dr. Mendeltje van Keulen 

Elisabeth Minnemann, president of the Executive Board of The Hague University of Applied Sciences, said, "This is a tremendous appreciation for Mendeltje's work and the impact of her practice-oriented research. We congratulate her wholeheartedly. This chair offers our knowledge institution a great opportunity to create impact in co-creation with various partners on one of the major social issues of our time. That we can do this in a European context is all the more wonderful given the ever-growing importance of Europe."

Van Keulen has been lecturer Changing role of Europe at knowledge center Global Inclusive Learning of The Hague University of Applied Sciences since Jan. 1, 2018. Her research group focuses on the organization of European cooperation within municipalities, governments and companies, for example.

The lectorate works from a broad (inter-)national network of educators, researchers and governments. "Developments in the field of cyber, artificial intelligence and network security are moving at lightning speed and administrators in Brussels and The Hague are trying to adjust this. This chair makes it possible to explore together with regional governments or local SMEs, for example, what impact digital legislation has on them, and what skills our students need as the professionals of the future," Van Keulen says.




The Jean Monnet Chair is awarded by the European Commission for three years to professors with an outstanding profile and expertise in European Union studies.

Last week it was announced that Dr. Mendeltje van Keulen has been awarded a Jean Monnet Chair in the field of European Digital Policy. For a period of three years, she will further strengthen professional education with the professorship through applied research with students in the field of European knowledge and skills.


Jean Monnet Chair awarded to Dr. Mendeltje van Keulen!

The Hague is currently hosting over 400 NGOs and small businesses around peace, justice and security. A large ecosystem has emerged, and in the past month there have even been developments around three new international organizations: the UNDP is opening a department, the ICPA is emerging around Eurojust to criminally deal with aggression by Russia, and the International Claims Registry is emerging around gathering evidence against Russia.

The Dutch Association for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal SDG16, Peace, Justice and Strong Public Institutions, therefore suits The Hague. It focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

At the same time, The Hague is also the most segregated city in the Netherlands. Huge disparities take place, huge economic inequalities between different neighborhoods. A study by CBS found that the number of households below the poverty line increased between 2017 and 2019, and since the COVID crisis those disparities have only grown. The risk of educational inequality has also increased dramatically in The Hague. In some parts of the city, this risk is also greater, often depending on how well parents are able to help young children with homework or reading aloud.

These issues kept me busy for the past six years while writing this dissertation on bringing in and housing International Organizations in The Hague and other European cities. And even more so since its completion last November.

Is this Sustainable Development Goal 16 being used enough in the international city of peace and justice, precisely for these groups of people?
The Municipality of The Hague is working tremendously on the issues with Jozias van Aartsen since 2008 and now with Jan van Zanen leading the way. There is now political legitimacy of the international city of peace and justice. But is enough being done for young people in the neighborhoods around this theme?

What do Peace and Justice actually mean? What do these words mean to young people? How do they deal with pressing issues such as the sustainable transition we are in the midst of in the European Union? How do they view increasing violence on the streets?

We have employed students of Business Administration and Public Administration and Public Management at The Hague University of Applied Sciences since 2020, from the Changing Role of Europe / European Impact Hub lectorate under Mendeltje van Keulen, to answer these questions. We developed a questionnaire and tested it with students. 90 interviews were conducted with young people last year, in Moerwijk, the Schildersbuurt and Laak, and statements came out around the following themes:

1. The meaning of peace and justice
2. Family and community
3. Security and public institutions (and relations with the police and youth workers)
4. Education (possible inequities or opportunities in schools); and
5. The significance of the European Green Deal and the European Union for young people.


These statements all respondents to this survey had to prioritize from unimportant to important using the Q methodology. This year, 40 young people were interviewed in Schildersbuurt and Moerwijk, in the community centers Stichting MEION, Sehzad Mehr, Het Talentenhuis and Wijkcentrum Moerwijk. In addition, three groups of students interviewed policy makers from the peace and justice circuit. Wim Jansen, the boss of Directorate of International Affairs, Rob Schuurmans, Ingrid De Beer of Foreign Affairs, even the ambassador of international organizations were interviewed, as well as Karel Willems, lobbyist, and Arthur van Buitenen of the international organization IDLO - International Development Law Organization.


The results of these interviews were presented by the students on June 16, 2023.


