The project will introduce its promoters to the way foreign policy is created on the European and implemented on the local level. The project will be organised as a cooperation of two Hungarian and two Slovak NGOs. It will take place from February to May, 2012 in Banská Bystrica, on the premises of the University of Matej Bel and in Budapest. The expert dimension of the project will be covered by professionals from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Permanent Delegation of the SR to the EU, as well as regional experts.
The goal of the project is to give promoters insight into the transformation of vague foreign policy decisions on the international level into concrete local projects and outcomes. For this purpose we will use the specific example of the transformation of the Tunisian Republic into a democratic state. The project will be split into two phases: the foreign policy decision-making process and foreign policy implementation. The first will model the working of the Foreign Affairs Council configuration of the Council of the European Union. This phase will begin with a series of workshops simulating the working groups of the Council, which will introduce students to the challenges that Tunisia faces on its journey towards democracy. It will continue with the students being divided into national delegations representing the ministerial delegations of the member states. At this point students will be tasked with formulating the political will of the Council and the direction and scope of the foreign policy it wishes to take. Their recommendations in these matters will be reflected in a decision paper with actions and positions modeled in form and substance on its real world counterpart.
The second part of the project will simulate the newly created European External Action Service. Participants will use the foreign policy position and action recommendations from the first phase of the project to draft a proposal for the implementation of this foreign policy into specific project, goals, and outcomes. These will be modeled on existing projects such as EULEX and EUBAM. Students will have to gain comprehensive knowledge of the specific target region, as well as local and international actors. For this purpose we will invite diverse experts to give the students information and guidance pertaining to the specifics of the region.
The simulation will create an opportunity for students to express and present their opinions, thoughts and to practice their negotiation skills, strategic thinking and the ability to formulate conclusions and steps to be taken. It will also eliminate the view of the process of foreign policy shaping as an elite affair.
