Fellows 2008 / 2009

Excellent choice of topics and lecturers.

Azra Misini

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Senior Associate for Social Policy, Secretariat for EU Affairs	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Junior Associate, Secretariat for European Affairs, 09/2004 - present Research Assistant, Civil Society Resource Center, 05/2003 - 06/2004 Project Coordinator, NGO for Human Rights and Civil Society "Civil", 09/2001 - 03/2002	Education:	Graduated Social Worker, Ss. Cyril and Methodius State University, 1997 - 2003

This was a unique experience for me and first of this kind providing me with a new perspective not only to the professional, but also to everyday life of citizens in an EU Member State, in my case Germany. I am looking forward to meeting the future EFB fellows of this programme, network with them and share experiences.

Biljana Jadrovska

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	Federal Environment Agency, Dessau
Occupation/Institution:	Junior Associate, Sector for Integration, Unit for Transport, Energy, Environment and Regional Policy, Secretariat for EU Affairs	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Junior Associate, Secretariat for European Affairs, Government of the Republic of Macedonia, 09/2004 - present Paralegal, Attorney Office, 04/2004 - 09/2004•Volunteer, NGO Civil Society Resource Center (CSRC), 12/2002 – 01/2003	Education:	L.L.M. (adv.) European Business Law, Leiden University Faculty of Law – Leiden, the Kingdom of Netherlands, 2006-2007 Bachelor of Law, “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University - Skopje, 1999 - 2004

During my three months spent in Poland tied to the European Fund For Balkan, I had an opportunity to meet colleagues from this region, coming from all parts of our, until recently troublesome region and our personal contacts and the exchange of our mutual information and knowledge can only mean big help and better understanding in our future. The core of the time that I had spent as a part of this programme will surely turn out to be one very special part of my future professional life. This experience will surely always have a special place in my life and heart, as part of my most valid memories.

Bogdan Novakovic

City of Origin:	Belgrade	Host Institution:	Office of the Committee for European Integration, Department for Integration Policies, Warsaw
Occupation/Institution:	Junior Advisor, European Integration Office, Department for Economic Analysis of the EU association	Host Country:	Poland
Work Experience:	Junior adviser, Department for Economic Analysis of the EU association, Serbian European Integration Office Head of Belgrade Representation Office Zolan S.A. for region of Southest Europe, Zolan S.A., 04/2003 - 11/2005 Manager, Pol-Mot Holding S.A., 06/2002 - 12/2002	Education:	Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), 2001 - 2002 Master in International Relations and Economic Relationshipseconom, Warsaw School of Economics (SGH),1996- 2001

Participation in the Fellowship Programme for Young Government Officials from the Western Balkans - Supporting Excellence and Leadership in Governance was a unique opportunity for me to gain a comprehensive understanding of and training on the EU issues, which at the end of the Programme strengthened my personal enthusiasm for the European idea. I want to point out that it was very valuable for me to experience work in EUenvironment: decentralized system, a lot of players and initiatives on different levels, high level of transparency and efficiency, regional and cross border cooperation etc. This will helpme and motivate a lot in my future work in Montenegro.

Borko Raicevic

City of Origin:	Podgorica	Host Institution:	Regional Energie-Agentur, Baden Wurtenberg, Karlsrue
Occupation/Institution:	Advisor, Department for Energy (Section for Energy Efficiency) Ministry for Economic Development	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Advisor, Ministry for Economic Development of Montenegro, 05/2005 - present IT System operator, Faculty of Electrical Engineering of Montenegro, 04/2004 - 01/2005 Technical Support, Promonte GSM Ltd, Private Company, 01/2002 - 10/2003	Education:	M.Sc.E.E, Industrial Electronics and Automatics, University of Montenegro, 2005 - present Diploma in Electrical Engineering, University of Montenegro, 1999 - 2005

Got reminded how many similarities the countries of our region have, which, despite many shared weaknesses, give us an amazing ground to build strong and durable relationships, intra-personal and intra-state ones.

