MTEC Decentralisation

The Hague & Brussels | 16 - 27 November 2009

Key information

  • Objective: Training participants in preparing and coordinating decentralisation processes in their countries.     
  • Period: 16 - 27 November 2009
  • Location: The Hague, The Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium
  • Accomodation: Bilderberg Europa, The Hague
  • Target group: civil servants working for relevant ministries or decentralised governments, local government associations or public administration training institutes in the field of public administration, decentralisation local governance, EU membership preparation, etc.
  • Participants: 50 in total, drawn from 2 New Member States (Bulgaria and Romania), 3 Candidate Countries (Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey) and 5 potential Candidate Countries (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia)
  • Applications: before 7 Sepember 2009
  • Information: info@thehagueacademy.com

Learning objectives

The main objective of the programme is to train participants in preparing and coordinating decentralisation processes in their own countries.

In the MTEC Decentralisation programme participants will:

  • Gain knowledge on the theory of the decentralisation process, looking at the basic concepts and aspects, but also at the differences between political, administrative and fiscal decentralisation;
  • Increase awareness on the roles and responsibilities of the central administrative office, the associations, local leaders, municipal staff and citizens in the decentralisation process;
  • Increase awareness and attain insight in EU policies and regulations relevant for decentralised governments and the effects EU membership has on decentralised governments.
  • Get to know EU institutions and organs that are relevant for decentralised governments (European Commission, European Parliament, Committee of the Regions, CEMR etc.);
  • Attain insight in how the Ministry of Interior and municipalities in the Netherlands have developed and organized their knowledge about and their contacts with the EU, and how they profit from EU projects and grant procedures on the local level (exchange of best practices);
  • Learn about the role of national government and the local government associations in supporting local and regional government in the process of decentralisation and analyse to what extent there is a need for supporting regional and local governments in their own countries;
  • Learn about European, Dutch and each others’ best practices in the field of decentralisation in combination with EU accession;
  • Develop project management, lobbying and negotiation, and analytical skills;
  • Create an network of public officials in which they can exchange knowledge and experiences in supporting decentralised governments during the course of the programme and in the future.

All participants will receive a certificate upon the completion of the course.

Approach

MTEC Decentralisation is a practice-oriented and interactive training programme. The Hague Academy organises this course in cooperation with ROI, (non- / semi-) governmental organisations, municipalities and European institutions in Brussels. It is designed by and for people involved in decentralisation, local governance and EU accession topics. The approach is characterised by active participation: seeing, doing, discussing and exchanging experiences. This practical and active approach is more effective and sustainable, since it offers the participants the opportunity to relate the lessons learnt directly to the situations in their own countries.

The experience

The Decentralisation training programme consists of three different components: theory, practice and study visits. These three components are closely linked to each other: each topic starts with a theoretical introduction, followed by practical cases and assignments and often a study visit to show the theory in practice. The programme starts with a general introduction of the participants and the Netherlands, and it finishes with an evaluation and conclusion. Apart from this, social activities will be organised, during which participants have the chance to get to know each other, their Dutch colleagues and the culture of the Netherlands. The Back Home Action Plan is the leading thread throughout the programme that links theory, practice and the study visits. See the figure below for an overview of the programme. After being admitted to the programme, participants will receive more detailed information about the training course.

I. Theory
The decentralisation programme will discuss the theory on decentralisation processes and intergovernmental relations as well as European regulations, policies and lobbying with regard to decentralisation. During several lectures, seminars and discussions participants will learn about:

  • Decentralisation in the Netherlands and in Europe (actors, policies, different processes etc);
  • Decentralised governments and their relations with the EU (top-down and bottom-up);
  • The implementation of European regulations on decentralisation issues (acquis communautaire);
  • International or cross-border cooperation between European regional or local governments.

II. Practice 
In workshops, simulations, case studies and with individual and group assignments the participants will develop personal skills and competences to effectively and efficiently operate in the EU transition process of their countries. Attention will also be paid to the participants’ personal attitudes, like being open minded, innovative and integer. Modules that are designed to enhance the skills of the participants are:

  • Successful communicating, lobbying and negotiating in Brussels;
  • Managing European funded programmes: from idea, to proposal writing, implementation and evaluation;
  • Making a SWOT-analysis of the decentralisation process in the home country;
  • Presenting a Back Home Action Plan;
  • Analysing and discussing case studies.

III. Study visits
The participants will pay study visits to relevant institutions in the Netherlands and Brussels. In the Netherlands they will visit, for example, the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations, Europa Decentraal, Service Bureau Europe (SBE) of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) and the Municipality of The Hague. In Brussels they will visit the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the CEMR. The objective of the study visits is to present practical examples of theory and show best practises. It is also a means to connect participants with colleagues from different countries working on the same topics and in the same government institutions.

Trainer and experts

Contributions come from practitioners in the field of decentralisation and local governance, with experience in the Netherlands, as well as in other parts of the world. During the training programme the participants will have the opportunity to ask questions, to discuss and to share experiences with them.

