Meet an Alumni - Andrej Popović
Andrej Popović, alumnus of Europa Master programme
After graduating from the Faculty of Political Science in Montenegro, my desire to continue on the path towards self-development by improving knowledge, skills and academic capacity was omnipresent. In order to achieve it, I thought that studying abroad could be an essential tool. When I was informed by one of my colleagues who was at that time a Europa Master student that there is a possibility to apply for the Europa Master programme, I was curious and willing to get on the board and the rest is history.
The Europa Master programme is a unique project per se, which gathers people of different cultural and educational backgrounds, lifestyles and living standards, who are eventually fused into a group of young intellectuals, ready to contribute to the well-being and cohesion of European society. Thus, being part of a Europa Master journey makes me feel honored and privileged. Throughout my studies in Poland, Germany and France, I got acquainted with the manifold aspects of European integration, social movements, institutions of the European Union, as well as European Law. Such a unique experience is priceless and from today’s perspective I can say that I ameliorated understanding of European contemporary politics, enriched with shrewd thinking, sophisticated political perceptions and constructive deliberations. I have always been intrinsically pro-European, and Europa Master motivated me to push forward the ideas of European integration, inclusiveness and solidarity, much needed in these challenging times. Consequently, the motto Study Europe - Live Europedescribes the programme at its finest.
My Master thesis was dedicated to the new social movements, particularly to the Central-Eastern environmental movements in the communist and post-communist era under the mentorship of Professor Joanna Kulska, PhD. Having in mind that in the last few years environmental issues have been put in the limelight of political and social discourse, I assumed that this topic would be of great importance both, to our and future generations. As a nature lover, I wanted to highlight the need to protect the nature and to illuminate the fact that, in the past decades, environmental movements have had critical political strength to dramatically change the political landscape of Central-Eastern Europe. Nowadays, we are witnessing a strong shift towards green economy at the European level, accelerated with a demand for preserving the natural environment and transition to renewable energy sources. In that regard, I contend that environmental movements have largely contributed to raising awareness of environmental protection. Moreover, the necessity to adequately resolve environmental concerns has led EU institutions and its decision-makers to create the recent strategic and ambitious European Green Deal to make a greener Europe.
I successfully completed my internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro where I am currently working as a diplomat. The experience I gained while studying at three different European universities, enabled me to carry out assigned duties effectively and to be productive.
I am looking forward to meeting fellow colleagues from the Europa Master programme in the near future, and I strongly recommend this fascinating adventure to all interested students, hungry for knowledge while being open to social and cultural integration.
Greetings from Montenegro!
written by Andrej Popović