Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg

From 28 June to 18 July, 2010, the Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg hosted the first Summer Academy for participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The Summer Academy has set itself the goal to support young executives from administrations for the Eastern Partnership (EaP) of the EU, to develop networks between the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and to make a contribution to the development of Good Governance and administrative reforms. The Summer Academy is designed to provide in-depth knowledge about the political issues in the EU and to make its participants aware of the various points of view and opinions.

The Summer Academy is conducted as a joint project with the Representation of the European Commission in Berlin and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).

15 young executives from the public sector (public administration, public companies, non-profit-organizations, etc.) from the countries of the Eastern Partnership are invited to participate in a two-week seminar in Berlin and a one-week observation session in the public sector in Central Europe and thus to contribute to future cooperation in Europe. Their employers are asked to explicitly support their participation.

The Summer Academy offers its participants a multidisciplinary program with seminars and discussions in the fields of administration, political science, economic policy, international law, security policy and civil society. The seminars and discussions will be combined with relevant excursions and observation sessions.

The working language of the Summer Academy is German.

During the seminar phase in Berlin (28 June - 11 July 2010), the participants will discuss the Eastern Partnership and Good Governance with experts and decision-makers.

• How can the EU, Germany and the EaP countries successfully cooperate?
• Which interests do the neighboring countries (Central Europe, Russia and Turkey) have?
• How can administrative reforms and Good Governance be supported in the framework of the Eastern Partnership?
• Can the transition process in the new EU countries serve as an example for the EaP countries?

An excursion will give participants an impression of what a cross-border cooperation (such as between Germany and Poland) might look like. They will then jointly develop ideas for their own cooperation projects after the Summer Academy.

In addition to gaining specialist knowledge, the participants will also practice their methodological and rhetorical skills.

The one-week observation session (July 12-16, 2010) will be organized by alumni of the Carl Friedrich Goerdeler-Kolleg in their home institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. This promotes an exchange between Central Europe and the countries of the EaP. Participants are afforded practical insights into the public sector of the new EU countries and the process of transformation.

Institutions that have already agreed to an observation session include the Hungarian Ministry for the Environment, the Czech Ministry for Regional Development and the city councils of Szczecin (Poland), Ústí nad Labem (Czech Republic) and Sighişoara (Romania). Altogether, more than 20 public institutions from six EU countries in Central Europe will take part in the Summer Academy.

If possible, the participants from the EaP countries should have their observation sessions in Central European institutions that correspond to their field of work in their home country. This way, synergy effects can be taken advantage of and lasting cooperation after the Summer Academy is promoted.

The Academy concludes with a joint evaluation meeting (July 17-18, 2010) in Central Europe.