Academics and politicians at the EUI/STG in Florence will train junior and mid-career diplomats of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia on global challenges and EU policymaking.
EUI President Renaud Dehousse said: “Among the EUI’s institutional priorities is action in the countries of the Western Balkan region. The EUI’s main governing body – the High Council – has approved in its meeting today a strategy towards strengthening the Western Balkan region’s capability in policymaking as well as in the academic sphere, in view of accession to the EU.”
The programmes for junior and mid-career diplomats will be taught by STG Faculty and high-profile visiting speakers. STG Adjunct-Professor Miroslav Lajčák, the current EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, is among the teaching staff.
“The main objective of the trainings is to develop the diplomats’ capacity to act, to negotiate and to strengthen the strategic relations between the Western Balkans and the EU,” commented Marco Del Panta, Secretary-General of the EUI. “We look forward to collaborating with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this project, which will contribute to the consolidation of democratic institutions in the region, support its prospect of EU accession, and facilitate the reconciliation process.”
Participants are invited to look beyond national borders during the training.
STG Executive Director Fabrizio Tassinari added: “The transnational focus intended to break the policy and disciplinary silos that sometimes limit the reach of foreign relations. We hope to make of this pilot the template for a more extensive use of governance training in the area of European diplomacy.”
The training for junior diplomats will take place June 6-10, 2022, while the training for mid-career diplomats will be held between 3 and 7 October 2022. Both programmes will include a wide array of social activities in Florence and Tuscany. Admitted participants will receive full scholarships including travel and accommodation in Florence for the duration of the training.
The EUI is committed to supporting the EU’s action in the Western Balkans through partnerships in the region and the training of numerous early-stage researchers and fellows coming from Western Balkan countries. In 2021, the EU/STG already delivered an executive training series on evidence-informed policy-making for Western Balkan policymakers with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the Hertie School in Berlin.
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6-10 June 2022, Global challenges and EU policymaking: Capacity-building programme for junior diplomats of the Western Balkans