Apply for Western Balkans Fellowship Programme at the Austrian Parliament

Deadline: 15-Feb-23

The European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) announces the call for applications for the Western Balkans Fellowship Programme at the Austrian Parliament.

The Western Balkans Fellowship Programme at the Austrian Parliament in cooperation with the EFB is a practice-oriented educational programme for civil servants working in the National Parliaments of Western Balkan countries. The purpose of the programme which is funded by the Austrian Parliament and implemented by the EFB is to give impetus to the EU integration-driven reforms of the Western Balkans Parliament’s administrations, through building the capacities of individuals, who are acting as the agents of change. The programme targets public administration professionals with a strong commitment to contributing to the development of their societies who are lifelong learners, acquiring skills and broadening their horizons throughout their careers.

The Fellowship Programme is designed for civil servants working in the administrations of the National Parliaments in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. It is a unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the operations and practices of the Austrian Parliament as well as to observe and to learn from administrative staff and professionals about various aspects of their work.

Objectives

• Within the framework of the Austrian Parliament’s initiatives to foster capacity building, civic education and the rule of law in the countries of the Western Balkans the Fellowship Programme is enhancing EU integration-driven reforms of the Western Balkans’ public administrations by educating and motivating public servants to practice and advocate European principles of public administration and by sharing knowledge about parliamentary democracy.
• The European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) is an initiative launched in 2007 by European private Foundations. The EFB aims at strengthening democracy, fostering European integration and affirming the role of the Western Balkans in addressing Europe’s emerging challenges.
• The EFB’s strategic objectives are:
  • To develop the Western Balkans’ social capacity focused on the region’s democratisation and EU accession process;
  • To develop a policy platform that improves policy making while strengthening democratic institutions and civil societies in the Western Balkans and supporting EU integration;
  • To develop a culture of regional cooperation with a set of norms taken at the societal level.
• Specific objectives of the programme are:
  • To develop the capacities of a selected category of public servants who want to shape regional and European collaboration by targeting national actors important for European integration;
  • To enable a good environment for supporting motivated parliamentary public servants in acquiring knowledge and skills regarding European principles of administration, and transferring know-how within their departments of work;
  • To get to know the role of National Parliaments in the EU-legislation process and to get familiarized with parliamentary processes in the Austrian political system.

Benefits

• The fellows will get the opportunity to work in particular in one of the following fields of the Austrian parliamentary administration: central administrative services, plenary meetings, committee support, legal, legislative and research affairs, IT, EU participation, international affairs and communication.
• Six (6) scholarships will be available for civil servants in the 2022/2023 programme cycle. The programme financed by the Austrian Parliament and implemented by the EFB includes the following support to the fellow: intensive language course, travel expenses, international travel (medical) insurance, stipend for practice phase and the travel expenses and lodging for the Joint Seminar in spring 2024.
• Practice phase funding – Round-trip travel expenses between the fellow’s residence and Vienna will be covered. The fellow is expected to obtain sufficient travel insurance against illness, liability and accident in the host country (international medical insurance), which will be reimbursed by the EFB. In case the fellow needs a visa cost for six weeks multi-entry Schengen tourist visa for the host country will be covered. The fellow receives a stipend of €2,700.00 for the six weeks period.
• German language training funding –The costs of the language training in the home country will be paid directly to the provider of the service before the start of the fellowship. The fellow is responsible for selecting a language training, providing, and organising his/her language lessons 3-6 months before. In total, up to €1,000.00 of language training costs can be paid by the EFB on behalf of the Austrian Parliament.
• By participating in the programme, the fellows from the National Parliaments will have the opportunity to:
  • gain professional experience in an EU country’s parliamentary administration,
  • receive training on their respective fields of expertise including EU issues,
  • engage with their colleagues from the region and the EU, and thus
  • create links between administrations through individual networks,
  • serve as ambassadors of their respective countries,
  • learn or improve a foreign language and
  • participate in the EFB Community network after completing the fellowship.

Expected Results

Expected results are on the individual and institutional level:

• By empowering the individuals not only with knowledge, but also with tools and techniques, the programme is providing them with assets to develop their careers.
• Participation in this programme helps to create a professional network on EU and regional levels and an understanding of different working cultures, which is essential for every public servant.
• After the programme, the officials return to their respective Parliament, acting as the agents of change in their everyday work.
• The programme’s regional approach ensures the mixture of the officials from Western Balkan countries and yields the additional benefit of regional confidence building, stemming from social bonding and professional networking of the fellows.

Eligibility Criteria

The programme is specifically designed for civil servants from the National Parliaments in the Western Balkans who have several years of professional experience in public administration and have already assumed initial managerial responsibilities. The eligible applicants should be/have:

• national of one of the Western Balkan countries,
• at least 2 years professional experience as a civil servant for the Parliament,
• excellent academic qualifications,
• very good knowledge of English (at least B2),
• at least A2 (B1 will be appreciated) proficiency level of German language (the level will be checked during the interview),
• sound knowledge of national and international politics and economics,
• strong interest in the European Union political developments,
• ability and readiness to acquaint oneself with various different topics in a short period of time,
• ability and readiness to complete inter-disciplinary work in interdepartmental working groups,
• ability and readiness to organise one’s own life arrangements in a new environment.

For more information, visit EFB.