Based on the past year’s evaluation and in order to enhance the impact of the program and respond to the participants’ needs, the School established a Regional Steering Group (RSG). The RSG includes representatives from each country/region involved in the project
Based on the past year’s evaluation and in order to enhance the impact of the program and respond to the participants’ needs, the School established a Regional Steering Group (RSG). The RSG includes representatives from each country/region involved in the project. The members of the RSG are representatives of the Schools of Political Studies set up under the auspices of the Council of Europe in the participating countries and Alumni from the previous training years. The RSG assists the improvement of the training program and the development of more relevant topics and case-studies that reflect the situation in all of the involved countries. The RSG also has a say in choosing topics, finding lecturers and drafting the programs of the courses. Its major task is to ensure a favorable training environment for all the trainees.
The training under the project aims at giving the participants knowledge of and skills in the political processes that may lead to increasing public trust in political parties and state institutions by reconnecting the political elites with the publics in Southeast Europe and to the development of common visions on problems of key importance for the region. The program’s specific objectives are to encourage the active civic positions of young political and civic leaders through their participation in public debates on salient political issues; promote constructive dialogue between political parties, civil society and the media in Southeast Europe; stimulate an active exchange of experience and ideas for the democratic development of the region; develop leadership skills of a group of young political and civic leaders from Southeast Europe and their ability to think and act more as statesmen than politicians.
May – November 2005
Five training courses were conducted under the program:
• Political Democracy, Leadership and Decision-making – Ohrid, Macedonia, 3 – 5 June 2005;
• Political Management – Belgrade, Serbia, 8 – 10 July 2005;
• Political Communication – Selce, Croatia, 16 – 18 September 2005;
• Conflict Resolution and Negotiations – Sofia, Bulgaria, 8 - 10 November 2005;
• Regional Stability and Security – Sofia, Bulgaria, 11 – 14 November 2005.
From organizational point of view and due to the new visa requirements and protracted procedure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the fourth course was supposed to be held, this year’s last two seminars were held consecutively in Sofia, Bulgaria.On the last day, the participants, who complied with all the requirements and criteria of the program and who successfully completed the courses, received certificates for specialization in political management from the New Bulgarian University and the Council of Europe.
The Program targets representatives of parliamentary represented political parties, the media, public institutions, and NGOs from the region of Southeast Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo/UNMIK. For the purpose of attaining the project goals, the various courses are held in different countries of the region. This helps the cross-cultural learning in the native environment of each participant.
• Information on the School’s program, the School’s goals and the participants – information in the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, Makfax and the Macedonian State Radio;
• Information on the regional program and the particular course in the Ohrid newspaper and the local radio, which is a section of the Macedonian State Radio;
• Information about the School and the regional program in the national Albanian language newspaper Facts;
• Interview with Lirak Celaj and Ivan Delibasic, members of the Regional Steering Group, on the School, on overcoming national prejudices among the participants, on the problems of building a multiethnic community;
• Interview with Lirak Celaj, member of the Regional Steering Group, and Lulzim Zeneli, Class of 2005, in the Albanian language newspapers Facts and Koha di Tore – on the problems in Kosovo, Macedonia and Southern Serbia, on cooperation and understanding among the participants in the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics;
• Interview with Lulzim Zeneli on the situation in Kosovo and the cooperation of Albanian parties in Macedonia and Kosovo - regional program in Albanian of the Macedonian State Radio;
• Information about the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics in the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, Makfax, BETA, KUNA, FoNet;
• Publication in the Dnevnik /Serbia and Montenegro/ on the regional program, when it has started, what its objectives and mission are, the process of participant selection and whom they represent, what the goals of the training are, etc.
• Information in the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency and KUNA on the beginning of the course under the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics, the School’s background, its mission, goals, uniqueness of participant selection;
• Information on the opening of the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics and short interviews with the participants on the training, the spirit of understanding developed within the School’s environment, on the new values that are taught to the young leaders from the region – the Vijesti newspaper, Rijeka;
• Interview with Stanislav Grigorov (Bulgaria) on the training and the mission of the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics, new leaders and new political culture - Bulgarian National Radio;
• Interview with Laura Kruieziu on Kosovo negotiations, the positions of political parties in Kosovo, on regional problems of stability and security in the region - the Trud Daily;
• Interview with Laura Krueziu (Kosovo) and Viktor Trajcevski (Macedonia) on the Regional Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics, the mission of BSoP, principles of the new political culture, and personal connections established among BSoP alumni - Radio France Internationale;
• Interview with Ivan Delibasic on the present political situation in Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo negotiations, Serbian position - Policy Weekly;
• Interview with Nedzad Ahatovic on the constitutional changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the present situation and the challenges to the multicultural and multiethnic states, democracy building in the region - Policy Weekly.
Milan Jovanovic; Georgy Koritarov; Daniela Galovic; Marko Kronja; Iva Dobichina; Marko Radosavljevic, Director, Mediation Center, Belgrade, Freedom House Trainer; Vasil Tupurkovski; Ivan Delibasic; Ivan Vejvoda, Director, Balkan Trust for Democracy; Ksenija Milivojevic, Head of the European Integration Committee at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia; Svetoslav Malinov, Member of Parliament, Bulgaria; Kresimir Macan, Director, Madison Consulting; Goran Milic, HRT Croatian National TV; Marijana Grbesa, Assistant Professor, Zagreb University; Goran Lojancic; Rumyana Kolarova, Sofia University; Zhelyu Zhelev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria (1990 – 1997); Associate Professor Sergey Ignatov, Rector of New Bulgarian University.
