25. 7. 2019 | PR, V4
We are cordially inviting you to attend a 2-day event organized by Centre for European Perspective in cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina Association for United Nations, supported by International Visegrad Fund. The event will be held on 5th and 6th August at Hotel Europe, Sarajevo. It is part of a series of preparatory events, leading to the Young Bled Strategic Forum 2019 conference. More info is available in the attachment Invitation Sarajevo.
Organizations are with this opening the floor to youth and civil society of the Western Balkans, V4 and EU, giving them a chance to discuss their concerns, challenges, ideas and prospects with policy makers and experts. Special emphasis will be given to cross-regional cooperation. Participants will demonstrate such cooperation is not only necessary, but inevitable for positive next steps in democratization, human rights, sustainable development, EU integrations of WB, climate change and other cross-border topics. Young leaders have to learn from their peers from different regions, share their knowledge, ideas and know-how. Sustainable regional cooperation programs are therefore key towards a comprehensive, inclusive, and innovative approach that engages youth and prepares agents for change. In order to strengthen the regional cooperation and know-how exchange between V4, WB6, EU and beyond, project will in one place join experts from leading institutions in V4 and WB6, as well as leading youth organizations.
You can apply by 1st of August 2019.
For any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and [email protected]
25. 7. 2019 | ENTRi, IECEU, LET4CAP, POTC, PR
Slovenia is now opening the Centre for Education and Training for Participation in Peacekeeping Operations and Missions at Centre for European Perspective (CEP)
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language. 
Centre for education and training for participation in peacekeeping operations and missions will be implementing certified trainings and education for soldiers, police officers, civilian personnel of the ministries and other civilian experts that can be deployed to peacekeeping operations and missions within the UN, EU, NATO and OSCE. Skills and knowledge that experts at the peacekeeping operations and missions need, are very specific and diverse and are closely linked to the needs of the international institutions and their cooperation. These most commonly refer to the work and life in a multicultural environment, protection of human rights, cooperation with local personnel, training of trainer’s skills, as well as techniques and skills for work in a hostile environment.
Centre for European Perspective (CEP) has been for over a decade actively involved in European projects that aim at improving the competences of Slovene and foreign experts, who are deployed to peacekeeping operations and missions of the UN, EU, NATO and OSCE. Through our projects we are enabling access to diverse trainings for Slovene experts in Slovenia, we are sharing expertise of our experts with rich international experiences and continue to learn from the best European partners. CEP has been currently working on three projects: ENTRi – Europe’s New Training Initiative for Civilian Crisis Management , LET4Cap – Law Enforcement Training for Capacity Building and EUPCST – European Union Police and Civilian Services Training, that are striving to align trainings among participating countries, or better said, training institutions across Europe. CEP has also gained valuable experiences though the research project that was financed through the Horizon 2020, IECEU – Improving the Effectiveness of Capabilities in EU Conflict Prevention.
Organization and implementation of trainings for participation in peacekeeping operations and missions would not be possible without the support and cooperation of the ministries of interior, foreign affairs and defense. All these years, the cooperation and coordination were done informally. As activities have largely increased, an inter-ministerial analysis in close cooperation with Ministry of defense, Ministry of interior and Ministry of foreign affairs about potential synergies in the field of training, proved – also due to the membership of Slovenia in UN, EU and NATO – that an inter-ministerial cooperation with CEP should be formalized. This was the basis for the establishment of the Centre for education and training for participation in peacekeeping operations and missions that will be operating within CEP.
11. 7. 2019 | LET4CAP, PR
The LET4CAP training that took place at Castle Jable (Slovenia) in this week has finished successfully. The event was organized by the Centre for European Perspective and is the first of three sessions that have been dedicated towards solidifying the development of a common law enforcement capacity building culture.
The second day of the Law Enforcement Training for Capacity Building (LET4CAP) included the LEO’s in a discussion on training techniques and the application of these skills in a practical and personalized way. The morning session offered a theoretical overview of the different forms trainings can be organized with the use of demonstrative or scenario-based approaches and the application of simulations, World Cafès or Gallery Walks. The afternoon session that followed included group presentations, where participants took turns to explain their own envisaged training scenarios. The delivered presentations were later on evaluated by each individual participant along with the course mentor, so to provide mutual feedback and further improve their learning capabilities.
The third and final day of the LET4CAP training was dedicated to the topic of training environments management and the challenge of creating effective communication. The training was delivered by psychologist Karolina Ribacka of the Polish Policja. Her extensive experience in the field provided students with a more cognitive perspective on classroom conduct by explaining character traits that can help secure a positive training environment.
