17th CEI International Summer School

Beyond Enlargement.
The Wider Europe and the New Neighbourhood

Faenza, Palazzo dei Naldi di Bondiolo
Via San Giovanni Bosco 1- Faenza - Italy

The Background

The CEI International Summer School "Beyond Enlargement. The Wider Europe and the New Neighbourhood" will take place in Faenza, from Sunday 4th to Saturday 17th September 2011.

Since 1995 the “Europe and the Balkans International Network - Centre for Eastern European and Balkan Studies”, established by the University of Bologna, has been organising a yearly Summer School for post-graduate students from Eastern Europe and from the European Union. Up to the ninth edition, held in 2003, the School was entitled “Post-Communist Transition and European Integration Processes". Starting from 2004 the School has the title: "Beyond Enlargement. The Wider Europe and the New Neighbourhood". This title change is explained by the enlargement of the EU towards ten East European Countries in 2004, seven of them belonging to the CEI area that represents the conclusion of the so called "post-communist transition", at least for this part of Eastern Europe. The recent policy of the EU on “Greater Europe and the new neighbourhood” offers new rooms for an interaction between the CEI and the EU strategic goals, and this will be taken into serious consideration in the School programmes as well as in the selection of the students.

The School Offer

The School offers its participants a unique international arena where the problems of the Enlarged Europe can be analysed in depth through the active participation of a prominent and well experienced International Faculty and a select, widely differentiated group of students from various countries. Thanks to its scientific and methodological approach, tested during the past sixteenth editions, the School contributes in creating strong roots for high standards of self-understanding and tolerance, looked upon as basic values for the advancing of the civil societies, for the consolidation of political institutions in South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus and CIS, and the overcoming of conflicts in these Regions. Indeed, these are the basic prerequisites for the integration of this Area inside the EU in the next future, or for the establishment of a good neighbourhood.

At the same time, the young generations coming form these areas are expected to become members of the new leadership, supporters of democratic principles, human rights values and free market economies. These generations could also become able to create, in their own countries, positive expectations from economic and democratic integration in Europe or from a strong cooperation with the EU, reversing the current trends, particularly in South East and CIS Europe, where strong national confrontations and ethnic contrasts are often considered as values.

One of the most significant challenges for democracy in the diverse and increasingly integrated world of today is diversity management. Originally, the notion has been referred to enterprises and labour organization while dealing with transnational corporation businesses. However diversity represents today a great challenge for the development of Democracy and modern Governance, involving institutions, local authorities and the civil society organisations (CSOs). In this sense CSOs can act as peace enforcers and shape policy making processes.

The recognition, respect, and the acceptance of otherness do not represent only crucial components of any democratic political strategy that aims at social peace and stability, justice and social development. All contemporary societies need to be aware of that and, consequently, scholars, governance and, most importantly, civil society should pay adequate attention to diversity management. It is for this reason that a strategy of active diversity management in the Western Balkans, capable of channelling existing grievances to arenas less prone to violent conflict (such as politics, education, culture, mass media) but still able to spark one off, is essential in preserving the still fragile stability we witness today especially considering the current global economic crisis. CSOs should be the principal catalyst and sustainable multipliers of these strategies.

Consequently the sustainable development and green economy challenges issue is essential in order to deepen the study of the new scenarios of sustainable development, as a new approach to economic and social issues. This implies a specific care to the environment protection and to alternative technologies for energy. The growing relevance of these topics is related both to the need of relaunching the European economy under new basis and to guarantee peace in terms of access to resources: actually, the exploitation of existing energy sources has to cope with their increasing scarcity while the claims for their exploitation are dramatically broadening. The debate that took place in Copenhagen and its modest results have contribute however to spread the awareness of these challenges in the CSOs which claim their active participation in the decision making process in order to assure a more assertive and proactive consensus as well as a social cohesion and well being to the new social and economic transformation. Therefore the EU approach to these issues will be in depth presented and analysed during the classes by focussing on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Practices in the EU strategy, on the Indicators of Sustainable Development, on the role of civil societies in the Ethics and Economics in a Process towards Sustainable Development as well as in the Ethical Bases for Environmental law.

Following this rationale, the 2011 School will offer 2 different courses:

Course A: Diversity Management, Governance and the Role of Civil Society Networks

• CSOs Network: challenges and perspectives on the CEI area
• The Role of Deliberative Forums in deeply divided societies
• Civil Society Organisation contribution to EU Regional strategies
• Fighting against discriminations: The Rule of Law and CSO ‘dog-watching’ activities
• Fighting against discriminations: Gender Policy and Nationalism
• Fighting against discriminations: Diversity management in multi-religious countries
• Fighting against discriminations: the Roma in the Western Balkans

Course B: Sustainable Development, Green Economy and the Role of Civil Society Networks

• Awareness-raising impact of CSOs Network on Sustainable Development
• Climate Change and CSOs in a European Perspective
• Sustainable Energy Governance in the Western Balkans
• Cross-border cooperation (CBC) initiatives: a civil society paradigm
• Regional economic strategies: the Danube Cooperation Process, the Central European initiative and the Adriatic Ionian Initiative
• European Investments opportunities for a sustainable economy
• Sustainability issues in rural and agricultural policy
• Territorial capital and diversification for a new rural paradigm

Course B is organized in collaboration with Summer School in International Cooperation and Sustainable Development Policies

Participants will attend the courses split in two groups, one per area. Courses will be held in Faenza (Ravenna), Italy, and will include 70 hours of lectures, seminars and workshops. Moreover, both courses will be supplemented by some interdisciplinary events, scheduled inside the courses calendar. The subjects of these meetings will concern topics of politics, international dimension and the role of the European Institutions, potential cooperation with New Neighbourhood Eastwards and inter-regional relations in South East Europe.

