Elitsa Kortenska worked on an international research consortium titled “Maximizing the integration Capacity of European Union, Lessons of and Prospects of Enlargement and Beyond” (MAXCAP). Her research focuses on citizens’ perceptions and discourses towards past EU enlargements and the prospects of future ones.

More information about Elitsa Kortenska

Since July, 2013 Elitsa has been a Ph.D. Researcher at the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University. She is part of the Leiden University team of scholars, working on an international research consortium titled “Maximizing the integration Capacity of European Union, Lessons of and Prospects of Enlargement and Beyond” (MAXCAP), funded under European Commission’s 7 ^thFP. Her research focuses on citizens’ perceptions and discourses towards past EU enlargements and the prospects of future ones.

Elitsa’s broad research interests cover various European integration topics, EU Eastern Enlargement and European citizens’ responses to EU institutions and policies – support, trust or indifference and also EU immigration patterns, policies and crises responses. She is further interested in European public sphere, media and political communication. As LU team is a co-coordinating institution of MAXCAP, Elitsa supports the research organization and coordination of the various working packages, related to broad range of topics related to the 2004-2007 EU enlargement rounds.

As part of the Institute of Public Administration at Leiden University, Elitsa is a member of the Central and East European Studies Center, opened in September, 2015. The CEES center is a collaborative platform between the Faculties of Law, Faculty of Political Science and the Institute of Public Administration for research on topics related to the region.

Background

Elitsa Kortenska graduated from American University in Bulgaria with a double BA in Political Science and International Relations and Journalism and Mass Communications in 2011. She completed her Masters’ Degree in Public Administration at Leiden University, specializing in Crisis and Security Management in 2012. Elitsa’s master thesis topic was on public opinions and attitudes towards the EU after the last rounds of EU enlargement and how they are affected by real levels of immigration. This research project is on-going and continues to expand. She is now looking forward to defending her Doctoral Dissertation at Leiden University in 2017.

Education

BA Political Science and International Relations (2011); BA Journalism and Mass Communications (2011); MSc Public Administration: Crises and Security Management (2012).

Research

Research on European integration, public opinion and attitudes, political discourses, EU enlargement,  migration flows, European public sphere

News

Kortenska, E & Lebanidze, B. (2015) “ MAXCAP in Istanbul - Two Years after Berlin: EU Integration Capacity - Past, Present, Future” MAXCAP Newsletter Series No. 5, p. 3-11 

Publications