The session addressed the skills required for a proactive and attentive interaction between trainers and their potential audience. The lather is achieved through verbal and non-verbal modes of communication (mannerisms, facial expressions or gestures). The interactive activities trainees participated in, namely role-plays and buzz groups, aim at enhancing capabilities in terms of listening skills and learning to distinguish between more or less effective language, that can be used in the training room more generally. Developing sensible attitudes by trainers is also crucial for the strengthening of reciprocal expectations with trainees during international missions.
The knowledge and experience gained in the 3 day training was put to the test in the final part of the session in the form of a training exercise. Participants were divided into 4 teams and had to propose strategies for dealing with a situation of confrontation with other people (whether security related or character related), and diffusing the circumstances. An example of the group work was a presentation and role-play exercise that amplified the importance of color codes in routine (UN-Standardized) police control operations in the environment of UN-mandated international missions. Creating effective team building was also crucial for the success of this exercise.
The 3-day training course concluded with a final ceremony. Participants of the training were awarded diplomas of participation by H.E. Ambassador of Italy Paolo Trichilo.
The course is part of a framework of the Internal Security Fund of the European Union, where the Italian Carabinieri are leading a training initiative called “Law Enforcement Training for Capacity Building project” – LET4CAP”. Members of the consortium are: the Centre for European Perspective (CEP), founded by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, the Polish police force “Policja” and the in-house agency of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance “Studiare Sviluppo”. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to a more consistent and efficient assistance in law enforcement capacity building towards third countries, which will be achieved through the harmonization of a training package for Law Enforcement Organisations and with the development of a common, law enforcement capacity building culture.
8. 7. 2019 | LET4CAP, PR
19 Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) coming from 11 different countries began their LET4CAP training at Castle Jable today. The event is organized by the Centre for European Perspective and is the first of three sessions that have been dedicated towards solidifying the development of a common law enforcement capacity building culture.
The first day started with an ice breaker session where participants introduced themselves and shared their personal/professional backgrounds. The participants involved have varying degrees of experience in the field of training, some with over 20 years of know-how and some with basic experience. In addition, the trainees come from different fields such as the: civil administrative sector, military, police, civilian police, criminal investigation (forensics); creating an interesting learning dynamic.
The second part of the session was dedicated towards familiarizing participants with teaching and learning theories as well as tools and techniques needed to become a ‘good’ trainer. The topic was introduced with a lecture delivered by Annalisa Creta, Professor of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, that discussed how the sharing of knowledge involves good andragogy, deriving above all from listening skills and cultural awareness. Thus, being an effective trainer requires creating a common ground with the trainee in order to level seniority (breaking boundaries) and establish oneself as a resource.
The trainers were introduced to the training cycle approach, that involves the:
- Identification of Needs
- Planning and Design Phase
- Delivery/facilitation
- Assessment
- Evaluation
A learner-centered approach remains the key to all these steps, as it sees the trainee not as a unilateral element towards which information is to be communicated but rather as an element of conversation and interaction through which easier connection, assessment (reactivity of inputted knowledge) and evaluation (upgrading of knowledge and skills) can be made by the trainer. In this light, the first activity involved a Social Experimental Learning experiment where participants were asked to share their skills, first in groups and then collectively.
The importance of the physical environment (in terms of comfort and security) also should not be disregarded. The large conference room with a warm décor and “cafè styled” organization of seats created an overall relaxed and enjoyable environment as to make interaction and approachability towards participants more feasible and fruitful. This was also a useful demonstration of how creating adequate environments for knowledge transfer during trainings is important.
The course is part of a framework of the Internal Security Fund of the European Union, where the Italian Carabinieri are leading a training initiative called “Law Enforcement Training for Capacity Building project” – LET4CAP”. Members of the consortium are: the Centre for European Perspective (CEP), founded by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, the Polish police force “Policja” and the in-house agency of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance “Studiare Sviluppo”. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to a more consistent and efficient assistance in law enforcement capacity building towards third countries, which will be achieved through the harmonization of a training package for Law Enforcement Organisations and with the development of a common, law enforcement capacity building culture.
2. 7. 2019 | Albania - Election, Development (ODA), PR
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language.
Within the framework of the international development project “Strengthening the transparency of the electoral bodies – exchange of experiences between Slovenia and Albania 2019-20”, the activity of monitoring of the integration of good practices in the conduct of local elections in Albania was carried out on Sunday, 30 June 2019, the day of local elections in Albania.
In cooperation with local partners, CEP experts were monitoring the implementation of the observation of domestic election observers and Albanian NGOs involved in the project, based on recommendations developed within the March workshop. Moreover, CEP experts conducted interviews with participating NGO’s in the project.
The project is financed from the funds for international development cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.
