29. 3. 2017 | PR, Youth
The European Integration Office, adjacent body of the Government of Serbia, presented the development projects in year 2016. Among others projects, the internships promotion project that was organized by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and CEP was presented.
In the framework of the project, a printed Internship Manual was developed in order to guide the organisations that aim to establish the internship and traineeship programmes in the countries that share the perspective to join the European Union. Its objective is to inspire both the sending institutions and the institutions who are recipients to develop such programmes and contribute to the regional education and cooperation on the way to the EU.
CEP was selected as a programme partner who served as a contact point in Slovenia, intermediary between the European Integration Office in Serbia and the institutions, and the identifier of the organisations that are eligible to take part in the programme.
Find the manual here: GIZ SEIO Internship Manual
28. 3. 2017 | ENTRi, PR
Last week the European External Action Service (EEAS) published the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Annual Report that provides an overview on how CSDP operations and missions are operating related to the priorities they are focused on.
An important aspect of the activities in the framework of the CSDP are also the civilian missions and the support that is provided to the mission staff, who are the backbone of the missions and ensure to deliver the missions’ mandates. Establishing and maintaining such missions is an enormous task for the EU. In order for the CSDP missions to function professionally, trainings are of crucial importance. Pre-deployment trainings are provided in Brussels each month through the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). One of the providers in the ESDC’s network of training organisations is also the Centre for European Perspective (CEP).
CSDP Annual Report, published 16 March 2017 is available here.
27. 3. 2017 | BIH - Entrepreneurs, Danube, Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance, Youth
The initiative that started as CEP’s program activity in the framework of the official development cooperation of the Republic of Slovenia in 2014, has grown into a region-wide project that supports the young entrepreneurs and youngsters with a promising entrepreneurial idea on their way to the development of the idea and launch of their own start-up company.
Empowering entrepreneurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Starting with the young entrepreneurs in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) three years ago, the project named Empowering BiH’s Young Entrepreneurs continues to expand its scope of activities. This year’s itineration included a preparation workshop in Networks Sarajevo, Sarajevo, BiH, (Wednesday, 22 March 2017 – learn more about it here) where young entrepreneurs got a chance to present their ideas, learn how to improve their pitch in front of an expert commission and got a direct feedback from their colleagues. Through the preparation process youngsters finalize their ideas and respond to the call for applications, where we select the best entrepreneurial ideas and offer 20 young entrepreneurs from BiH a 3-day all-inclusive package – visit to Slovenia, transportation, accommodation and participation at the PODIM Conference, free of charge.
Encouraging the start-up environment in Kosovo
Having received very positive feedbacks from the participants in BiH, CEP developed a similar project in Kosovo in 2016. A preparation workshop, titled “Investment and growth opportunities for Kosovo start-ups in Slovenia and the Alps-Adriatic region” will take place in the Innovaton Centre Kosovo (ICK) on Wednesday, 29 March 2017 (learn more about it here), followed by the call for applications for the young entrepreneurs from Kosovo and a 3-day visit to Slovenia.
Reaching out to the Danube region
Having focused predominantly on the countries of the Western Balkans in the previous years, we are now turning to the Danube region as well. As the coordinator of the Priority Area 10 of the Danube Strategy (Institutional Capacity and Cooperation), we have launched a special offer for the Danube region start-ups (selected Danube countries include: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine). 20 participants from the eligible countries will be selected for the 3-day all-inclusive package trip to Slovenia (read more about it here).
Partnership with PODIM Conference and visit to Ljubljana
Selected participants will attend PODIM Conference in Maribor, Slovenia on 10 and 11 May 2017, participate in the biggest networking event for start-ups in the Alps-Adriatic Region, take part in the PODIM Challenge pitching competition and be presented in the PODIM Start-up Catalogue for the one-on-one meetings with PODIM investors and blue-chip partners.
Following the PODIM Conference, the participants will visit Centre for European Perspective at Grad Jable, where a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will explain more about the Slovenian foreign policy efforts in the Balkan region and the EU-wide Positive Agenda for Youth that recognizes youth in the Balkan region as essential actors in regional cooperation, friendship and reconciliation. Their visit in Slovenia will conclude with a peek into the Slovenian start-up environment and co-working scene at the ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana. The good practices from Slovenia will help transmit one of the key messages of the project – cooperation leads first to small changes in the start-up environment, but not giving up and raising the voice of youth can lead to the system-wide reforms.
