The objectives of the “Kobe Programme for Enhancing European Union Studies (KPEEUS)” are to further strengthen the activities that Kobe University (KU) has made for EU studies for the last ten years and to make KU a top EU study centre in Asia.KU has offered such special programmes as the “Certificate Programme in EU studies” and the “KU Programme for European Studies (KUPES)”. In spite of these efforts, the interest and knowledge level of Japanese students on the EU remains not so high.Thus, the applicant professor will implement following activities in order to enhance the activities and the role of KU as a centre of EU studies:1) to increase the number of students enrolling in and accomplishing the programmes,2) to make the programmes more attractive to students,3) to make KU be a centre for bringing up specialists in the EU economy, especially of the new member countries,4) to disseminate outcomes of EU studies at KU.The expected outcomes and impact of KPEEUS are, at first, increase of the number of students enrolling in and accomplishing the programmes, and the general public having interests in the EU. Secondly, various activities of KEEPUS will diversify and deepen their interests in the EU. Thirdly, through bringing up the next generation of researchers the sustainability of EU studies, especially of economies in the Central and Eastern European countries, in Japan will be ensured. Furthermore, KPEEUS will raise the level of EU studies in Japan at an international level, by taking students to workshops abroad, by bringing up researchers who have good experience in studying in the EU, by actively disseminating the results, and so on. In other words, KPEEUS will surely raise the visibility of EU studies provided by KU among students and the general public, and strengthen EU studies at an international level.