Trainer
> Mrs. Marriette Baptist-Fruin is a senior Training Manager at ROI with many years of training experience in different aspects of public administration with Dutch as well as with international groups. She is an expert in EU related topics, and is responsible for the Europe in Action programme in the western Balkans. As trainer of the MTEC Decentralisation programme she will lead the training programme and support the participants in their learning process.

Experts
> Mr. Jean Eigeman has been member of the Dutch Senate since 2005. Since 2001 he has been involved as expert in VNG International decentralisation and local governance projects in, among others, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Apart from that he was involved in many study visits to the Netherlands from groups all over the world. As an expert in the MTEC Decentralisation programme he will be responsible for theory and assignments on decentralisation and interadministrative relations.

> Mr. Henk Goulooze is a former journalist and worked as deputy-head of communication for VNG from 1981 to 2009. As former local governor he knows the ins and out of local governance, administration as well as politics, and he has given dozens of presentations on these topics. He has also trained local elected representatives in former communist countries and developed handbooks for various countries. As an expert in the MTEC Decentralisation programme he will be responsible for the presentation on Local Governance in the Netherlands, including the concepts of municipal management and finance, accountability and the importance of the EU for decentralised governments.

> Prof. dr. Rinus van Schendelen is professor in political science at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam since 1980 and has been visiting professor at universities all over the world. Apart from his research and academic activities prof. Van Schendelen has performed many consulting and training activities, mainly in the field of Public Affairs Management and Lobbying at the EU. As an expert in the MTEC Decentralisation programme he will be responsible for the theory and workshop on negotiating and lobbying in the EU.

> Mr. Jan-Marinus Wiersma has been Member of European Parliament (MEP) from 1994 until recently. As vice-chairman of the European Socialist Party (PES) fraction he was, amongst others, responsible for EU Enlargement and the EU Neighbourhood Policy. Apart from his parliamentary work Mr. Wiersma has also published different books. As an insider Mr. Wiersma will share his ideas and experiences about EU - western Balkans relations with the participants.

> Mr. Arnaud Wirschell is within ROI the expert on public administration in the Netherlands. On a regular basis he holds presentations on this topic for groups of foreign civil servants. As an expert in the MTEC Decentralisation programme he will be responsible for the introduction of public administration in the Netherlands.

Learning materials

The learning materials will provide relevant background information to the theory, practice and study visits. The participants will receive a syllabus with several articles and government publications on decentralisation themes. In addition, the following book will be handed out:

  • Rinus van Schendelen, Machiavelli in Brussels: The art of EU-lobbying, Amsterdam University Press (2005).

Dates and accommodation

The MTEC Decentralisation programme takes place in The Hague and Brussels from 16 until 27 November 2009. In The Hague the participants will stay at the Bilderberg Europa hotel (http://www.bilderberg.nl/uk/hotels/europa-hotel/).

Costs

The Dutch government pays for all costs (travel to and within the Netherlands, accommodation, health insurance, the course itself and the study materials). Lunch and coffee/tea during the course are also included, and dinners are taken care of as much as possible

Requirements for participation

Target group of this programme are civils servants working in the field of public administration, decentralisation, local governance, EU membership preparation, and other related topics.

Participants should work for relevant ministries or decentralised governments, local government associations or public administration training institutes and have several years of working experience. All participants should have an excellent working knowledge of the English language. Eligible countries are Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia. A gender balance as well as a balance between the numbers of participants from the different countries will be taken into account during the selection procedure. The maximum number of participants is 50.

Application

Applications will run through the Netherlands Embassy in the applicant’s country. Application forms can be downloaded from the website www.cross-agency.nl. Go to downloads, click on application form for the Decentralisation and EU Accession course. Select your country and you can start downloading the application form.

Applications (duly signed by the applicant and his or her employer) should be submitted latest on the

Experience tells that the number of applicants exceeds the number of places available. Therefore, admission will be on a competitive basis.

Applicants who have been accepted for the course are expected to duly attend. In case of no-shows or (too) late cancellations (i.e.) within three weeks before the course commences, the course organiser has the right to claim all costs incurred from the candidate’s employer.

7 September 2009 through the Royal Dutch Embassy in the applicant’s country. By this date, all forms, including the signed employer statement, must be received by the Royal Netherlands Embassy. Please note that the application instructions on the website need to be followed carefully. After the deadline, the selection procedure will start, which will take approximately two weeks. Only fully completed applications will be considered.

Contact

For more information, please contact:
The Hague Academy for Local Governance
Ms Suzanne Jansen, programme manager
+31 70 373 8375 (secretariat)
info@thehagueacademy.com

For further information on other courses developed under MTEC programme you can contact the Royal Netherlands Embassy in your country, or EVD/CROSS:

EVD/CROSS
P.O. Box 20105
2500 EC The Hague
The Netherlands
Telephone: +31 70 778 81 39
Website: www.cross-agency.nl
E-mail: crossonline@info.evd.nl
Contact person: Mr. Michiel Zimmer