Robert Austin awarded Jean Monnet Chair to advance study of rule of law and EU enlargement
Professor Robert Austin at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Associate Director of the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) has been awarded a Jean Monnet Chair by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme.
The three-year award will support a new initiative, Enlarging Europe, Upholding Justice: Advancing the Rule of Law Standards Across EU Applicants and Candidates, focused on the rule of law and transitional justice in the context of European Union enlargement.
“Being awarded this Chair is one of the highlights of my career,” says Austin.
The Jean Monnet Chair will bring European scholars and practitioners to the University of Toronto, support new research and training opportunities for students, and build connections with partner institutions across Europe.
Creating new opportunities for students
A central component of the initiative will be expanding opportunities for students in CEES’s European Affairs undergraduate program and the MA in European and Eurasian Studies.
Over the three-year project, students will be able to participate in intensive, for-credit workshops led by European academics and practitioners visiting Toronto. Topics will include EU governance, enlargement, European security, foreign policy and disinformation.
The Chair will also support funded research traineeships, giving selected students the opportunity to work with Austin on EU-focused research projects, as well as specialized research training in partnership with the Petro Jacyk Central and East European Resource Centre at Robarts Library.
Students will also take part in Global Classroom initiatives connecting U of T with partner universities in Europe, including the University of Regensburg and the University of Graz.
“One of the things that stands out for CEES is our workshop program which brings experts from Europe to teach short and intensive courses. The Jean Monnet Char in Rule of Law allows us to build on this and expand to our European Affairs undergrads. As well, we are able to offer some traineeships for our undergraduates,” Austin says.
An international workshop planned for Toronto in Spring 2029 will bring together scholars and students from Canada and Europe to examine the rule of law, reconciliation, education and transitional justice in EU candidate and applicant countries.
Connecting U of T with European expertise
The Chair builds on CEES’s existing academic and institutional connections across Europe.
“It also allows us to build on some already strong existing partnerships in Europe, especially at the University of Graz and the University of Regensburg,” Austin says.
The initiative will also launch a new European Union Lecture Series, bringing European scholars and practitioners to U of T for public events on contemporary issues facing Europe. The series will provide opportunities for students, faculty and members of the broader community to engage with researchers and practitioners working in the field.
Austin will continue his research on the rule of law and transitional justice in the EU’s neighbourhood, with a particular focus on the Western Balkans, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
“I have long been working on rule of law and transitional justice issues in the Balkans and the Caucasus,” Austin says. “This is what I will continue to do with the support from the European Union.”
The Jean Monnet Chair builds on CEES’s longstanding focus on experiential and internationally engaged education. The Centre is home to the European Affairs undergraduate program and the MA in European and Eurasian Studies, both evaluated as Gold Standard programs.
Austin is an award-winning educator and scholar of Europe. In 2025, he received the University of Toronto President’s Teaching Award, the university’s highest recognition for sustained teaching excellence. He also received the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2022 and the Ranjini Ghosh Excellence in Teaching Award in 2020.
He is the author of five books on the Balkans and Central Europe and has served as associate director of CEES since 2020, coordinating the Centre’s undergraduate and graduate programs. He has also been a visiting scholar at the University of Graz, the University of Regensburg, Central European University and the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna.
The Jean Monnet Chair is funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme.
Through the three-year initiative, CEES will expand opportunities for students to engage with European scholarship and research while strengthening connections between U of T and institutions across Europe.
Learn more about the Jean Monnet Chair here.