By joining forces, PODIM Conference and CEP offer young entrepreneurs an additional learning dimension in the creative process and empowers them to step ahead and present themselves in front of the investors that can help them transform their ideas into a promising start-up company.
CEP in konferenca PODIM združila moči za opolnomočenje mladih podjetnikov
Pobuda, ki jo je CEP začel v okviru mednarodnega razvojnega sodelovanja Slovenije leta 2014, je prerasla v regionalni projekt, ki podpira mlade podjetnike in mlade z obetavnimi podjetniškimi idejami na njihovi poti od razvoja ideje do zagona njihovega lastnega start-up podjetja.
Opolnomočenje podjetnikov v Bosni in Hercegovini
Projekt, ki se je pod imenom Spodbujanje podjetništva medm mladimi v BiH začel pred tremi leti, sedaj razširja svoje aktivnosti. V letošnjo izvedbo smo vključili pripravljalno delavnico v Networks Sarajevo v Bosni in Hercegovini (sreda, 22. marec 2017 – več o tem na tej povezavi), kjer so imeli mladi podjetniki možnost predstaviti svoje ideje, se naučiti, kako izboljšati svoje predstavitve pred strokovno komisijo ter dobiti neposreden komentar in nasvet s strani ostalih udeležencev. Tekom pripravljalnega procesa mladi izdelajo svoje ideje in se tako bolje odzovejo na razpis, preko katerega izberemo najboljše ideje in 20 mladim podjetnikom iz BiH ponudimo brezplačen tridnevni paket – obisk Slovenije, prevoz, nastanitev in obisk konference Podim.
Spodbujanje start-up okolja na Kosovu
Po zelo pozitivnem odzivu udeležencev v BiH, je CEP podoben projekt razvil tudi na Kosovu leta 2016. Pripravljalna delavnica z naslovom “Priložnosti za rast investicije in rast za kosovske start-upe v Sloveniji in v alpsko-jadranski regiji” se odvija v Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK) v sredo, 29. marca 2017 (preberite več tukaj), sledi pa ji natečaj za mlade podjetnike s Kosova in tridnevni obisk v Sloveniji.
Širitev na Podonavje
Medtem ko smo se v preteklih letih osredotočali predvsem na države Zahodnega Balkana, se projekt letos razširja tudi na Podonavsko regijo. Kot koordinatorji PA10 Podonavske strategije (institucionalna krepitev in sodelovanje), smo poseben natečaj uvedli tudi za start-upe iz Podonavja (izbrane države v regiji zajemajo Bolgarijo, Hrvaško, Češko, Madžarsko, Romunijo, Slovaško, Črno goro, Srbijo, Moldavijo in Ukrajino). 20 udeležencev iz izbranih držav bo sodelovalo na tridnevni ekskurziji v Slovenijo (več preberite tukaj).
Partnerstvo s konferenco Podim in obisk v Ljubljani
Izbrani udeleženci se bodo udeležili konference Podim 10. in 11. maja 2017 v Mariboru v Sloveniji, sodelovali na največjem dogodku za start-upe v alpsko-jadranski regiji, se preizkusili na izzivu PODIM Challenge ter bili predstavljeni v PODIM Start-up katalogu, namenjenem ena-na-ena srečanjem z investitorji in partnerji.
Po konferenci PODIM bodo udeleženci obiskali tudi Center za evropsko prihodnost na gradu Jable, kjer jim bo predstavnik Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve RS povedal več o slovenskih prizadevanjih na področju zunanje politike na Balkanu in o Pozitivni agendi za mlade, ki na nivoju Evropske unije prepoznava mlade na Balkanu kot ključne akterje pri regionalnem sodelovanju, prijateljstvu in spravi. Njihov obisk v Sloveniji se bo zaključil z vpogledom v slovensko start-up okolje in sodelo (co-working) v ABC pospeševalniku v Ljubljani. Dobre prakse iz Slovenije bodo pomagale prenašati eno izmed ključnih sporočil projekta – sodelovanje najprej vodi do majhnih sprememb znotraj start-up okolja, vztrajnost in angažiranost mladih pa lahko vodita do širših reform na sistemski ravni.
Z združitvijo moči PODIM in CEP mladim podjetnikom ponujata dodatno učno dimenzijo v kreativnem procesu in prispevata k opolnomočenju mladih, da stopijo v ospredje, se predstavijo pred investitorji in s tem spremenijo svoje ideje v obetavna start-up podjetja.
