Gergana Noutcheva

Gergana Noutcheva is an Associate Professor in International Relations and European Foreign Policy at the Department of Political Science, Maastricht University. She holds a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh (2006). Previously, she served as a Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (2002-2006) and a Marie Curie Fellow at Maastricht University (2008-2010). She has coordinated the MA module 'The EU as an International Player' and taught courses like 'The EU and Democracy Promotion'.

Her research focuses on the European Neighborhood Policy, democratization in the Balkans and post-Soviet regions, and EU foreign policy dynamics. Key areas include the EU's normative and strategic engagement in conflict resolution and democracy promotion, particularly in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries. She has authored/co-edited books such as *European Foreign Policy and the Challenges of Balkan Accession* (2012) and *The EU and Its Neighbours* (2013).

Recent work examines EU policy responses to crises like the Ukraine conflict and the Arab Spring, emphasizing internal rule-of-law challenges and geopolitical strategy. Her research projects include analyses of EU enlargement impacts on governance in Bulgaria/Romania and the EU's contested role in regions like Kosovo and Abkhazia.

Noutcheva has supervised MA and BA theses on EU-related topics since 2007. She actively contributes to policy debates through publications with institutions like the Instituto Affari Internazionali and CEPS. Her work bridges academic rigor and policy relevance in EU external relations.