EUi’s Development
The European Union (EU) establishes the European Documentation Centres (EDCs) around the world in order to help universities and research institutes promote and develop education and research on European integration. Furthermore, the EU encourages the EDCs to let ordinary citizens to know and learn more about the EU's policies.
The first EDCs were set up in 1963. There are now 697 centres altogether located in the EU's member states and other countries, mostly in universities, with 403 in the member states. Till now the European Documentation Centre (EDC) at Tamkang University (TKU) Chueh Sheng Memorial Library is the first and one of the only two EU's depository library in Taiwan.
The TKU and the European Community signed an agreement in December 1979 and accorded the TKU the status of a European Documentation Centre. This agreement marked the successful outcome of an application to the European Commission made by the Tamkang Graduate Institute of European Studies.
The European Documentation Centre at TKU, the first one centre in Taiwan is open in 1979 and located in the same building as the Tamkang Graduate Institute of European Studies. From then on our EDC was allowed to regularly receive all the official publications and documentation of the EU's institutions and various governing bodies. They include the texts of all legislations made by the EC (EU), as well as the bulletins, green papers, white papers, reports, policy statements, statistical material, and records of debates, etc.
Thanks to getting more and more documentation from the EC, the Tamkang Graduate Institute of European Studies decided at the end of year 1991 to move all the documentation to the Main Library of Tamkang University for reservation.
The new Main Library(Chueh Sheng Memorial Library)at TKU constructed in February 1995, was completed and opened in September 1996, and at the same time mapped out several exclusive shelves for EU's documentation on the fifth story. In September 2000, an exclusive area for the EDC was set up, located in the fifth story in the Main Library.
In April 2004, we published the first issue of "EDC Newsletter, Tamkang University" (since December 2006 replaced by the name of "EUi Newsletter Tamkang University").
In accordance with the new information strategy "EU in the world", the European Commission agreed to set up a general source of information on the EU "EUi" within the host structure. In September 2006 Tamkang University, represented by the former director Prof. Huang, Hong-chu of the Chueh Sheng Memorial Library, signed the "EUi Agreement" with the European Community, represented by the former Head of Office, European European Economic and Trade Office(EETO) in Taiwan, McDonald, Brian. From then on the original name EDC was replaced by the European Info Centre (EUi).
Our European Info Centre at TKU provides students, professors doing research in the EU's related topics with an important study and research basis.
The EETO introduces our EUi in "EU Newsletter" published in April 2010 and praise our development.
