Third seminar, ‘Western Balkans: Getting closer to the EU - Strengthening the capacity of the state institutions to meet the integration challenges today’

22 April 2013 Diplomatic Calendar

On April 22, the third seminar in the project entitled “Western Balkans: Getting closer to the EU – Strengthening the capacity of the state institutions to meet the integration challenges today” opened in Tirana, Albania. The seminar is organised by the Diplomatic Institute in co-operation with the Hans Seidel Foundation. The project is supported by the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Austrian Development Agency and is made up of four separate training workshops, each lasting a week.

The seminar is aimed at public administration staff working with issues relating to European integration, regional co-operation and economic development. Training is to be conducted by Bulgarian lecturers, for about 30 participants, in order to form a trained team, familiar not only with the challenges on the road to EU accession, but also with the methods and techniques used by the Republic of Bulgaria to overcome these challenges. Lecturers at the seminar are to include Vladimir Mishev of the Policies and Institutions of the European Union Directorate of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Bulgaria, Elisabeta Simeonova of the Global Issues Directorate-General, Dr. Vihar Georgiev of the European Studies Department at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and Ambassador Luchezar Matev of the Security Policy Directorate at the Foreign Ministry.

The workshop was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Albania, HE Dimitar Arnaoudov, by representatives of the Diplomatic Institute, the Hans Seidel Foundation in Albania, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Albania, of the National Coordinator for CEI in Albania and a representative of the Austrian Development Agency in Albania.