Bosiljka Vukovic

City of Origin:	Podgorica	Host Institution:	Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, Unit for Sustainable Development/DG Development and Environmental Research, Rome
Occupation/Institution:	Advisor to the Head of Office, Office for Sustainable Development, Head of Office’s Cabinet	Host Country:	Italy
Work Experience:	Advisor to the Head of Office, Office for Sustainable Development, Government of Montenegro, 11/2007 - present Deputy Team Leader at AMAP project, Mercy Corps International, 07/2007 - 10/2007 Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Mercy Corps Serbia, 06/2006 - 07/2007	Education:	Master of Arts, International Economics and European Integration, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna, Italy and Washington DC, 2004 - 2006 Bachelor of Arts, American University in Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, 2000 - 2004

The internship was a very good professional and personal experience. I would strongly suggest it to anyone who wishes to find out more and learn how to improve his or her work in the state administration. By far, the best part of the internship is creation of a network of young professionals who will for sure continue working together in the future and will consult with each other and learn from each other. Furthermore, I will always be grateful for this opportunity because I met several new people who became my friends.

Danijela Nenadic

City of Origin:	Belgrade	Host Institution:	Ministry of Education and Sports, Directorate for Secondary, Higher Vocational and Adult Education and Education Development Office, Ljubljana
Occupation/Institution:	Adviser to the Director, Coordination Body for South Serbia, Education Department	Host Country:	Slovenia
Work Experience:	Adviser to the Director, Government of Serbia Coordination Body for South Serbia, 05/2007 - present Researcher/Analyst, Institute of Political Science, 10/2002 - 10/2008 Director, Center for Non Violent Resistance, 02/ 2004 - 06/2007	Education:	M.A. in Political Science, Central European University, Budapest, 2001 - 2002 B.A. in Political Science, Belgrade University, 1993 -1999

Participation in this program allowed me to further my knowledge and gain the international experience through work with my colleagues from the region and EU countries. It was very useful for me to see what would be our responsibilities and tasks in my professional field once Serbia becomes EU Member State and to work in such a well organized working environment, with friendly, approachable and hospitable people in the German host institution. I believe I have made very good contacts and created network of people relevant to my job and I am convinced we are going to continue our close cooperation an to exchange information in the future.

Dijana Vlaisavljevic

City of Origin:	Belgrade	Host Institution:	Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs Department dealing with EU projects, Transport Policy, Trans-European Transport Networks, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Advisor, Road Transport Department, Ministry of Infrastructure Member of Serbian negotiation team for the Treaty establishing the Transport Community of WB and national coordinator for regional cooperation for SEE Transport Observatory	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Adviser, Ministry of Infrastructure, 08/2006 - present Dean of Students, The Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, 03/2004 - 05/2006	Education:	Graduate Engineer, Telecommunaictions in Transport, 1999 - 2006

I strongly believe that one of the most important achievements of this fellowship was the establishment of an excellent group from the region. Having the opportunity to know each other was an added value for each and every one of us. Not only did we learn a lot from each other and from our personal experiences but also we created the basis for a strong cooperation in the future.

Erisa Lame

City of Origin:	Tirana	Host Institution:	Regional Co-operation Council Liaison Office, Brussels
Occupation/Institution:	Expert on European Integration, Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, Directorate for Coordination of Development Strategies and EU Integration	Host Country:	Belgium
Work Experience:	Expert on European Union Integration, Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sports, 09/2007 - present •Teaching Assistant, Universitas Fabre Facta (UFO) University, 09/2007 - present •Temporary Employee, Center for Democracy and Reconciliation in SEE, 06/2007 - 07/2007	Education:	Master of Arts, with Merit in International Relations and European Studies, Central European University, Central European University, 2006 - 2007 Bachelor of Arts, with Honors in International Relations and European Studies, American College of Thessaloniki, 2002 - 2006

The seminars helped me to get to know the fellows that shared my life for three months. I especially cherish the possibility to present ourselves with our life stories that are not connected with our professional life. Only then I became aware that I have a life outside my office and that the other people life stories can inspire you and starting to feel like a part of a team.

Evgenija Serafimovska Kirkovski

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	INTERACT Point Vienna
Occupation/Institution:	Acting Head of Unit, Secretariat for European Affairs, Sector for Coordination of EU funds and other foreign assistance	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Secretariat for European Affairs/Sector for European Integration, 12/2001 - present PIU Director, Ministry of Culture, 06/1999 - 12/2001	Education:	Bachelor in Economics, 1994 - 1998

Great teamwork.

Irena Majstorovic

City of Origin:	Zagreb	Host Institution:	Bundesministerium fur Ernahrung, Landwirshaft und Verbraucheschutz Departments: EU Affairs, International Affairs, Fisheries, Export, Bonn
Occupation/Institution:	Head of Section for European Integration, Department for EU and International Trade Relations, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Head of the Section for the European Union, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development, 02/2006 - present Marketing department, Kompetenz-Inetrkon, 09/2002 – 03/2003 Economic analyst, Creditreform, 09/2001 – 08/2002	Education:	MA in Economics, University in Zagreb, 1995 - 2000

The best part of the fellowship is the establishment of a network of young professionals of the participating countries. The fellows in the programme were carefully chosen to work on similar yet not the same issues, to be of similar educational and professional background, to have extensive foreign experience and be outgoing and approachable persons. In addition, I found all of us to be very optimistic about the future of the region, which gives us an additional drive for working on the region's progress and development. At the same time, we all perceive the region as a good place to live in, even at this moment.

