13. 6. 2020 | PR
The British Embassy, Centre for European Perspective and Bled Strategic Forum are delighted to present:
When Brexit meets a pandemic: What’s next for the UK–EU future relationship?
A panel discussion and audience Q&A with guest speaker Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London and Director of UK in a Changing Europe.
The discussion will be moderated by Katja Geršak, Executive Director of Centre for European Perspective – CEP.
Also joining the panel will be:
- HE Sophie Honey, British Ambassador to Slovenia
- Matej Avbelj, Professor of European Law, Nova Univerza
- Representative of the Slovene Government (TBA)
In January 2020 the UK left the EU, with a transition period set to end at the end of this year. The UK and EU are currently negotiating a free trade agreement and security relationship, but will they reach agreement in 2020?
- What impact has Covid-19 had on the UK-EU Future Relationship?
- Will the UK and EU be able to agree on an FTA by the end of the year?
- What impact will all of this have on the UK and the EU?
- What directions are the UK and EU heading in over the next 5 years?
Please join us for the Zoom Webinar on 📅 Monday 22nd June @ 12:30 CET.
The webinar will be conducted in English.
20. 5. 2020 | POTC, PR
We are proud to announce that the constituent session of the Program Council of the Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC), consisting of State Secretary Mr Tone Kajzer from Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve RS, State Secretary Mr Franc Kangler from Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve, State Secretary Mr Uroš Lampret from Ministrstvo za obrambo RS/Slovenian Ministry of Defence and CEP Executive Director Ms Katja Geršak, was held on the 19th May 2020. The constituent session was followed by a solemn signing of the Rules of Procedure of the POTC Program Council and an agreement on the substantive priorities of the first year of operation of the POTC.
Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) was established by the official decision of the Slovenian Government, issued on the 19th July 2019, following the expert opinion of an inter-ministerial working group set up by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with CEP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that carried out a comprehensive external expert evaluation and concluded that the establishment of a POTC could help in developing a comprehensive approach to training in peacekeeping operations and missions, and enable Slovenia in passing on its experience and knowledge in the field of such trainings through such a Center.
CEP Executive Director, Ms Geršak, thanked the State Secretaries for their contribution to this event. She stressed the importance of establishing a POTC as there are few such interdepartmental training centers in the world. It was also noted that in 2020, CEP will take over the coordination of a new EU project whose main activities will include conducting trainings in countries where European Union civilian missions operate, which will provide an opportunity to promote POTC and Slovenia in the next three years. All three State Secretaries welcomed the establishment of the POTC and signing of the Rules of Procedure.
State Secretary Kajzer pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that the POTC is extremely important for strengthening Slovenia’s credibility within the EU and for strengthening transatlantic relations. It will also enable a comprehensive approach in the field of training, consolidation of knowledge between departments as well as exploiting the synergies of all stakeholders. State Secretary Lampret emphasized the good experience of cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and Slovenian Armed Forces with CEP so far and looks forward to furthering joint work. Slovenia’s contribution to the UN is especially important to the Ministry of Defense, as they have always sought a balance of cooperation in areas that are important for Slovenia.
17. 3. 2020 | Helicopter, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language. 
With the development assistance of Slovenia, Montenegro is building a system of helicopter police operations and helicopter emergency medical services, and enhancing the role of the Ministry of the Interior in this system.
Expertise of Flight Police Unit and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Slovenia is primarily used to assist Montenegrin Interdepartmental Working Group in establishing expert interdepartmental dialogue. Interdepartmental Working Group discussed Slovenian experience for steps of Montenegrin system development between 11 and 12 March 2020 in Podgorica.
It consulted on the preparation of a strategic document to guide the development of a new system of public services provided by helicopter operations of the Ministry of Interior, particularly relevant to the safety, health and lives of residents and visitors of Montenegro. Its importance and importance of enhancing efficiency of public administrations was emphasised also by the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Montenegro Gregor Presker who opened the working gathering together with Program Director Andreja Dolničar Jeraj. Slovenian representatives also held a working meeting on specifics of helicopter police operations planning on 13 March 2020 at the Police Administration of Montenegro.
