Initiative expressed by: Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies, Department of International Relations, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) and Institute for Development and International Relations (Croatia)

Project leaders: Vlad Vernygora and Senada Šelo Šabić

Time-frame: September 2016 – April 2017

In the framework of 16+1 China-CEEC Think Tanks Network Cooperation, there is a joint proposal expressed by the two aforementioned Network members to issue a call for academic papers on the Belt and Road Initiative and Europe’s involvement into the process of its implementation for Baltic Journal of European Studies or BJES [http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/bjes] (published by Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia) and Croatian International Relations Review or CIRR [http://cirr.irmo.hr/] (published by Institute for Development and International Relations, Croatia). At this moment, both editions are ‘residing’ on the publishing platform on De Gruyter and widely read throughout their respective regions of origin – the area of the Baltic and Nordic Europe and the Balkans.

The preliminary algorithm of activities is as follows:

September 2016 – call for papers is issued

December 2016 – all submissions received for peer-review

December 2016 – January 2017 – peer-review is taking place

January 2017 – the selected submissions are getting amended in accordance to the peer-review-originated feedback

February 2017 – re-submission of the amended papers for publication

April 2017 – the two journals are in print and available online for international academic readership

The proposed concept would allow for accommodation of about 18 articles being split between the two journals. The BJES’ part could be concentrating on the materials related to the Baltics/Nordics, and the CIRR’s collection of articles could be enlightening the readership about the Balkans’ involvement into the process. On the top of that, both editions will be featuring some general materials on the issue.

In order to distribute the articles between the two editions in the appropriate and thorough manner, the initial submissions of materials will be made into one ‘basket’. By the end of the project, however, each of the two journals should have no more than 9 top-class articles chosen for publishing.

With the aim to have received more submissions from the Chinese side, both editions will be having a guest co-editor-in-chief from Institute of European Studies, CASS (proposed co-editors are Professor Huang Ping and Dr. Liu Zuokui). The Estonian and Croatian editors-in-chief remain the same, with the main point of this project’s coordination being Vlad Vernygora, Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies (Estonia).

During the process, there may be a need for the editorial team to meet at least once and discuss the status quo in person. It could be suggested that such a meeting has plenty of logic to be arranged at a time when Dr. Liu Zuokui is visiting Europe. Then the simple economy class flights to a particular European location for Senada Šelo Šabić and Vlad Vernygora are booked in a centralised manner by CASS.