EU issues are mostly addressed only from a legal angle.There is an urgent need for the provision of more education regarding EU issues. We aim to fill this gap on the basis of our multidisciplinary approach to European integration at the Media Governance & Industries Research Lab to serve professionals, civil society, the press and policymakers internationally. Freedom of Expression, Privacy, Copyright and ownership are foci in media policy that affect understandings of integration. A free and pluralistic media is crucial for European democracy.The University of Vienna sees this as a strategic step towards the enhancement of research in, education and public debate about European integration in the region. The Chair studies the processes of media policy-making on European level and their connections to international dimensions of governance, i.e. the role of institutions, new actors and new constellations of ‘alliances’ in the construction of policy ‘flows’; the recent and historical process of European integration examined through/and the development of media and cultural policies; the role of media and cultural governance in the pursuit of social cohesion vis a vis European integration; the place of media in generating an ‘everyday’ European public sphere in times of crisis (financial, migration, membership) and its impact on questions of legitimacy of the European projectEnvisaged impact of the Chair:· To stimulate interest in European integration and communication governance among students in Central and South East Europe with new courses in European Media Governance Studies· To facilitate and curate public debates for multi-stakeholders on the challenges of the governance of the EU and its role in communication and culture in the light of crises and challenges to the European Project· To enhance regional cooperation through exchange between higher education institutions, media industries and policymakers