In order to support the countries of the Western Balkans on their way to the European Union, the Austrian Parliament, along with the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) and with generous support of the ERSTE Foundation, launched the fellowship program for civil servants from the WB6 parliaments in March 2019.
The EFB Fellowship at the Austrian Parliament is a practice-oriented educational programme for civil servants working at the national parliaments of Western Balkan countries. The purpose of the programme is to give impetus to the EU integration-driven reforms of the Western Balkan parliaments’ administrations, by means of building the capacities of individual agents of change.
The programme targets public administration professionals who stand out with their strong commitment to the development of their societies and are prepared to acquire new skills and broaden their horizons through an exchange of know-how with their Austrian counterparts.
It enables for public officials working for WB6 parliaments in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to become familiar with Austria's parliamentary work during a six-week period working with the National Council and its legal, legislative and scientific departments, as well as the IT, communications and the international affairs divisions.
So far, 4 cohorts of fellows from the Western Balkans National Parliaments have participated in this excellent exchange of know-how with their collegues from the Austrian Parliament, creating prospects and opportunities for extended insituational cooperation.
