Announcements & activites

Provision of staff training and related consultancy services to the EU institutions, bodies and agencies – LOT 6 EU Governance Matters

Between September and December 2012, the College of Europe Development Office will be organizing different seminars on WTO Law, Political Reporting and Economics. These seminars are organized for different departments of EU Institutions, Agencies and Bodies in Brussels, Luxembourg and Stockholm.

In the framework of the Lot 6 project, during the next 4 years different training seminars will be organized in the field of “EU Governance Matters” by the College of Europe Development Office (together with its partners).

The aim of the project is to provide different types of training activities (face-to-face training, blended learning, e-learning), consultancy work relating to training and other professional development activities on EU governance matters. The participants will be EU Officials from EU Institutions, Bodies and Agencies.


Training of Trainers on EU Accession Negotiations

“Potential candidate country”, “candidate country”, “acceding country”: different membership statuses, but one shared perspective for the Western Balkans – which the College of Europe wishes to support.

The Development Office is currently designing a five-day Training of Trainers course for the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA). Participants will not only take part in simulations of EU accession negotiations, but will also learn how to design and run such exercises, in their capacity of “trainers-to-be” in EU accession negotiations. Moreover they will improve their communication and training skills, as well as their abilities to provide constructive feedback.

The “Training of Trainers” perspective guarantees a multiplier effect, as the participants will be selected, among other requirements, for their ability to further disseminate the know-how acquired. In this perspective, and in addition of the different learning elements, they will draft their personal training manual, based on lessons learnt and do’s and don’ts jointly identified throughout the training sessions.


The course will take place in Danilovgrad, Montenegro, on 5-9 November 2012.


Conference “The Neighbours of the EU’s Neighbours: Diplomatic and Geopolitical Dimensions beyond the ENP”

On 15-16 November 2012, the Department of EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies, in cooperation with its TOTAL Chair of EU Foreign Policy, is organising an international conference at the College of Europe, Bruges campus, to discuss the diplomatic and geopolitical dimensions beyond the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

In the wake of the Arab uprisings and the revision of the ENP as well as the emergence of a new ‘arc of crisis’ beyond the Union’s immediate neighbourhood, the security, stability and prosperity of the neighbours of the EU’s neighbours have acquired a new critical importance. This international conference therefore aims to launch a debate about how the EU can create bridges between its different policy frameworks and models of co-operation and elaborate new comprehensive strategies for stabilising and developing its broader neighbourhood beyond the ENP.

Contact: neighbours.conference@coleurope.eu


Conference "Co-operation, Integration and Alliances: Regional and Global Perspectives, Challenges and Solutions"

The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) and the Comparative Interdisciplinary Studies Section (CISS) of the International Studies Association (ISA) co-organise a Conference in Bruges, 19-21 June 2013

This joint conference will deal with "Co-operation, Integration and Alliances: Regional and Global Perspectives, Challenges and Solutions".


Deadline for submission of proposals: 31 December 2012.


Background

The interconnected world of the twenty first century is uniquely situated to explore integrative and cooperative policies and institutional structures to meet the variety of challenges that confront the international community. These issues span a wide range of economic, political, social and cultural dimensions.

Conference

This conference proposes to engage in a discourse that analyses the magnitude of these challenges and suggest creative integrative responses. A cross professional and cross disciplinary approach will greatly enhance our understanding of global challenges and lead to effective solutions. Paper, panel and roundtable proposals to engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue are invited from scholars, policy makers, and interested professionals.


For submissions and registrations, please consult the conference website. For more information, please contact Professor Dr. Luk Van Langenhove.


Activites

2012 Summer Courses for Professionals – a success story!

While the academic year had come to an end, the Development Office held in Bruges its flagship professional training course on EU affairs for the 19th year in a row, launched one of its new “open for registration” courses on EU Competition Law, and organised the 8th edition of a tailor-made training for the Turkish Competition Authority.

Intensive Seminar on the EU

On 2-20 July, the Intensive Seminar on the EU, gathered participants from a variety of professional backgrounds including the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Turkish Ministry for EU Affairs, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern and Mission in Brussels, the Mission of Liechtenstein to the EU as well as a few other Missions and Embassies in Brussels, together with a couple of private sector companies, to literally experience Europe. Trying to reach an agreement on the European Citizens’ initiative, debating the possible ways out of the European economic and financial crisis, questioning the consistency of the EU’s external actions: these were some of the challenges participants successfully dealt with during the course.

When asked about the most important element she will remember from the Intensive Seminar two-week course, Céline Van Den Abeele, Project Manager at the Province of West Flanders, answered the following: “Europe is a very unique project, that has a lot of internal contradictions, internal tensions, and that is the reason why it is so interesting.” And this summarizes perfectly the purpose of that course: not only presenting the latest developments at the EU level, but also sparking off discussions around the European project – in particular in those critical times.

EU Competition Law

On 9-13 July, the Development Office organised the first edition of the EU Competition Law seminar, as part of its Training Catalogue for 2012. This five-day seminar was organized in a modular structure, with a strong focus on the theory and practice of EU competition law (from an advanced introduction to a highly technical level).

The EU Competition Law training programme started with an interactive introduction on Competition Policy and the fundamentals of EU competition law. Throughout the different sessions, practical simulations and case studies were carried out for each topic in focus, like Economics of Competition law, Dominant position, Exemption system and self-assessment of agreements, and Merges and acquisitions. Debriefing sessions and active discussions are also key elements of this advanced training course.

Turkish Competition Authority Advanced Training programme on EU Competition law and Economics

The eighth edition of this advanced training, entitled “EU competition law and Economics Turkish Competition Authority” (TCA), aimed at providing participants with detailed knowledge and updates of the latest developments in EU Competition Law, antitrust and mergers and acquisitions, as well as regulation of business environment and competition law, intellectual property rights, economics of competition law, among other interesting topics. A total of 11 assistant competition experts of the TCA, gathered together in Brussels and Bruges from 2 July-19 July.


Trade Policy – Understanding the Essentials of EU Trade Law and the WTO

This three-day seminar was organized during 3-5 September 2012. The seminar offered a thorough and detailed introduction of trade law and WTO.

The programme included a broad overview of the sources, structure and basic principles of international trade law, as well as its main actors and subjects. It aims at offering participants a comprehensive analysis of the International Trading System and its interaction with EU trade policies.

The main purpose of the seminar was to ensure that participants are thoroughly acquainted with the main aspects of EU Trade law and WTO-related issues.


6th Edition of the Summer Seminar for Russian students

23 students from the European Studies Institute (ESI) of MGIMO-University in Moscow have been selected for the 2012 ESI Summer Seminar taking place at the College of Europe Bruges campus from 3 till 13 September.

During practical sessions, the participants have the chance to improve their EU knowledge, negotiation and project management skills. In the second week, among other things, they will visit the European Institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg as well as the NATO Headquarters in Brussels and meet with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the EU.

The Development Office of the College of Europe organises this 6th edition of the Summer Seminar based on a cooperation project with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MGIMO-University). The ESI Master Programme has three specialisations: EU Law, EU Economics and EU Politics and Policies.

More information about the cooperation

General News