DO Newsletter: March/April Issue 2009
Interview
Jean Benoît Leblanc
Counsellor and Head of the Trade and Economic Section of the Canadian Mission to the EU
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. Where did you hear about it?
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Canada used to regularly send the diplomats about to be posted to the EU in Brussels to a sort of ‘crash course’ for a few weeks, the Intensive Seminar.
What was your main motivation to participate in the seminar?
I also knew that I needed a bit more background on the EU and how it works.
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 institutions. The seminar also gave me the backbone of my network here in Brussels. This saved me a few months of work!
Why is this network important to you?
A network helps you in a professional and personal way. Some of my best friends are the people I met at the Intensive Seminar and we have even done business with each other.
For this year’s seminar you have been invited as an interlocutor. What is your role there?
I will take part in a panel discussion. I also like attending seminars as a speaker as it gives me the opportunity to meet other people and see different places.
Highlights
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