU Center's website may found at http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/EuroUnion/