The Fifth Generation of 20 Fellows, which are part of the Fellowship Programme for Young Government Officials, met in Brussels in the period between 19 – 23 of May for the Intermediary Seminar, which is traditionally held half-way through the overall Programme.
Having spent a full month in host countries, the fellows gathered at the Brussels seminar for a second round of meetings, lectures and visits of a variety of Brussels-based institutions, and further team-building activities and share of experience.
During this time the fellows had the opportunity to visit the King Baudouin Foundation, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the NATO HQ and the European External Action Service. Ms. Verónica Sabbag from EEAS opened the seminar’s agenda with her introduction to the work of this institution which was formed after the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009. With Mr. Axel Wallden (Head of Enlargement Strategy Unit)) and Dirk Lange (Head of Unit, Croatia and Montenegro) from the European Commission they discussed the current Enlargement process. The visit of NATO Headquarters covered the NATO’s current political agenda and the NATO-Western Balkans Relations, through the discussions with the information officers responsible for the Western Balkans within the Public Diplomacy Division and the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division.
The visit of the European Parliament gave them an opportunity to get introduced about the current role of the Parliament in the overall EU structure and in the enlargement process, through a discussion with Mr. Tomasz Banka (Secretary of the Delegation for relations with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo) and Ms. Aušra Rakštelytė ( Administrator at the Directorate for Democracy Support).
After the introduction and the presentation of the work of the King Baudouin Foundation by Mr. Fabrice de Kerchove (Project Manager-King Baudouin Foundation), the fellows attention was occupied with the panel Discussion “Re-energizing the EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans". They were able to hear from European-based think tank representatives Rosa Balfour (European Policy Centre) and Alexandra Stiglymayer (European Security Institute) about the policy dialogue from their perspective.
The seminar was concluded with the panel “The Role of the Council and the Member States in the EU’s policy towards the Western Balkans” presented by Ms. Susanne Nielsen (General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union), Ms. Eimear Friel (Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU), Ms. Giedrė Geleževičienė (Lithuanian Permanent Representation to the EU) and Mr. Stylianos Hourmouziadis (Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU).
After the conclusion of the Brussels Seminar, each fellow continues with the second part of their traineeship and return to their respective host country.
Fellowship Programme for Young Government Officials from the Western Balkans – Supporting Excellence and Leadership in Governance is an EFB programme dedicated to the development of effective and efficient state administrations in the region by offering a tailor-made fellowship and training programme for highly qualified young professionals from the central government (including entity and cantonal level government in Bosnia-Herzegovina and regional level government of Vojvodina in Serbia) of the countries of the Western Balkans.
The Programme is specifically designed for civil servants from the central government (including entity and cantonal level government in Bosnia-Herzegovina and regional level government of Vojvodina in Serbia) who have several years of professional experience in public administration and have already assumed initial managerial responsibilities or are preparing for a position of leadership. Basic knowledge of the workings of the European Union is required and personal enthusiasm for the European idea is essential.
