The Victor Pinchuk Foundation is supporting a new research program of the Brookings Institution, a private nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. devoted to independent research and innovative policy

solutions. Titled "Frontiers of Europe," the project is analyzing the current challenges surrounding the expansion of Europe.

Specifically, the project will examine in detail a myriad of pressing security and economic questions, including the following:  Where might the realistic limit of an enlarged EU be, now that countries in Eastern and Southern Europe are becoming plausible candidates? What type of relationship can the EU and NATO have with countries that are on its borders but may not join the EU in the near future? What are U. S. interests in this region and what role should it play in enlargement?

The overall aim of "The Frontiers of Europe" is to spur constructive dialogue and develop policy solutions to address the challenge of Europe's expansion. For both current and prospective members of European institutions, the project will help foster consensus on the criteria for further enlargement and will help improve understanding of how enlargement advances common interests in Europe.

The project will be carried out in 2007 and 2008 through regional workshops that include experts from Europe and the United States, through a series of analytical papers, and through a major concluding conference in Kiev in 2008. Drawing upon the results of the regional workshops, the Brookings Institution will produce a major publication with analysis on Europe and its choices for enlargement.

Learn more at www.brook.edu