Iskra Belceva Ristovska

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, Ljubljana
Occupation/Institution:	Head of Unit for General Affairs and Control, Ministry of Finance, Central Finance and Contract Department	Host Country:	Slovenia
Work Experience:	Head of Unit for General Affairs and Control, Ministry of Finance, 07/2007 - present Junior Associate, Ministry of Finance, 05/2006 - 07/2007 Junior Legal Expert, PM Consultants implementing Environmental Management Strengthening, 10/2005 - 05/2006	Education:	Master of Laws, European and Comparative Law, University of Ghent, Belgium, 2004 - 2005 Bachelor of Laws, University of Skopje, Macedonia, 1996 - 2003

Organization, communication, presentation and punctuality.

Jelena Rajcevic

City of Origin:	Belgrade	Host Institution:	Ministry of Economy, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Advisor, Department for Cooperation with International Missions in Kosovo, Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Advisor in the Department for International Cooperation and Cooperation with International Missions in K&M, Ministry of Republic of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija, 06/2007 – present Associate in Coordination Center of FRY/S&M and R Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija, 03/2002 – 06/2007 Volunteer and press analyst, Republic Bureau for Research of Cultural Development of Serbia, 08/2001 – 03/2002	Education:	Specialist Academic Studies, Regional Studies of Asia, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, 2008 – present MSc of Ethnology and Anthropology, Philosophical Faculty, University of Belgrade

The Programme provided me with the unique experience of working for the German Federal Government institution where I got a flavour of how the EU country handles professional daily challenges. The EFB’s Programme gave me the opportunity to gain knowledge, professional contacts and friendships at the same time, for which I am immensely grateful. Also, I feel so lucky for having spent such wonderful moments with my Fellows during the seminars.

Jelena Siminiati

City of Origin:	Zagreb	Host Institution:	Federal Ministry of Justice, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Ministry of Justice	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Legal advisor, State Aid, Croatian Competition Agency Legal councellor, Ministry of Justice, Department for international assistance, cooperation and human rights, 01/2005 - 08/2006 Law trainee, Gordana Lukanovic Popovic, Attorney at law, 10/2003 - 10/2004	Education:	MA in EU Business/to be attained, University of Zagreb, 2008 - 2009• Certificate in Contemporary European Studies, University of Birmingham, 01/2005 - 04/2005 LLB passed bar examination, Ministry of Justice

Getting professional experience in one of the EU countries, having opportunity to exchange experience in a government institution had considerably improved the knowledge on EU issues, had give me a new perception of the future of the Western Balkans within the European Union and the EU relations with the Western Balkans, part of which is my country - Albania. I am confident that this fellowship Programme for young Government Official from Public Administration will bring western Balkans civil servants more close to European and international developments. Thus, in my opinion, in many aspects I have learned more than I expected, using my existing experience in collaborative with the specific objectives of the programme, the stimulation exercises during the training, the discussion between the fellows and the experience gained in the host institution.

Migena Kalthi

City of Origin:	Tirana	Host Institution:	Ministry of Economic Development, Rome
Occupation/Institution:	Expert, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, Trade Policy Department	Host Country:	Italy
Work Experience:	Expert, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, August/2006 - present National Coordinator for multilateral sector, Ministry of Economy, 03/2003 - 07/2006 Financial operator, Private Constructing Company Diamand, 08/2002 - 02/2003	Education:	General Manager (Business Administration, Management), University of Tirana, 1998 - 2002

In general, the EFB Fellowship Program boiled down to a very useful and exciting experience and I would encourage young colleagues from my country to apply for the EFB Fellow generation of 2010. What's more, the social aspect of the Program was very impressively organized. The places visited and short excursions delivered were personally enriching and provided me with valuable opportunities to get to know other fellows in their private capacity. I especially enjoyed the biking tour around Potsdam which was fun and educational at the same time.

