Southeast Europe and the EU – Leadership Development Programme - edition 6th

The Southeast Europe and the EU – Leadership Development Programme was initiated in 2006 by the TRANSFUSE Association, Berlin, and the College of Europe, Bruges. Since 2009, the programme is organised jointly with the European Fund for the Balkans, Belgrade. Each year, the programme targets 30 young people from the countries of Southeast Europe, as well as broader Europe. The programme aims to transmit knowledge about the EU and its relation to the region and to stimulate the skills of a group of young professionals who can be expected to play a significant role in the future of their countries. This year, the Vienna Insurance Group decided to step in and to support the programme through stipends for 4 participants from Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. The sixth edition of the Southeast Europe and the EU-Leadership Development Programme will, as all previous editions, consist of a cycle of activities over a one- year period. The two-week Summer Academy in Austria and Slovakia (Vienna and Bratislava) will take place from August 27 to September 11, 2011. Currently, the Summer Academy is under preparations and the European Fund for the Balkans enjoys support from the Slovak and Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in organising visits to these institutions. The programme of the Summer Academy includes topics related to the European Union, the development of relations between the European Union and Southeast Europe, wider issues of international and economic relations and practical training components, focus ing on negotiations, project management and presentation skills. Following the end of the Summer Academy, the participants will be working on their group activities, previously planned and developed during the Summer Academy, which will result in a series of joint activities in their countries. The final stage of the programme will be the Spring Seminar in Brussels and Bruges, in April 2012, with visits to the European Union institutions, the NATO and the College of Europe in Bruges.