The underlying question is: what is the difference between the priorities of young people and those of policy makers and implementers of peace and law organizations? What is the conflict of perception? And how, subsequently, can you bring these groups closer together and establish dialogue about them? How can inequality be countered in schools? How can there be more dialogue with administrators in neighborhoods, by young people? In short, how can SDG16 - Peace Justice and Strong and Inclusive Public Institutions - be made tangible for young people in Schildersbuurt and Moerwijk?


For this we received a grant from NWO (Dutch Research Council) of the National Science Agenda through NSCR and Beate Volker. To be continued!

We probably all know the history of The Hague as an international city of Peace and Justice. It all began with the Hague-born jurist and politician Hugo de Groot, who produced important works that form the basis of our international rules governing the cooperation of independent states, peoples and the preservation of peace. He had begun university studies at age 11. In 1619 he was imprisoned, taken to Castle Loevenstein where he escaped in a chest full of books. 

Much later, in 1899, the First Peace Conference took place in The Hague. During the Second Hague Peace Conference in 1907, the first stone of the Peace Palace was laid. We are all familiar with the Court of Arbitration, located there, and the International Court of Justice. In the 1990s, important tribunals were added, such as the International Criminal Court, and the European organizations Europol and Eurojust.

When I first came to The Hague in 1995, I was 15 and we went to pick up a visa for a trip to India. As an Amsterdam native, I thought it was a boring, gray city. That The Hague was the center of Peace and Law and that eventually more than 35 international organizations would take place in and around The Hague, I had no idea. 

Peace and Justice in The Hague for young people from The Hague

The students did not do this alone, but under the guidance of experienced experts, such as Bas Eickhout, member of the European Parliament, Laura de Vries of the Young Climate Movement, Arjen Kapteijns, also known as The Hague alderman for Sustainability, Energy Transition and Climate Adaptation, Prof dr. Herman Russchenberg of Delft University, Giulia Teodoro from the European Climate Pact, and Dr. Laura Stevens whose knowledge of biomimicry is well known within THUAS. Rosa Groen moderated the afternoon.

During these conversations, many different questions were asked about European Climate Policy. And the fact that we, as a 'young generation', were allowed to question these panel members made it much more exciting.

After a short break it was time for the workshops, where students could apply the theory from the first half of the meeting in their chosen workshops. As the title of the meeting suggests, the workshops were about nothing less than the climate.

For example, there was the workshop of Dr. Laura Stevens from the Industrial Design Engineering programme. Here, students got to work with biomimicry, using solutions from nature, for example in sustainable construction, to get inspired by. Certainly not surprising, because the term biomimicry is derived from the contraction of the Greek words bios 'life' and mimesis 'to imitate', so literally 'to imitate life'.

In addition, Public Administration students provided information in their workshops about The Hague - the international city of peace and justice - and about European climate policy, in order to find out how familiar these subjects are among local residents. The students hoped to learn more about this by conducting various interviews with young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods in The Hague. Many topics are discussed in these interviews for example questions about the 'just transition' and the 'Fit for 55 package'.

Based on scenarios, the students of International and European Law considered whether traveling in a group of friends was more justifiable by train or plane.

After the workshops were over, everyone moved back to the Speakers' Corner. There were more people than before and it seemed as if they had received a lot of energy from the workshops. The panel members had also taken a look at the workshops. Jeremy Herry, representative of the Directorate General Climate Action at the European Commission (DG CLIMA), said he was proud to have attended the workshop on biomimicry. He called it "an idea of the future" to think so small and yet so big.

Two new panel members took their seats and the students were given the opportunity to share their own outcomes from the workshops. Ideal of course, because that way the students who had organized the workshops received immediate feedback on their workshops.

The audience also had the opportunity to talk to the panel members, organizers and today's moderator during a networking moment. All in all, a day to look back on with great pleasure and energy!

By: Cathelijne de Groot, student-assistent research group Changing Role of Europe

On Monday 3 April, several students gathered in the Speakers' Corner of The Hague University of Applied Sciences to discuss the topic How EU Climate Policies affect the Younger Generation, a meeting at the initiative of the European Impact Hub in collaboration with the House of Europe – the Liaison office of the European Parliament and the representatives of the European Commission in The Hague.

Talking about ‘How EU Climate Policies affect the Younger Generation

The question of direct EU funding instruments for cities is high on the agenda of European cities and regions. Subnational authorities might have diverging reasons to advocate for such realignments, whether it is over rule of law concerns on the national level, absorption of migrants or facilitating the green transition.

