The
College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies with the main campus in
Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1949 by such leading European figures and
founding fathers of the European Union as
Salvador de Madariaga,
Winston Churchill,
Paul-Henri Spaak and
Alcide De Gasperi in the wake of the
Hague Congress of 1948 to promote "a spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding between all the nations of
Western Europe and to provide
elite training to individuals who will uphold these values" and "to train an elite of young executives for Europe." It has the status of "Institution of Public Interest", operating according to Belgian law. Since 1993 the college has also had an additional smaller campus in
Natolin, Poland, focusing on Central and Eastern European studies.