DO Newsletter: March/April Issue 2009

Jean Benoît Leblanc
Counsellor and Head of the Trade and Economic Section of the Canadian Mission to the European Union

Just before his arrival in Brussels in September 2004 Jean Benoît participated in the Development Office’s Intensive Seminar on the EU. In 2008 and 2009 he has also been invited as a panelist.

 

“The Intensive Seminar gave me the Backbone of my Network here in Brussels!”

You are a former participant of our 2004 Intensive Seminar on the EU, a professional training programme that the Development Office has organised for the last 16 years. Where did you hear about this seminar?

My colleagues responsible for EU affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canada used to send the Canadian diplomats about to be posted to the EU in Brussels to a sort of ‘crash course’ for a few weeks. There was a tradition of sending participants to the Intensive Seminar at the College of Europe.

What was your main motivation to participate in the seminar?

The same colleagues said it would be a really good idea to go. And I also knew that I needed a bit more background on the EU and how it works, which was all quite new to me as before I was working in Mexico, the US and the Americas in general. I hoped it would give me a broad brush of the EU and the mechanics.

And were your expectations met? What was especially useful for your daily work?

The seminar definitely met my expectations. I found it useful to learn more about the interactions between the various institutions and that you always have to decide which of the different policy areas you should put your time and effort into – which is key to succeed as a diplomat or lobbyist in Brussels. The seminar also gave me the backbone of my network here in Brussels. This saved me a few months of work!

You participated in the advanced two-week programme here in Bruges. What is the added value of a compact programme compared to a training spread over a whole year?

For me, as a beginner coming from North America, it was better to have an intensive training. There are pros and cons for both formats, and it might depend on your level of knowledge of EU affairs. But I would definitely recommend this course for other colleagues, too.

Do you think it would be useful to have a follow-up seminar for EU experts?

I think at a certain stage, more tailored programmes are better …

… which the Development Office also offers.

For this year’s seminar, as for the one in 2008, you have been invited as a interlocutor. What is your role there?

For the Intensive Seminar, I will take part in a panel discussion. I will also be involved in the EU Negotiations in Practice training. I will show how someone from a non-EU country represents his or her interests here in Brussels. A lot of third countries don’t have the clout of these big players and have to develop strategies in order to be heard. I will give practical examples of how you do that, because I have been extensively involved in this over the last years. Attending seminars as a speaker is also something I like as it gives me the opportunity to meet other people and see different places.

You mentioned before that participation in our seminar helped you to create your network in Brussels. Why is this network important to you?

A network helps you in a professional and personal way: for your job, you need to know people – this is how the city works. Secondly, when you are a newcomer, the network allows you to meet friends who introduce you to their friends and so on. Some of my best friends are the people I met at the Intensive Seminar; we are still in contact with each other, and we have even done business with each other. This interview is also an example …

Thank you very much.

The interview was held by Cordula Singer on 9 April 2009.