Integration to the European Union (EU) requires a professional, accountable and effective public administration, free of political interference and corruption and capable of meeting the challenges of the integration process. This is even more important in the context of a political crisis and decreasing confidence of the citizens in political elites.

This is why the EU invests in the public administration in various ways – promoting the rule of law and better regulation approach, enhancing e-Governance and access of the citizens to public services, fighting unethical behavior and conflicts of interest, encouraging professionalism and independence. And most of all, the EU devotes efforts and funds to build the capacities of the administration to promote and drive reforms for the benefit of their countries and citizens.

Connecting young professionals from the six Western Balkan countries systematically is one of the EU tools to prepare the next generation of public administrators and policy makers to lead future change in their societies that will bring them closer to the EU. This is the core of the EU scheme for young professionals in the Western Balkans, which was launched in the autumn of 2016 and is administered by the British Council.

This pilot action delivered last year, has had a positive impact on facilitating and improving two cornerstones of the EU accession process in the Western Balkans: PAR and regional cooperation. Based on the encouraging results of the pilot project presented in the context of the Trieste Summit held in July 2017, the European Commission, following a positive opinion of the IPA Committee (Member States), decided to continue the EU Scheme for Young Professionals in the Western Balkans (YPS) for a further two years.

30 young professionals from Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia have been carefully chosen after a rigorous selection procedure. They followed an intensive executive training programme at Sciences Po in Paris during December 2017 and at the College of Europe in Bruges during February 2018. These training programmes are followed by an exchange programme allowing the young professionals to further network and receive direct insight on how the respective institutions and specific organisational parts manage the process of EU integration. It will also further enhance the regional cooperation and reconciliation by means of dispelling myths and misinformation about the neighbouring “other”.

Since 12 March 2018, five of the selected civil servants are in Skopje. At the same time 5 young professionals from Macedonia are visiting the other five Western Balkan capitals taking this excellent opportunity to learn and develop their skills, to exchange experiences, learn by doing in a different context, being coached and advised by key national institutions and the respective EU Delegations.

In Skopje, with the support of the Secretariat for European Integration, the young professional participate in an intensive exchange programme, focused on regional and EU positive examples for good neighbourhood and regional cooperation in EU context. This regional cooperation component of the Action will facilitate peer review and learning and the sharing of good practices and help participants to understand better the countries in the region.

For further information concerning this project please go to: http://Eu4wb6.com/