Speakers addressing the participants at the opening session include Mr Matjaž Gruden, Director of Policy Planning of the Council of Europe, Mr Mitja Drobnič, Head of EU Delegation in Montenegro and Mr Pierre Mirel, Director of the European Commission’s DG Enlargement Unit for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo Issues and RAD Dean for 2015. The seminar will continue with a keynote presentation by Mr Goran Svilanović, Secretary General of the Regional Co-operation Council, on the “Achievements of democratic transitions and regional co-operation in a changing European order”. A special panel composed of RAD Alumni - all Members of Parliament in their respective countries - will discuss the role of political parties in building democratic institutions.

The Regional Academy for Democracy (RAD) is an initiative of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence and six partner Schools from the Western Balkans, supported by the European Commission through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Every year, the programme brings together around 50 young leading politicians from the Western Balkans in its capacity building programme aiming to enhance regional cooperation in the fields of democracy, human rights, justice and institution building.

For more information on the RAD programme, please click here.