The project is part of programme activities of the Slovenia’s Development Cooperation Programme financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and carried out together with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health and Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Andreja Dolničar Jeraj
Programme Director
Centre for European Perspective
6. 3. 2020 | Helicopter, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
Click here to read more about the project in Slovenian language.
In 2020, Slovenia continues to implement development assistance to Montenegro, which is aimed at strengthening the role of the helicopter unit of the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro within the establishment of a system of helicopter emergency medical services and helicopter police operations. Montenegro does not yet provide these public services systematically. An interdepartmental working group has been established to set up the system and will use Slovenian experience in its work and in inter-sectorial dialogue. For this purpose, in Podgorica, during 11–12 March 2020, 22–24 April 2020 and 3–5 June 2020, workshops and working meetings will be held and assisted by the experts from Slovenian Police and Ministry of Health.
The project is part of programme activities of the Slovenia’s Development Cooperation Programme financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and carried out together with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health and Police of the Republic of Slovenia.
Further information:
Andreja Dolničar Jeraj
Programme Director
Centre for European Perspective
5. 3. 2020 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR, Youth
On 4 March 2020, Jable castle hosted a group of some 40 experts, practitioners, state officials, diplomats, students and civil society representatives to discuss demographic challenges of the Western Balkan (WB) countries in the context of brain drain and possibility of turning it into brain circulation. Organized by Centre for European Perspective (CEP) in cooperation with Central European Initiative (CEI), the event took place within the framework of Young Bled Strategic Forum (Young BSF).
The closed morning session aimed to outline the demographic challenges of WB region and shed a light on the brain drain, as well as identify good practices and policies. The main guiding questions were: Are there ways to stop the brain drain? Is it productive to think of ways to stop it? How can we turn brain drain into brain circulation? What good practices can EU countries offer in this regards? Are there any state-sponsored activities or programs tackling the issue that could be presented as good practices? Are governments doing something to re-attract skilled workers and highly educated individuals into their home countries? Are countries with a large diaspora in any way profiting from this?
The second part, open to general public, hosted various experts in the field who discussed the conclusions from the first session, as well as offered insights into potential solutions to the brain drain issue. The event was opened by Nina Kodelja, Deputy Secretary General of CEI, who stressed that demographic issues affect the societal tissue profoundly. Katja Geršak, Executive Director of CEP, continued with the presentation of good practices that CEP and Slovenia are implementing through development projects. In addition, Andor Dávid, Executive Director of International Visegrad Fund (IVF) shared some thoughts on entrepreneurship, where he stressed that entrepreneurial and innovation spirit have to be awoken at an early age. He added that IVF activities in the WB region focus on future jobs, which do not exist yet but could offer a new impetus to local communities in the future.
The discussants, Dafina Peci, Secretary General at National Youth Congress of Albania, Jernej Štromajer, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education of Slovenia, and Anja Fortuna, President of National Youth Council of Slovenia, agreed there are numerous reasons to why people decide to move, while we should seek deeper reasons to why this occurs. Healthcare, housing, family policies, educational system, democratic performance, environment policies etc. all play an important role when trying to turn brain drain into brain circulation. They also agreed that governments should, through a mix of different policies, offer incentives for youth to stay in their home countries.
Concluding remarks were offered by Peter Grk, Secretary General of Bled Strategic Forum and National Coordinator for the Western Balkans from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, who stressed that what the WB region is lacking are the “lights” (hope), while currently there are no lights to be turned off, paraphrasing the title of the round table. “Both the EU and WB countries need to stop pretending and start creating favourable conditions for youth in the region”, stressed Grk.
Meliha Muherina, Programme Director of the Young BSF, moderated the event.
Concrete policy recommendations on the topic discussed will follow in the upcoming weeks.