27. 3. 2017 | Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
For the second year in a row, Centre for European Perspective offers its support to the young entrepreneurs from Kosovo and youngsters with entrepreneurial ideas, who want to develop and launch their projects. In order to do so, we organize a call for applications in cooperation with the leading regional start up conference PODIM, that takes place every May in Maribor, Slovenia.
The call helps us select the best entrepreneurial ideas and pitches and we offer 20 young entrepreneurs (the members of the teams and their mentors) the transportation to the conference, accommodation and the ticket to the PODIM Conference. We widen their knowledge about entrepreneurship and give them an insight into the process of development of the project from the initial idea to the launch, we offer them an opportunity to meet potential investors and last but not least, the entrepreneurs with the same mindset from the whole Alps-Adriatic region.
Following the PODIM Conference, the participants will visit Centre for European Perspective at Grad Jable, where a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will explain more about the Slovenian foreign policy efforts in the Balkan region and the EU-wide Positive Agenda for Youth that recognizes youth in the Balkan region as essential actors in regional cooperation, friendship and reconciliation. Their visit in Slovenia will conclude with a peek into the Slovenian start-up environment and co-working scene at the ABC Accelerator in Ljubljana. The good practices from Slovenia will help transmit one of the key messages of the project – cooperation leads first to small changes in the start-up environment, but not giving up and raising the voice of youth can lead to the system-wide reforms.
Youngsters have to present their entrepreneurial idea in the application, that is reviewed by the expert commission. Since we realized during the previous years that the presentations of the ideas and the pitches could be prepared even better, we decided to organize a startup workshop, where our participants get to know the call for applications and PODIM conference. The workshop, where the young entrepreneurs also get the opportunity to here more from PODIM organizers and Kosovo startup that have already been at PODIM, pitch tips and tricks will take place on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Innovation Centre Kosovo, Pristina, Kosovo. Apply here.
The project is part of our program activities, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Slovenia in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
Spodbujanje podjetništva med mladimi na Kosovu
CEP že drugo leto zapored nudi podporo mladim kosovskim podjetnikom in mladim s podjetniškimi idejami, ki bi radi svoje ideje razvijali, nadgrajevali. V ta namen v sodelovanju z vodilno regionalno start up konferenco PODIM, ki poteka vsako leto meseca maja v Mariboru, organiziramo natečaj, preko katerega izberemo najboljše podjetniške ideje in predstavitve. 20 mladim podjetnikom (članom ekip in njihovim mentorjem) bomo tako omogočili prevoz, namestitev in vstopnico za konferenco PODIM. Tako razširjamo njihovo znanje o podjetniških korakih, jim ponudimo možnost srečanja s potencialnimi investitorji in nenazadnje, z enako mislečimi iz celotne regije Alpe-Adria.
Po konferenci PODIM bodo udeleženci obiskali tudi Center za evropsko prihodnost na gradu Jable, kjer jim bo predstavnik Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve RS povedal več o slovenskih prizadevanjih na področju zunanje politike na Balkanu in o Pozitivni agendi za mlade, ki na nivoju Evropske unije prepoznava mlade na Balkanu kot ključne akterje pri regionalnem sodelovanju, prijateljstvu in spravi. Njihov obisk v Sloveniji se bo zaključil z vpogledom v slovensko start-up okolje in sodelo (co-working) v ABC pospeševalniku v Ljubljani. Dobre prakse iz Slovenije bodo pomagale prenašati eno izmed ključnih sporočil projekta – sodelovanje najprej vodi do majhnih sprememb znotraj start-up okolja, vztrajnost in angažiranost mladih pa lahko vodita do širših reform na sistemski ravni.
Mladi morajo za prijavo na natečaj oddati predstavitev svoje podjetniške ideje, ki jih nato pregleda strokovna komisija. Ker smo v preteklih letih zaznali, da bi lahko mladi predstavitve pripravili še bolje, organiziramo delavnico, kjer bodo mladi izvedeli vse o natečaju, konferenci, izkušnji start-upa, ki je na konferenci že bil ter nekaj uporabnih nasvetov za boljšo predstavitev lastne ideje. Delavnica bo potekala v sredo, 29. marca 2017, v Prištini v prostorih Innovation Centre Kosovo (ICK), prijava je možna na povezavi tukaj.
Projekt je del programskih aktivnosti CEP, ki jih financira Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve Republike Slovenije iz sredstev za mednarodno razvojno sodelovanje.
