Details

Taking into consideration the complexity and diversity of South Eastern Europe and the mutual goal of EU integration, the seminar aims on the one hand to bring the participants closer to the EU institutions and the EU foreign policy and on the other hand to give them the opportunity to get to know their neighbours and exchange experiences, connecting with each other aiming towards the common goal.

In order to have experiences from the EU countries and countries that are aiming towards the EU the participants will be from all the South Eastern region including Bulgaria and Romania as the youngest EU members.

The role play “Shaping the Future of Europe” deals with the formal process of the accession negotiations between the candidate countries, the current EU member states and the EU institutions. The aim is to make clear both the institutional design of the EU with its specific decision making processes and the different interests and positions in the ambitious project of the EU enlargement.

Within the context of the simulation, complex and multi-layered planning, negotiation and decision-making processes will be imitated. The participants will adopt a fictive starting position for the duration of the role play and take on an active role as members of the European Parliament and of the European Commission, ministers of EU-member states, representatives of a candidate country or media representatives. By adopting the positions and views of specific interests, they will develop a better understanding of the processes and developments in the European Union. The EU will become more transparent, understandable and therefore more accessible for the participants.

In contrast to traditional role-playing games, the participants act primarily in groups. They have to learn to understand the socio-cultural background of the country they represent, make demands, represent parties, participate in discussions, build coalitions and much more.

Target Group of the Activity:

Young politicians from South East Europe (FY Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania)

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Arrival of the participants

18:00 – 18:30h Official opening of the seminar

Anja Czymmeck, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Skopje

N.N., Representative CES

Teuta Arifi (tbi), Deputy Prime Minister and head of Secretariat for European Integration(DUI)

Representative from the EU Delegation

Holger Arndt, CIVIC Institute for International Education

18:30 – 20:30 hOverview: sequence, methods and aims of the seminar

Introduction to the scenario-building method

Holger Arndt

Alexander Burka

CIVIC Institute

Institute for International Education

Questions and discussion

Friday, September 30, 2011

09:00 – 09:45Presentation of the programme

09.45 – 10.30Impulse: “History, Institutions and Decision making Processes – Basic Facts on the European Union”

10.30 – 11.00 Introduction to the European enlargement process

11.15 – 12.00 Introduction to the role play “Shaping the Future of Europe”

12.00 – 13.00Distribution of roles / Questions and answers

Start of the simulation

14.00 – 14.30Speech of the President of the European Commission followed by informal talks of the actors

14.30 – 16.00 First round table of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament, clarification of positions

16.00 – 16.30 Press conference, questions by the media

17.00 – 19.00Presentation of the accession applications by the candidate countries to the EU-Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament

19.00 – 19.30 Press conference, questions by the media

Saturday, October 1, 2011

09.00 – 10.30Presentation of the accession applications by the candidate countries to the EU-Commission, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament

Part II

10.30 – 11.30TV and press reports

Interviews and reports prepared by the representatives of the media

11.30 – 11.45Coffee break

11.45 – 13.00Negotiations of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament

Formal statement and recommendations by the EU-Commission: Council of Ministers (unanimously) and EP statement (with absolute majority) decide on a formal statement; instruction to the EU-Commission and the presidency of the Council to start the accession negotiations

13.00 – 14.00Lunch

14.00 – 16.00 Negotiations with the Candidate Countries in close co-operation with the European Parliament

Part I

16.00 – 16.30TV and press reports

16.30 – 17.00Coffee break

17.00 – 18.30 Negotiations with the Candidate Countries in close co-operation with the European Parliament

Part II

18.30 – 19.00Press conference, questions by the media

19:00 – 20:00TV and press reports

20.00 – 21.30Dinner

Evening program

Sunday, October 2, 2011

09.00 – 10.00Breakfast

10.00 – 10.30Vote on the negotiated Accession treaties by the Council of Ministers (unanimously)

and

EP statement (with absolute majority)

10.30 – 11.00Signing of the Accession treaties

Speeches by representatives of the EU-Commission, the presidency of the Council, the EP and the candidate countries

End of the simulation

11.00 – 11.30Evaluation of and reflection on the results of the simulation

Anja Czymmeck, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Skopje

Holger Arndt, CIVIC Institute

N.N. , CES

End of the seminar and departure of guests