Objectives
The Summer Master Course aims to widen the intellectual horizon regarding the European integration, improve the capacity of talented young leaders of the Western Balkans (Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia/FYROM, Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the V4, and empower them to effectively address challenges within the field of their professional career.

Background
ICDT has already implemented various projects in the Western Balkans, including the Summer Seminar for Young Leaders of the Western Balkans in 2010, the precursor of the current initiative. All countries of the region have expressed their desire to join the EU at some point in the future. While considerable efforts have been made towards this goal, the developments of internal and external affairs are sometimes volatile and a lot of work is still needed in these countries to achieve sufficient progress in the political, economic and societal fields to become EU members. An important aspect that could also support this endeavour is cooperation among the countries of the Western Balkans.

Project Description
The summer course intends to empower the young leaders of the Western Balkans by employing the case and experience of the Visegrad Group within the European Union. Consequently, they will learn the significance of the European integration and regional cooperation initiatives, and their possible contribution to the development of the Western Balkans. At the same time, the participants from the V4 countries will also have the chance to become acquainted with the situation and the future prospects of the Western Balkans. Furthermore, they will also meet other important stakeholders, such as European politicians representing the V4, civil leaders, and people from the business sector.

The topics of the program include but are not limited to
• The EU integration – with particular emphasis on the accession of the V4 and Croatia
• The EU institutions and their role in the European integration
• The EU’s relationship with the Western Balkans
• The European Parliament’s role in the integration process
• The EU enlargement and the prospects of the Western Balkans
• Regional cooperation in Europe, including good practices in the Visegrad Group
• “EU-Model” – Modeling EU negotiations

The project is supported by the International Visegrad Fund (IVF).