Five young professionals from Serbian ministries have been sent off from Belgrade to prestigious European universities for professional training.

Dusan Dulovic and Tijana Radnov (the Ministry of European Integration), Sofija Milenkovic (the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government) and Vladanka Rakovic and Jelena Draskovic (the Ministry of Finance) will first spent two weeks at the SciencePo University in Paris and then move to the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

At the event hosted by the EU Info Centre, they were greeted by Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi, State Secretary at the Ministry of European Integration Anja Rovic and Director of the British Council in Serbia Claire Sears.

Ambassador Fabrizi said the scheme offered an excellent opportunity for young people from Serbia and the region to undergo training at universities in France and Belgium.

“SciencePo is probably the best international relations university in both France and Europe, while the College of Europe is a university for people who will be part of EU administration,” Fabrizi said.

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia said he wished he had been offered a chance like that. “I haven’t had chance to attend them while in university, I underwent other trainings, but I wish I had been offered to go to SciencePo or Bruges. Younger generations surely deserve better chances,” Fabrizi said.

State Secretary Rovic said the project was about enhancing and strengthening administrative capacity of young civil servants in the Western Balkan countries and improving regional cooperation.

Claire Sears said the British Council in the Western Balkans was trying to support reforms, build institutional capacity and improve skills of young people.

Young professionals exchange scheme has been launched by the European Commission in the framework of the Berlin Process and the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda.

The goal of the scheme is to contribute to making progress in the accession process and deepening of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.