How can young diplomats effectively engage with the European Union? What are the skills of a modern diplomat? How does a diplomat engage with the international challenges of the 21st century?

For three weeks, these were some of the questions we sought to answer within a training programme for diplomats from Southeastern Europe. Recently, the Clingendael Academy welcomed 12 diplomats to The Hague for one of our professional training courses. Throughout this training, we aimed to enhance participants’ professional skills while deepening their knowledge of the EU and its institutions. After several substantive workshops on EU decision-making and third-country engagement, the participants travelled to Brussels to experience the inner workings of the European Union.

In addition, the Clingendael Academy reinforced the diplomats’ skills by offering tailored training on skills such as negotiation and intercultural communication. These training sessions were complemented by working visits to the International Court of Justice and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the successful completion of three intensive training weeks, we look back on a productive course programme.