The European Spring School 2007

Workshop 1: Central European Countries and their Accession to the European Union

This workshop will introduce the context which prevailed in the Central European Countries before their accession to the European Union with attention to the political and economical development, the negotiation talks and implementation of the acquis communautaire. The second part of this workshop will focus on the situation in the new Member states three years after their accession to the European Union, main political and economical issues and their relation vis-a-vis the European Union.

Workshop 2: The new Member States and the European Policies

The perception of the new members states on the European Union and its policies differs from the one of the old member states. The main aim of this workshop is the description of the general reflection of the European Union in the new Member states, especially on the field of foreign and neighbourhood policy.

Workshop 3: Visegrad in the European Union

The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland (Visegrad countries) have very similar history and up to the present day one can recognise many common characteristics in their development and political understanding. This module will present in detail the situation and position of the Visegrad countries in the European Union, their views on the finality of the European Union and other issues and ideas. Special focus will concern the European Constitutional treaty.

Workshop 4: Panel Discussion with Journalists

The topic of the panel discussion will be a current policy issue connected with the political developments in the new member states and in the European Union. It will be presented by journalists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary. The topic and speaker or speakers will be chosen at least in January 2007 with respect to the current issues. Participants will get the necessary information and readings via email.

Workshop 5: Decision-making process in the European Institutions

The first part of this module will present the theory of decision-making process in political institutions and especially in EU-Institutions. An important aspect of the question will be the power of smaller political participants. The second part will show how the decision-making mechanism works in practice and will try to answer the question, whether the theoretical model of political power really works in the European Union.

Workshop 6: The Simulation - the Council Working Group

The simulation of political negotiations and policy-making process in the Council Working Group will last almost two days including preparation and evaluation and will be the climax of the European Spring School 2007. The one-day simulation of the negotiations in the European Council will deal with concrete problems and enable the students to use in practice their gained knowledge of negotiation process and the specifics of the Central European region.