Mila Stankovik

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	Ministry of Regional Planning, Prague
Occupation/Institution:	EU Procurement and Contracting Associate, Ministry of Finance, Central Finance and Contracting Department	Host Country:	Czech Republic
Work Experience:	EU Procurement and Contracting Associate, Ministry of Finance, Central Financing and Contracting Department, Skopje, Macedonia, 3/2008 - present Legal Associate, Secretariat of Legislation, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, 12/2005 - 3/2008 Research Assistant, University of Amsterdam, Faculty of law, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2/2007 - 8/2007	Education:	LLM Degree, European Private Law, University of Amsterdam, 2006 - 2007 Bachelor Legal Studies, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, 2000 - 2005

This programme is of great relevancy for promotion of Western Balkan countries as present and future functional integral part of the European Union. What we fellows have presented and what will future generations present in the host country institutions is reflection of our home countries and our nations. From the other side, experiences acquired, knowledge gained and friendships built during this three months of the programme is something so valuable that each and every one of us, I believe, will cherish for a lifetime.

Milana Arlov Sekulic

City of Origin:	Belgrade	Host Institution:	Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Advisor, Department for Foreign Trade Policy and Regime, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Advisor, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, 02/2006 - 11/2008 • Commercialist, INCON, Private Enterprise, 06/1997 - 01/2006	Education:	Master International Economy • Bachelor of Arts, Foreign Trade, 1996 - 2002

My overall impression for the programme is that it was well‐organised from the part of the EFB, useful experience for the government officials of the Western Balkan countries, and a very nice platform for networking, making new contacts and fostering regional cooperation. The participants were very open‐minded and receptive to new ideas and the group managed to become friends and work together in relatively short time. In brief, the opportunity to complete the fellowship in the framework of the EFB project had been a great experience that has contributed immensely to my professional advancement. The contacts I have made through this programme and the people I met are worth keeping.

Mimoza Gojani

City of Origin:	Prishtina	Host Institution:	European Policy Center, Brussels
Occupation/Institution:	Senior European Affairs Officer, Office of the Prime Minister – Cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister, Agency for Coordination of Development and EU Integration	Host Country:	Belgium
Work Experience:	Senior European Affairs Officer, Office of the Prime Minister, 09/2008 - present Administrative Coordinator, Constitutional Commission of Kosovo, 06/2007- 08/2007 Researcher, Youth Initiative for Human Rights, 08/2006 - 06/2007	Education:	MA in European Studies, College of Europe, 2007 - 2008 Certificate, European College of Liberal Arts, 2005 - 2006 BA in Political Science, University of Prishtina, 2002 - 2005

I had a very pleasant time with a great balance of work and after work activities.”

Nina Brankovic

City of Origin:	Sarajevo	Host Institution:	Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Berlin
Occupation/Institution:	Public Policy Analyst, Strategic Communication Manager, Council of Ministries	Host Country:	Germany
Work Experience:	Strategic Communications Manager for EXPO 2010, Council of Ministers, 09/2008 - present Public Relation Department Manager, The Court for War Crimes, Organized Crime and Corruption, 03/2004 - 10/2006 Personal Assistent to Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, Ministy of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 05/1996 - 06/1998	Education:	Master of Public Policy, Kings College London, 2006 - 2007 BSc in Journalism, University of Sarajevo, 1998 - 2002

Established networks between Fellows who have different background and networks that each fellow establish in his/her host country and institution, are concrete fundament for better future regional cooperation. At the end of a day, 20 young well educated people, who will absolutely be decision makers at different level in their respected countries, are now good friends, knowing much more about each other and countries in the region.

Ratko Dimkovski

City of Origin:	Skopje	Host Institution:	Ministry of Interior, Telecommunication Department, Ljubljana
Occupation/Institution:	Telecommunication Engineer, Ministry of Interior, IT Department, Telecommunication Sector	Host Country:	Slovenia
Work Experience:	Telecommunication Engineer, Ministry of interior, 06/2005 - present Senior Counselor, Ministry of interior, 01/2005 - 05/2005 Electronic warefare officer, Ministry of defense, 08/1999 - 12/20	Education:	Communication arm officer, Military Academy, 1995 - 1999

The Fellowship Programme in Belgium has been a great experience in reaching my objectives of it: further develop my skills in EU issues, meet people and learn French as the language of the host country. Te programme has been a great incentive to meet with regional counterparts as well. Attending classes and working together in groups in Berlin/Potsdam, Brussels and Dubrovnik, was a good way to establishing links between our countries. The entire group was a good group and this is what made it possible to work together. We were all ready to engage in dialogue and understanding. Bringing such people together will make Regional Cooperation even more likely in the future.

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