Announcements & activities

Season greetings from the Development Office!

This period marking the end of an old year and the approach of a fresh new one seems an appropriate time to look back on the achievements of the past twelve months and forward to the future.

The year 2012 has been quite turbulent in terms of the global economy and there have been many ups and downs in many countries and economic sectors in the world. Taking into account the difficulties that we are all facing these challenging days, we can be satisfied that the Development Office has firmly advanced to achieve its mission, vision and goals.

Looking back at the achievements of this year, it is clear that these are truly the result of a strong, committed team pulling together around shared values and principles and, of course, of a devoted community which has continued supporting us in our initiatives and projects.

Therefore it is a pleasure to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you whose combined efforts, energy and dedication have made this such a challenging but rewarding year.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Jesús Ballesteros, Deputy Director, Development Office, College of Europe.


EU Accession Negotiations – A Trainer’s Perspective


Multiplying the training impact by preparing “trainers-to-be” in their future assignments related to EU Accession: a challenge the Development Office successfully met.

Twenty-one civil servants from the seven Western Balkan countries gathered in Danilovgrad, Montenegro, on 5-9 November 2012 to actively take part in the five-day “Training of Trainers on EU Accession Negotiations”. In the intense and demanding – yet friendly! – atmosphere, the team of three complementary trainers guided the participants through the following clusters: (1) Explaining the EU Accession Process, Actors and Dynamics & Practicing Communication/Training Skills; (2) Experiencing the Negotiations of EU Accession; (3) Designing a Simulation Exercise on EU Accession Negotiations; (4) Running such an Exercise. A fifth – horizontal – cluster entitled Feedback and Debriefing was included throughout the “Training of Trainers”.

A key element of the training methodology consisted in the drafting of a personal Training Manual: the Development Office and the trainers had designed a skeleton, which participants were encouraged to fill in after each session. Upon completion of the training, each participant brought back home this personal tool to further use it in their future assignments as trainers in EU Accession Negotiations related matters.

The Development Office Team would like to warmly thank the trainers, the participants and the Team at the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA), who all highly contributed to the success of this pilot training.


Skills building – Conflict prevention for the EU and partners

From 21 to 23 November, the Development Office of the College of Europe organised in cooperation with the Folke Bernadotte Academy the training seminar 'Skills building programme on conflict prevention for the European Union and partners'.

Fifteen persons, coming from both private and public sectors, participated in the training seminar.


Tailored training for UNDP high-level officials from the Eastern Partnership countries

From 8 to 10 October 2012, the Development Office of the College of Europe organised a three-day training on “The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Agenda : opportunities and challenges for development in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus”. Resident Representatives and Deputy Resident Representatives from the UNDP Country Offices in the Eastern Partnership countries as well as from the UNDP Brussels Office and Headquarters in New York took part in this tailored course.

The training aimed at bringing further knowledge of the ENP and of a few selected sectoral topics, for the participants to reflect how UNDP and other international organizations may support this process. During the first day, Professor Erwan Lannon and Professor Laure Delcour presented an overview of the ENP as well as the Easter Partnership. At the end of the first day two panellist (Professor Wouters and Professor Delcour) moderated a discussion on the role of a UN agency in the implementation of the ENP and Eastern Partnership. The discussion was very active among the participants who were eager to share their experience of cooperation with the EU in the field.

As of the second day, participants focused on the following selected sectors to better understand the EU policy and approach to those sectors in the region: (1) Environment and energy efficiency; (2) Trade and investment – DCFTA; (3) EU Regional development policy; (4) Rule of Law; and (5) Public administration reform.


Renforcement des capacités professionnelles des diplomates marocains de l’Académie Marocaine des Etudes Diplomatiques (AMED)

Dans le cadre du Contrat-Cadre Bénéficiaire 2009 – Lot 7– Gouvernance et Affaires Intérieures financé par la Commission Européenne, le projet de « Renforcement des capacités professionnelles des diplomates stagiaires marocains de l’Académie Marocaine des Etudes Diplomatiques (AMED) » a été attribué au Service de Développement du Collège d’Europe , en partenariat avec B&S Europe.

L’objectif de ce projet est non seulement de contribuer au processus de mise à niveau de l’appareil diplomatique marocain, et de sa modernisation mais aussi de rapprocher les pratiques de l`Union Européenne en matière de coopération et d’assistance technique avec celles du Maroc.

Au cours de l’année 2012-2013, le Collège d’Europe coopérera avec l’AMED en mettant à sa disposition Professeur Jacqué et M. Garson pour délivrer respectivement les modules suivants à 3 promotions de l’AMED : Module 1: Institutions de l’Union Européenne ; Module 2: Politique de l`Union Européenne ; Module 3: Le système des Nations du Unies ; Module 4: Perfectionnement des diplomates stagiaires en matière de techniques de négociation ; et Module 5: Renforcement de la formation sur l’introduction à l’analyse et la gestion des conflits: théorie et pratique.

Les cours de Professeur Jacqué ont commencé en Octobre 2012 et devrait être finalisés d’ici Février 2013. Les cours de M. Garson ont débuté en Novembre 2012 et devrait être finalisés d’ici Juillet 2013.


Professional Training: EU Negotiations in Practice – Mastering the Art of Negotiations


From 12 to 16 November 2012, the Development Office of the College of Europe organised its one-week training programme on EU Negotiations. In this hands-on workshop, a group of 14 participants learnt the principles and practice of EU decision-making.

The goal of this training was to enhance participants’ negotiation and communication skills that can be applied in their interaction with EU institutions. The programme included interactive training sessions examining theoretical and practical aspects of negotiations and the specificities of the EU decision-making process, workshops on communication techniques and strategies, and negotiation skills as well as a simulation exercise of the working in the Council of the EU.

During this training the participants had the opportunity to experience a negotiation of the Council of the EU by putting themselves in the shoes of officials and ministers working at the COREPER and Council of Ministers level.

This training has been organised since 2004 as part of the Development Office’s professional training courses on EU affairs. This year again, the Development Office welcomed 5 French civil servants sponsored by the IGPDE.

Do you want to know how it feels like to put yourself into one Minister’s shoes sitting at a Council meeting? The next Professional Training EU Negotiations in Practice will be organised from 18 till 22 November 2013. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any information.


UNU-CRIS - “Mapping the Future for Asia-Europe Dialogue”

The key objective of the project is to analyse the future of Asia-Europe relations and its implications on the ASEM process. The ASEM Outlook Report features quantitative indicators of the state of relations between Asia and Europe. These include statistics on demographics, migration patterns, trade and investment. Other qualitative factors are presented as well. This takes the form of a mapping of relevant institutions engaged Asia-Europe relations, important treaties, regional groupings and frameworks for cooperation.

The two-volume report, co-edited by Ms. Sol Iglesias and Professor Van Langenhove, contains a chapter entitled “Asia-Europe 2030: Key actors in the ASEM process”, based on research performed at UNU-CRIS. It consists of an analysis of Asia-Europe relations in a number of selected fields that are relevant to the ASEM process based on an analysis of global trends, consultations and future-oriented research.

Please click here to consult the ASEM Outlook Report online


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