Our Mission
The European Education Center (MTÜ) is an Estonian non-profit organization dedicated to connecting youth with Europe through non-formal education, innovation, and academic initiatives.
Founded in 2017 and rooted in Georgia, we began as a civic initiative promoting European values and democratic awareness, among young people in Georgia.
Today, with its European foundation in Estonia, the organization aims as a bridge between Eastern Partnership countries and the European Union — fostering educational mobility, cross-border cooperation, and youth participation in Europe’s democratic and digital transformation.
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Guided by the mission to empower youth through non-formal education and international cooperation, we continue to expand our work in European integration, digital education, and civic engagement — inspiring a new generation of globally minded and responsible citizens.
Our Story
The European Education Center was founded in 2017 with a simple but ambitious idea — to bring young Georgians closer to Europe by creating meaningful educational experiences beyond classroom walls.
What began as a grassroots civic initiative soon grew into a recognized platform for youth diplomacy, innovation, and international learning. Over the years, our programs have taken hundreds of students and young professionals to Brussels, Strasbourg, Geneva, San Francisco, and the Baltic capitals, offering them first-hand engagement with the European Union, NATO, and leading innovation ecosystems.
In 2025, the organization expanded its activities to Estonia, establishing the European Education Center (MTÜ) — a European-based non-profit that continues to strengthen ties between the EU and the Eastern Partnership region.
Today, the Center leads a diverse portfolio of projects — from the European Study Trip and Modern Science Trip, to TechExpedition in Silicon Valley and BalTech in the Baltics — all sharing the same goal:
to connect, inspire, and empower the next generation of European thinkers and changemakers.
Meet our founder
Giorgi Benashvili has been the founder and managing director of the European Education Center platforms since 2017. He is an economist and educator originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, but currently based in Tallinn, Estonia.
His research focuses on international economics, economic security, and politics. Giorgi holds a doctoral degree in Economics from Tbilisi State University and, during his PhD studies, received numerous prestigious fellowships, spending academic semesters at top European universities, including Wirtschaftsuniversität in Vienna and the University of Tartu.
In addition to his academic work, Giorgi is an active public diplomacy advocate and political commentator in Georgia. He currently leads the European Education Center, a non-formal education association, where he champions Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration through innovative academic programs for youth.
Giorgi is a frequent speaker and moderator at Economic Forum in Poland. He has participated in the 42nd Manfred Wörner Seminar—a leading transatlantic security event organized by the German Bundeswehr—and the Warsaw Euro-Atlantic Summer Academy, organized by the College of Europe in Natolin.
He holds an M.A. in International Economics and a B.Sc. in Political Science, both from Tbilisi State University. Giorgi is also the author of nine academic publications.