Southeast Europe and the EU Leadership Development Programme Visit the site of The College of Europe Visit the site of the Transfuse Association Visit the website of the European Fund for the Balkans
Programme 2012/2013
The programme is structured around three complementary components which aim to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the European Union and its relations with Southeast Europe. Training sessions on negotiations, presentation and project management skills, as well as the development and implementation of joint events in the region are designed to enhance the leadership abilities of the participants.

Two-week Summer Academy

September 2012
The two-week programme in and around Austria and Slovakia will offer participants a unique opportunity to combine the study of the EU and Southeast Europe with broader discussion of international and economic relations, while also developing their professional skills.
The seminar will focus on:
  • understanding the nature and functioning of the European Union and debating its role in the Southeast European region;
  • presenting country case studies to develop analytical insight into the countries of the region;
  • a reflection on the main issues in international relations as pertaining to the EU and Southeast Europe;
  • analysing the main international and European economic trends and the reform challenges facing the countries of the region;
  • skills development through interactive workshops and simulation games;
  • preparation of the group projects to be implemented in the region in the months following the Academy.

See Programme of the 2011/2012 LDP edition

Group Projects

November 2012 – March 2013
Following on from the Summer Academy, participants will be expected to work between November 2012 and March 2013 in small multicultural groups to implement group projects in Southeast Europe. Monitored and funded by the Programme partners, these joint projects will transmit the knowledge acquired during the first part of the Programme to a wider public and lay the groundwork for sustainable cooperation in the region.

More concretely, upon completion of the Summer Academy and back in their home countries, participants will remain in contact with the other members of their Group Project to prepare and implement what they will have planned together during the Academy. Most projects organise an event in late Winter / early Spring in one of the countries of the Western Balkans. All the group members will have to attend this event (the date is chosen by the group members and the costs are covered by the Project).

See examples of previous Group Projects!

Five-day Spring Seminar

April 2013
This Spring seminar in Brussels and Bruges, Belgium, will give participants valuable insights into the Brussels EU scene and NATO’s activities by including visits to these institutions. These visits will also provide an opportunity to develop contacts with professionals in the institutions. A study visit to the campus of the College of Europe in Bruges will also be organised.
See Programme of the 2010/2011 LDP edition

Throughout the Summer Academy in Austria and Slovakia and the Spring Seminar in Belgium, various social activities will stimulate dynamic interaction among the participants.