David Piesk, student of the Master's in International Relations (2018-19), is the author of the student paper “Addressing the urban-rural divide in the European Union. Fostering solidarity by helping rural areas to catch up”, winner of the student contest organised by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA).

This is the second edition of the TEPSA student contest on the theme of "solidarity in the EU". In 2018 the work of the IBEI student Rocío Fernandez was also awarded.

The paper by David Piesk argues that “the increasing gap between cities and the countryside represents one of the biggest current challenges for Europe in the context of social cohesion”. He, therefore, argues that “If the EU wants to stay a community where its own proclaimed values of freedom, equality and human dignity matter, it is crucial that policymakers on European and national level as well as civil society translate these values into policies allowing rural areas to catch up and to be part of an EU integration project that puts solidarity – socially and economically – at the core of its agenda”.

Congratulations to David Piesk for this award!

🔎  Check all the winners of TEPSA’s Student Contest 2019

  David Piesk, Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI), "Addressing the urban-rural divide in the European Union. Fostering solidarity by helping rural areas to catch up"