The project “SEnECA – Strengthening and Energizing EU-Central Asia Relations” sought to improve research cooperation and to strengthen capacities in research and policy advice in the EU and Central Asia, having recognised the importance of Central Asia for Europe.

An international consortium, with twelve partner organisations from the EU and Central Asia, led by Prof. Dr. Michael Kaeding, professor for European politics at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and Dr. Katrin Böttger, Deputy Director of the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP) mapped and analysed the relations between the two regions in order to make recommendations to stakeholders on future research cooperation, policies and communication. The project was funded with around 1.5 million Euros under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme for a period of two years.

SEnECA had four main objectives:

1. to establish an interdisciplinary network of researchers working on Central Asia in Europe and European integration in Central Asia;
2. to accompany and give recommendations on the revision of the EU-Central Asia Strategy;
3. to intensify the existing relations between the EU and Central Asia; and
4. to promote the relevance of Central Asia to Europe among academics, policy-makers, media and civil society.

Researchers and relevant stakeholders from Central Asia and Europe met seven times during the projects’ duration in Europe and Central Asia in order to establish and maintain contacts among each other. A public photo exhibition with a high-level panel debate in Brussels depicted daily life in Central Asia and brought Central Asia closer to European citizens. The project ended with a public conference in Brussels, where the outcomes and recommendations that have been gathered during the project lifetime were presented.