Civil Society Networking: expanding the CSO Network

2010 alumni will be proactively involved in the 2011 Summer School courses, by introducing the Network CSOs, main outcome of the 2010 edition of the school, to the attendants during a particular session that will be devoted to the role of civil societies in deeply divided countries, their main tasks and commitments with a focus on diversity management and sustainable development.

Interdisciplinary Events

The School promotes interdisciplinary event/panel discussions scheduled inside the courses calendar precisely designed in order to increase the sensitivity of participants of both courses about the mutual influence that characterises topics related to good governance, economic development and sustainability, democracy and environmental protection.

• Deliberative democracy: Developing tools for a new approach to governance and decision making
• Innovation and Creativity in Problem-Solving - Developing a Multi-Cultural Mindset

These modules will be organised in a form of exercises, simulations and open lectures.

Requirements

The School admits young CSO’s and NGOs activists and graduate men and women, with a background in Politics, Economics, Law, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Agrarian Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Literature and Communication Sciences. The minimum qualification required for participating is a bachelor degree.

Scholarships and Fees

Scholarships: only participants which are representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs and with citizenships from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo Turkey, are eligible for scholarships that cover both the course fees and the board and lodging (in double or triple rooms). The candidates with citizenships from above-mentioned countries which are also currently representatives of CSOs will be automatically considered for scholarships. The scholarship covers accommodation expenses (board and lodging) in Faenza starting from the dinner of September 4th to the breakfast of September 17th included and contribution for the travel expenses. Additional overnight stays or additional meals must be paid directly by the participants.

Fees: a € 950 fee is applied for EU and Overseas participants. The fee includes: board and lodging expenses in Faenza (from dinner in the evening of September 4th to the breakfast of September 17th), didactic materials, tuition, and free access to Internet. Please note that the travel expenses must be covered separately by the admitted students themselves.

Application Form and Deadline

Deadline for application: 28th June 2011 is the strict deadline set for receiving the properly completed:

• Application form,
• Curriculum vitae European Format,
• Letter of endorsement from your CSO.

Incomplete applications and /or applications received after this deadline will not be considered for the selection.

In order for prospective students to apply to the Summer School, they must

• register in the Summer School's website at http://www.summerschools.it/cissc/;
• browse the "Application to the 17th Summer School" and follow the instruction in order to...
  1. fill out the application form;
  2. upload their CV;
  3. upload a letter of endorsement from the NGO/CSO they belong to;

Further information

Further information my be requested to

Ms. Dessislava Krasteva
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ms. Luciana Moretti
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Centro per l’Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica
CEI International Summer School
via San Giovanni Bosco, 1, Faenza, Italy
Phone: +39 0544 937 950

Scientific Board

• Peter Atanasov (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje)
• Anton K. Berishaj (University of Priština)
• Camelia Beciu (National School of Political Sciences and Public Administration, Bucharest)
• Vladimir Bryushinkin (Russian State Immanuel Kant University, Kaliningrad)
• Massimo Canali (University of Bologna)
• Srđan Darmanović (University of Podgorica)
• Vitalie Diaconu (Moldovan Ministry of Reintegration)
• Zdravko Grebo (University of Sarajevo)
• Damir Grubisa(University of Zagreb)
• Dušan Janjić (Forum for Ethnic Relations, Belgrade)
• Anna Krasteva (New Bulgarian University, Sofia)
• Yusuf Ziya Irbeç(Turkish Grand National Assembly, Ankara)
• Fatmir Memaj (University of Tirana)
• Valerij I. Mikhailenko (Ural State University, Yekaterinburg)
• Anatoly Mikhailov (European Humanities University, Vilnius)
• Luljeta Minxhozi (European University of Tirana)
• Julie Mostov (Drexel University, Philadelphia)
• Laszlo Nyusztay (Budapest Business School)
• Francesco Privitera (University of Bologna, Forlì Campus)
• Rudolf M. Rizman (University of Ljubljana)
• Mykola Ryabchuk (University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”, Kiev)
• Vesna Stojanova (Integrated Business Faculty, Skopje)
• György Schöpflin (European Parliament)
• Andrea Segrè (University of Bologna)
• Boris Tihi (University of Sarajevo)

Alumni

Special attention is dedicated to maintaining contacts with former participants, as these can potentially take on positions of responsibility in their countries' institutions and become privileged interlocutors for the European Union. Many of them are already employed by their country's governments, or by international institutions.

The Certificate

The students whose overall performance is positively evaluated by their tutors will receive a certificate endorsed by the University of Bologna, with 6 ECTS credits.

The Location

Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.

Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience".

Faenza, at the foot of the first Subapennine hills, enjoys a fine location and evocative agrarian surroundings: vineyards in the hills, cultivated land with traces of the ancient Roman land-division system, and fertile market gardens in the plains. In the nearby green valleys of the rivers Samoggia and Lamone there are great number of 18th and 19th century stately homes, set in extensive grounds or preceded by long cypress-lined driveways.

The Accommodation: hotel Vittoria 4 stars is situated in an ancient palace is very near Piazza del Popolo, its central square, it is also near its most important museums, the International Museum of Ceramic. The hotel is close to the location of the summer school (via San Giovanni Bosco 1).

Medical Insurances

Medical Insurance: Your country may have a reciprocal arrangement with Italy so that medical care could be free. If not, it is essential for participants to take out medical insurance for the duration of their stay. This is especially important if participants have particular medical problems that may require attending to during their stay.