European Union, which is very often criticized from within for the lack of unity and of efficient and well-coordinated foreign policy, is commonly seen from outside as both a “black box” and a very abstract unit. Students and experts in International Relations, as well as general public in Russia have very vague perceptions of the institutional architecture, decision-making processes and the nature of relationship between different actors and levels of governance within the EU political system. Even EU studies in Russia are mostly reduced to the expertise in EU-Russia relations. This simplistic approach should be regarded as one of the key reasons for mutual misperceptions and misunderstanding. Russian higher education institutions lack courses and in-depth analysis based on primary research dealing with endogenous threats and challenges that the EU, its member states, and Europeans face today. That is the reason why the realization of the project aimed at teaching and research on these issues at Irkutsk State University is of high importance. The project will include teaching three (one new and two established) courses on European Union studies embodied in ISU BA and MA degree programs in International Relations, a series of public lectures on EU-related issues, and implementation of research study on politicization of Europe in Italy and Europeanization of Italian political sphere.