This short report gives a first impression of which avenues cities might want to invest in in terms of putting EU funding under the direct management of the European Commission on the policy-agenda. A follow-up project could
look in more detail at the past and current configurations of funding in the EU budget and at what could be possible in terms of reconfiguring the budget, such that the EU’s funding instruments are better equipped to help cities tackle with their (g)local challenges.

Which channels exist for a local or regional government to access EU funding directly, without the need for interference of the national government? This was the main question our researcher Tibor Hargitai investigated following a case presented by the City of Budapest. The results of the study are now published in a small report.

New Report: Finding the Way to Direct EU Funding for Cities

The European Impact Hub of the Haage Hogeschool launches 

 ('Return trip to Brussels'); an accessible booklet that gives insight into how nine Dutch people in different roles are active around European decision-making.

Authors Mendeltje van Keulen and Chris Aalbers both have decades of experience with 'Brussels'. Based on their conversations with professionals, they show the reader why it is relevant to sit at the table with policymakers in Brussels. If you understand the Brussels process, your impact can be huge.



provides a transparent look at how policy is created in Brussels and how you, as an organisation, can play a serious role in this process. Through nine interviews with the people who are 'in the business' everyday, the authors take the reader into the heart of European decision-making.

Mendeltje van Keulen says of the content: 

"Retourtje Brussel has that name because, as professionals in Dutch organisations, we need to realise how important it is to have a seat at the table in Brussels with European policymakers. It does not have to cost more than a train ticket Netherlands-Brussels. Access to the EU is free."

'Retourtje Brussel' is available in bookshops and online including at:

In 'Retourtje Brussel' (translated: 'Return trip to Brussels'), Chris Aalberts and Mendeltje van Keulen speak with nine Dutch professionals working in Brussels. The conversations form a picture of the daily practice of European cooperation  and how 'the Netherlands' takes part in this. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the EU from a practical point of view

New book 'Retourtje Brussel': How do the Dutch work on European cooperation

In early September, the European Impact Hub organised the first meeting of a Community of Practice with four municipalities and one province on European awareness within their organisations. This Community of Practice aims to jointly develop solutions to make the municipal organisation more aware and skilled in European affairs.

Why is this important? Many tasks of municipalities and regions can be supported by European cooperation. Municipalities and provinces can apply for European funds. But equally important is the exchange of knowledge between cities, influencing European Commission policy and putting your city or region on the map.

This Community of Practice is an excellent way for the European Impact Hub, in cooperation with partners in practice, to build a bridge between applied research and education at The Hague University of Applied Sciences.

Collaborating on European awareness in municipalities and provinces

For her research, Rosa studied eight cases in which the four cities of The Hague, Geneva, Vienna and Copenhagen faced international competition on bringing in international organizations. In half of the cases, the city had failed and in the other half they were successful.

- Networks bringing in International organizations should behave like a host, listen carefully to the needs of the international employees, and be more outward-looking.

- More people and more different people could be involved in the networks to successfully bring in International Organizations.

- Engaged networks that walked 'the extra mile' are more successful in bringing in International Organizations than those that do not. This includes publicizing the importance of International Organizations in the city or country, locally and internationally.

After completing her PhD, Rosa will use her knowledge in her work at the European Impact Hub. The knowledge from her research is valuable because it can be applied to cases of housing European agencies. Furthermore, the research informs us about how (international) policy networks can be successfully set up and how they relate to the international community in a city (such as Brussels or The Hague).

On 24 November, our team member Rosa Groen will defend her PhD thesis 'Walking the Extra Mile; How governance networks attract International Organizations to Geneva, The Hague, Vienna, and Copenhagen (1995-2015)' in Leiden.

Hosting an international organisation in your city; #how?

Nabeschouwing van de Conferentie over de Toekomst van Europa

We openen het café samen met onze speciale gast Tom de Bruijn. Tom was wethouder in de gemeente Den Haag, minister van Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerkingen en permanent vertegenwoordiger van Nederland bij de EU.

Na de opening is er tijd drie interessante deelsessies: Europa in het gemeentehuis, hoe werken we aan Europa-bewustzijn?; Hoe ondersteunen we ons lokaal MKB om Europees actief te worden?; Europa: pinautomaat voor gemeenten of verspilde moeite?

Uiteraard sluiten we dag af met een borrel. Heeft het programma je nieuwsgierig gemaakt? Nodig je collega’s uit en kom langs voor een kop koffie in ons café. Het café is open voor alle geïnteresseerden, maar zal vooral voor beleidsmakers werkzaam in één van de 344 gemeentehuizen in Nederland als een warm bad aanvoelen.

