Alumni step into the EU Commission’s shoes for a change of perspective
From June 26–29, twelve think tank representatives from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia gathered in Berlin to discuss the challenges of finding a new European strategy for the Western Balkans. The simulation workshop “Stepping into the EU’s Shoes: A New Road Map to Enlargement” provided them with the opportunity to set aside their usual roles as political observers and analysts within the Western Balkans and look at things from the perspective of the European Commission in Brussels.
Each participant took the role of an EU Commissioner, with responsibility for a specific policy portfolio such as economic policy, security policy, or migration policy. Concrete policy proposals were developed in the course of the role play, giving participants a chance to reflect on the complex contexts that the EU faces in terms of the Western Balkans. They also had the opportunity to integrate their knowledge of the transformation processes of their respective home countries into the discussion and the development of their concepts.
During the open roundtable discussion “The Berlin-Process and the Expectations For the Upcoming Western Balkans Summit in Paris,” the participants focused on the so-called Berlin Process, a diplomatic initiative that started 2014 with a Western Balkan summit in Berlin. Speaking with representatives of the French and Austrian embassies, they exchanged assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of the process in the run-up to the Paris Summit that was set to begin on July 4.
Another focus of the discussion was the establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office of the Western Balkans (RYCO), which aims to promote reconciliation and cooperation among the youth in the region. Frank Morawietz, Special Commissioner of the Franco-German Youth Office for South Eastern Europe, outlined the progress of a process that he accompanies closely.
Apart from thought-provoking and rich dialogue, the alumni seminar offered its participants the opportunity to get to know participants from different “generations” of the TRAIN Programme. This is part of TRAIN’s goal: to help participants extend and intensify their networks with other think tank representatives both those from their home countries and those from other Western Balkan states.
TRAIN stands for “Think Tanks Providing Research and Advice through Interaction and Networking” and is dedicated to promoting independent policy research institutes from the Western Balkan region. In a series of workshops, participating researchers work on writing policy papers and developing advocacy strategies. TRAIN’s overall aim is to support civil society organizations and foster the national and European policy dialogue on key issues regarding the EU-integration process.