Country: Slovenia 
Director: Prof. Maja Bučar
Contact: Polona Mlinarič (CIR Secretariat)
Established in 1981, the Centre of International Relations (CIR) is an integral part of the research Institute of Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana. CIR has become one of the central national and regional institutes providing expertise in the fields of International Relations, European Integration and International Economy. The research centre is headed by prof. dr. Maja Bučar and consists of more than 20 members. CIR members are integrated in teaching activities at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Their research provides the basis for the conduct of graduate and undergraduate courses of the study programmes in International Relations and European Studies (undergraduate), as well as International Relations, Diplomacy, Security Studies and European Studies (postgraduate). CIR members also teach within international inter-university graduate programmes.
CIR has a history of national and international partnerships and cooperation in the areas of research, publishing, organising conferences and workshops, national and international consulting and performing other professional activities in the field of international relations either with similar institutions or other public and private actors. In addition to being a TEPSA member, CIR is a member of WISC, EADI and EUROMESCO. Individual CIR researchers are members of and hold positions in a number of international associations, such as the Standing Group on International Relations of the ECPR, CEEISA, RESER, ISA, ECSA, EIBA, IPSA, ILA etc.
CIR has successfully implemented several Jean Monnet European Modules (e.g. a module on Shaping the EU Trade Policy, a module on European Negotiations, and a module on the EU Environmental Policy). CIR contributed to EU-25/27/28 Watch and to the Lisbon Watch. The topics of research include: EU enlargement, transformation processes in CEE, voting arrangements in European and international organisations, EU as a global actor, EU’s policy towards the Mediterranean, EU-Russia energy relations, CAP; the role of international parliamentary organs in democratisation in the international community, conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction in Western Balkans, minority protection in Europe, foreign policy of small states, codification of the international law of diplomacy, economic diplomacy, contemporary regionalism, theory and the methodology of International Relations; globalisation and regionalisation processes in the world economy, international trade and FDI/MNCs, national innovation systems, role of services in innovation processes and in international trade.
CIR has recently been involved in an ERASMUS + project ‘VCL4IB – Open Access Digital Video Case Library for Teaching International Business’ and the Europe for Citizens project ‘PopEU – Anti EU-rhetoric versus own national interests? Nationalistic populism and its reception in Central Europe’. It also has experience in EU COST, EU FP7, MN UNDP Kapuscinski Development Lectures, and EU LLP projects.
CIR was also a partner in two EU FP6 networks of excellence: GARNET: Network of Excellence on Global Governance, Regionalisation and Regulation: The Role of the EU, and EUCONSENT: Wider Europe, Deeper Integration? CIR was also a member of the EC-funded LISBOAN Network.
The results of CIR’s work are widely disseminated. Together with Palgrave, the CIR publishes the Journal of International Relations and Development, the official journal of the CEEISA indexed in the SSCI. In 2009, CIR also initiated its electronic book series titled the CIR Analyses.
Latest News:
- “International Business, 2nd Edition”, Peter J. Buckley, Peter Enderwick and Hinrich Voss (CIR, Slovenia)
- “Slovenia: High interest in the complementarity of the Three Seas Initiative with EU regional development frameworks”, Ana Bojinović Fenko (CIR, Slovenia)
- “A New Eastern Question? Great Powers and the Post-Yugoslav States”, Soeren Keil and Bernhard Stahl (CIR, Slovenia)
- Trans European Policy Studies Association Launches Book on Russia and the Future of Europe
- “Examination of Afghanistan’s Development Traps”, Klemen Knez and Tina G. Lokar (CIR, Slovenia)
- Second Student Conference on International Relations (CIR, Slovenia)
- CIR Members at the Event on Addressing Euroscepticism and Illiberalism in the EU (CIR, Slovenia)
- StR-ESFRI3 project kick-off (CIR, Slovenia)
- The Faculty of Social Sciences launches the H2020 project StR-ESFRI3 (CIR, Slovenia)
- “Slovenia as a Stress Test of the EU’s External Dimension of Energy Policy: Case Studies of Russian and American Influence”, Danijel Crnčec and Ana Bojinović Fenko (CIR, Slovenia)
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