The fifth edition of the SEE and the EU – Leadership Development Programme started on 1 September 2010. 30 young participants gathered in Bratislava to meet their peers and “experience Europe”.
The two-week programme in Austria and Slovakia will offer participants a unique opportunity to combine the study of the EU and Southeast Europe with broader discussions on international and economic relations, as well as to develop their professional skills. (www.seeyoungleaders.com)
The first week of the Academy started with the visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. Milan Jezovica, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed participants in the premises of the Ministry. He presented the current political state in Slovakia and tackled some of the main issues related to Slovakia and the SEE. The speech was followed by two panels.
Milan Nic, Deputy Director of the Office of the State Secretary and Katarina Kovacova, Senior Analyst, MFA spoke about experiences and lessons learned from the Slovakian integration process and the cooperation of state institutions with civil society in Slovakia. Panelists of the second panel were
Ingrid Brockova, Director of Department for European Policies and Amb. Robert Kirnag, Slovak Embassy in Skopje spoke about the dialogue and cooperation of the EU and the Western Balkans in the context of its integration process. The discussions were moderated by Peter Michalko, Director of the Southeast Europe Department.
The Ministry hosted a Cocktail Reception where participants had a chance to meet some of the ambassadors of their home countries.
