Bastien Nançoz, a graduate of the University of Fribourg, is the 2019 winner of the Prix Jean-Baptiste Duroselle. This prestigious award is given to him for his Master's thesis in European Studies entitled ‘François Mitterrand et la Suisse: une amitié européenne’, written under the direction of Professor Gilbert Casasus.

The Prix Jean-Baptiste Duroselle is awarded each year by the French Institut d’Histoire des Relations internationals contemporaines  (IHRIC) in association with the Directorate of Diplomatic Archives of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. This renowned award recognizes excellence in scientific work on the history of international relations.

With his analysis of the frequent visits of the French President, François Mitterrand, to Switzerland between 1989 and 1993, Bastien Nançoz provides an original scientific reflection on Switzerland's European policy at the end of the Cold War. The result of his research on unpublished archives in France and Switzerland aims to be a milestone in an unexplored field of research at the crossroads of the study of Swiss-French relations, Mitterrandism and the history of European integration.

The award ceremony will take place in Paris in December 2019.