Development Office Newsletter — Vol. 3, No. 2 — April 2007
The Development Office of the College of Europe offers a range of specialised training courses in European affairs. More information is available on our website.
In this newsletter, you will find information on training programmes that are currently open for registration, a brief overview of recent events and projects, as well as staff news from the Development Office.
Programmes open for registration
"EU competition law and state aids" in Istanbul
From 7-10 June 2007, Istanbul
From 7-10 June, the second EU Focus Session will be held at Kadir Has University Istanbul, covering the topic of “EU competition law and state aids”. The aim of this specialised seminar is to provide a sound and practical understanding of European competition law, as well as an update on recent trends and cases in areas of growing strategic and commercial importance, including in particular competition compliance, cartels, abuse of dominance and merger control. The Programme also includes a key-note speech on Saturday evening, which will be open to the Istanbul Business Society.
Together with its local partner, Kadir Has University, the College of Europe has launched this series of EU Focus Sessions in order to provide relevant actors from Turkey, the region, and EU Member States with a better knowledge about specific EU policy areas and the challenges and opportunities they represent for the EU-Turkey partnership.
Registrations are open until 31 May
» More information can be obtained at www.coleurop.be/EUFocusSessionsIstanbul
Intensive Seminar on the European Union
July 2007 (14th edition), Bruges
The annual “Intensive Seminar on the EU” has become a reference for professional education in EU Affairs. Organised every July in Bruges, the Seminar successfully combines study and discussion on European issues with workshops and exercises aimed at developing professional skills for the EU scene. Three different programmes offer valuable insights into the Union’s structure and policies:
- a classic three-week programme: 2-20 July 2007
- an advanced two-week programme: 9-20 July 2007
- a compact one-week programme: 9-13 July 2007
Registrations are open until 1 June
» For more information and for registration,
please visit: is2007.coleurop.be
EU Negotiations in Practice
26-30 November 2007, Bruges (5th edition)
The “EU Negotiations in Practice” programme has been designed primarily for officials (from EU Member States, future Member States and non members) who wish to acquire further skills and knowledge in negotiating with the EU. Each year the course also attracts professionals from the private sector and civil society organisations. The seminar will not only prepare you for negotiations at the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament, but also includes sessions on running an EU Presidency and the perspective of a Permanent Representation in Brussels. A lot of emphasis is put on practical, interactive exercises, including a simulation exercise under the guidance of an experienced insider.
» Registration for the one-week training course is now online at www.coleurop.be/training
EU Fact Finding – Short Course
29 June 2007, Brussels
You wish to enhance your capacity to quickly find targeted EU-related information on the web and to develop your own strategy to remain informed? You are welcome to join the next “EU Fact Finding Workshop” in Brussels. (Register before 15 June)
Recent Events and Projects
Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) – A rising demand for training
The second edition of our RIA training course was a success. 40 participants coming from international organisations, national ministries and agencies, as well as from the private sector, gathered for an intensive one-week course on the principles, procedures, and methods of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) organised in cooperation with Jacobs & Associates. In addition to a theoretical introduction to RIA, this practical course relies on case studies and examples to show how RIA is used. Forming small groups, participants had the opportunity to gain hands-on experiences by analysing three regulations and their potential impacts before presenting their results in front of the class. This was only one of the features participants praised…
» Please visit the www.coleurop.be/ria for more information
Seminar on European Integration for post-graduate students from Puglia, Italy
From 12-30 March, the Development Office organised a training programme on European Integration for a group of 45 post-graduate students from the Italian region of Puglia. The seminar took place in the framework of a Master in Regional Public Management, coordinated by the Italian national training and study centre, FORMEZ. The intensive three-week programme included an introduction to the EU system, its components and procedures, as well as more specific sessions on EU policies that are of special interest for the region. Participants also got a first-hand experience of EU decision-making through a simulation exercise of the Council of Ministers and through two full-day visits to the European institutions and interest representations in Brussels.
A cooperation for South-East Europe
In an effort to contribute to the reform processes in the South Eastern Europe the TRANSFUSE Association and the College of Europe launched in 2006 an academic programme for young people from the countries of the region, as well as broader Europe and the United States, who aspire to play an active role in the future of their countries. The Programme aims to transmit knowledge about the EU and its relations to the region, as well as to stimulate the leadership and professional skills of the participants. 2006/2007 was the pilot year of the programme. Twenty-nine participants coming from nine South-eastern European countries, as well as from Austria, Denmark, Germany and the United States, took part in it and experienced an excellent opportunity to build up a network. The first activity of the Programme – the Summer Academy – was organised in Germany in September 2006. Back to their countries the participants worked in groups to organise different Joint Activities (conferences, round tables…). The second event - a three-day Workshop – took place in Brussels and Bruges in April 2007 with different workshops and visits to the EU institutions and NATO. The second edition of the programme will run from July 2007 to April 2008.
Deadline for application: 9 May 2007
» For more information and to register online, please visit www.seeyoungleaders.org
Cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
Together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Development Office of the College of Europe co-organised an Introductory Seminar for Students on International Humanitarian Law. From 20-22 February, the 4th edition of this seminar gathered some 60 students at the Bruges’ campus coming from the various study departments of the College of Europe and from universities in Belgium and the neighbouring countries. The initiative for the student-course grew out of the yearly Colloquium on International Humanitarian Law that the Development Office and the ICRC have been organising in Bruges since 2000. This year – for the first time - the same student-course was also organised on the Natolin campus of the College of Europe in Warsaw (Poland). From 12-14 March, the campus hosted high-level speakers from the ICRC, the Polish Red Cross, the EU and the diplomatic community. The successful pilot project also allowed reaching out to students from various Polish universities.
Staff News
The Development Office welcomes Catalina Dima, Egle Vaiciurgyte and Maria Zammit, who have joined the team of Researchers in our Office.