26. 3. 2017 | PR, Reflection Forum
CEP kindly invites you to a round table discussion “Perspectives for the Western Balkans in the European Union”, organised by CEP in cooperation with the leading EU think tanks.
In the wake of the centenary of First World War in 2014, the Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel initiated an intergovernmental process with the countries of the Western Balkans. Its aim has been to improve their cooperation, put “fundamentals first” and thereby reinvigorate their European integration. The first conference in Berlin was followed by a second one in Vienna in 2015, third one in Paris in 2016 whereas fourth one will be held in Trieste in July 2017. Round table discussion will be done as part of a series of events within a ‘Reflection Forum’ initiative, which aims to discuss the relevance of a European dialogue of research and policy institutions on issues related to the Western Balkans and their European integration in the run-up to the Conference of Heads of State and Government from the Western Balkans countries in Italy.
Disccusion will be held on 28 March 2017 at the Atrium ZRC SAZU (Novi trg 2, Ljubljana) from 18.00 to 20.00.
Please find the invitation attached, while you will be able to discuss the issues with the following speakers:
• Peter Grk, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ljubljana
• Zoran Nechev, EU ISS, Paris
• Eleonora Poli, IAI, Rome
• Florent Marciacq, Franco-Austrian Centre (CFA), Vienna
Moderator: Tobias Flessenkemper, CIFE, Nice
Please confirm your presence by 27 March at [email protected].
Organizers:
In cooperation with:
Invitation: From Rome to Trieste
![CEP on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome: The EU is not for granted]()
24. 3. 2017 | PR
On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the EU, we at the Centre for European Perspective feel called upon to say a few words in this regard. Also, we at our institution celebrated an anniversary last year. It was 10 years since our establishment. However, in the year of 2006, when we were established, we were living in a different EU, as it is today in the year of 2017.
Ten years back, the EU was just in front of the enlargement with Romania and Bulgaria and just after the big one in 2004 with 10 new member states. Today, we are almost not talking about enlargement any more, but more about “exits”.
Ten years back, we were living in a period of high economic growth, while today many of EU countries are still struggling with the consequences of the financial and economic crisis of 2009. The migration crisis in the past years confronted member countries and the EU institutions with new realities, for which we do not have common answers or solutions. Despite the rules still in place, many borders among Schengen states are not ensuring “the free movement of people” anymore. Terrorist attacks are changing the everyday life in the EU capitals and people do not feel safe anymore.
These are just a few differences we can notice, if we take a look only 10 years back. If we would look 60 years back, the differences would be even more visible. It would indeed be interesting to see, what the founding fathers of the EU would say, if they would be here today. Having in mind they were setting up a union among countries, which were just a couple of years ago, involved in two world wars and have lived through the economic depression in between them. Many people said at that time they are dreamers and utopians.
However, after 60 years, we can argue, they were not dreamers. Today we have a young generation for the first time living a “European life”. Majority of the European millennium generation is today using one currency and they are not any more troubled with exchange offices when traveling from France to Austria or Germany by exchanging Francs for Schillings or Marks. Studying a semester abroad is something completely natural, while even still in the 90s this was a privilege of just a few. The Schengen system enabled people to move across Europe much faster and easier. Some of us still remember the long lines of cars and people at the boarders between countries. Communication in the EU is nowadays almost free (GSM roaming, internet coverage etc.), while only a few decades back a telephone call from the UK to Italy was a huge expense.
As mentioned, the young generation was born into all of these benefits and is consecutively taking them for granted. In my opinion, this is a very dangerous thing to do, since nothing is for granted. The EU, the Schengen, the Euro, Erasmus etc. are not for granted. All these success stories of the EU are there because many visionaries 60 years ago believed in it and fought for it. And if the young take all this for granted and at the same time see the EU as something which is very distant, we have a lot of homework still to do.
We at our Centre implement many projects in the countries which are still on their way towards the EU membership. In these countries, we rarely here or talk about “exits”, but much more about “entries”. The young in these countries do not have all the above-mentioned things, nor do they see them as granted. And if we stop believing in cooperation and in integration, we might just lose all the things for which we believe are there ever since.
Thus, when I talk to the young I try to explain that if “only” decades of peace in Europe would be the only positive outcome of the EU, it would be worth it.
The EU is a process and we must never stop believing in it and shaping it. At least in my opinion, having lived my youth without the EU, nowadays there is no real alternative for it.
All the best to the European integration.
Dr. Gorazd Justinek, CEO at CEP