Er is plaats voor 75 deelnemers, waarvan maximaal 15 studenten. 

Openingstijd: Donderdag 2 juni 2022, 14.00 t/m 17.00 uur (programma start om 14.30 uur)

Organisator: Lectoraat Changing Role of Europe / European Impact Hub

Op 2 juni opent éénmalig ons inspiratiecafé ‘Brussel & het stadhuis’; de ontmoetingsplaats voor iedereen die nieuwsgierig is naar het maken van ‘de Europese stap’ vanuit hun werk voor een lokale overheid.

Inspiration cafe Brussel & the cityhall

Research lunch Rosa Groen

Talkshow: waar is Europa in de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen?

Column Mendeltje van Keulen in Brusselse Nieuwe

Samen met de provincie Zuid-Holland en de gemeenten Den Haag, Dordrecht, Leiden en Rotterdam verkende European Impact Hub via een Community of Practice hoe gemeenten en provincies werken aan Europese kansen.

We trokken 13 lessen als professionals en onderzoekers, in onze gezamenlijke community of practice.

Lees je mee? 

Je kunt de 13 lessen lezen in dit rapport

.

Ook interesse in een community of practice? Mail onze onderzoeker Tibor Hargitai via t.a.j.hargitai@hhs.nl!

Hoe wordt jouw organisatie Europabewust en -bekwaam?
Brusselse invloed, kennisdeling of Europese subsidies: ze vergen aandacht van je inhoudelijke collega’s én de top.

Hoe wordt jouw organisatie Europabewust en -bekwaam?

Our team members are regularly invited for engaging meetings about the practice of European politics and governance at companies, governments, or events.

European Impact Hub can organise a lecture, class, workshop, or debate specially suited to your target group.

Our lectures are not just another powerpoint presentation with slides on institutions and procedures. Using practical and recognisable examples, we illustrate the ins and outs of the daily work of the European Union for your case. The audience will regularly laugh and nod in agreement!

Curious about events we are organising soon? Take a look at our newsroom

Are you looking for an inspiring and activating event engaging colleagues in European affairs? European Impact Hub provides lecture (series), workshop or panel debate, tailor-made to your organisation or audience.

Guest lectures and debates

How can the European dimension help you to realise your challenge, annual strategy, implementation programme or daily activities? European Impact hub teaches professionals in government, business, and NGOs. Our offer consists of training programmes based on individual enrolment and customised courses for organisations and departments.

European Impact Hub offers training for professionals at different levels and in different types of organisations about the practice of European working.

Trainings and Masterclasses

How can we organise a good flow of EU information? How can I represent my organisation's interests in Brussels? Which competences do my staff members lack to better engage with European opportunities?

These are some of the questions the European Impact Hub has addressed in recent years for the organisation and the public and private sector. e use a broad basic knowledge of the theory and practice of European work as a starting point. We complement this with an applied research design focused on your case. Our task does not end with the delivery of a research report. We actively engage in the practical development and implementation of research findings in the workplace, or in other words: impact!

This distinguishes us from 'traditional' academic researchers. Knowledge is there to create change, not to end up on a shelf somewhere.

Collaborating with European Impact Hub is not just consultancy. It also means making a social contribution to future-proof education. The knowledge gained from our policy research helps to keep educational curricula at The Hague University up to date. In this way, you indirectly contribute to educating a new generation of European professionals with the right knowledge and skills. Together we prepare your employees of the future for the challenges they will encounter in the workplace.

One foot in the world of research and education and the other in professional practice: that characterises the team members of the European Impact Hub. This bridging function positions us perfectly to apply our knowledge into challenges of professional working practice. We provide this service this for governments, businesses and public interest groups.

Policy research and evaluation

More information on this offer will be made available on short notice.

EU scan and monitoring

At the lectorate we like to work with enthusiastic students. Besides refreshing insights, they bring a good dose of current knowledge and skills. Does your organisation have a European challenge? Via Student Consultancy we can offer you a comprehensive analysis, practical advice or customised solution. By doing so, you help to improve your own working practices and you contribute to the preparation of a new generation of European-skilled? professionals.

European Impact hub is part of the Hague University of Applied Sciences: the largest Applied Science educator for future professionals in the field of European studies, (international) public management, (International and European) law, (international) communication and business administration in The Netherlands. During their education students apply their knowledge for real world employers. Via Student Consultancy, they can provide assistance with a European issue in your organisation.

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