General training in European Affairs - 2009
General Training Program in European Affairs - 2009
Organized for the first time in 2000 with the support of Phare financing the General training program in European Affairs has become the traditional program in the training offer of the European Institute of Romania (EIR). The year 2009 represented the fifth edition of this project that took place and was materialized in three training sessions.
In the aftermath of training needs assessment developed by the EIR in 2007 among public officials in the central administration resulted that significant categories of public servants continued to need an introductory training in European Affairs in order to fulfill their work duties. The general training program in European Affairs was especially conceived and destined to this purpose.
Beneficiaries
The participants in the General training program in European Affairs in 2009 were in their large majority members of the public administration, be it central or local. The total number of participants for the three training sessions was 116.
The course participants from the Romanian public administration were mainly from central public institutions such as: the Ministry of Labor, Family and Social Protection; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; the Ministry of Administration and Interior; the National Environmental Protection Agency; but also representatives of local administrative bodies such as: Prefect Institution of Ilfov County, Prefect Institution of Gorj County.
The largest number of participants occupies posts such as counselor and expert. Other positions represented at the General training program in European Affairs were: director, head of unit and reviewer.
Objectives
The general training program in European Affairs is aimed especially at civil servants from public administration, be it central or local, that through professional activities they must be informed about key notions regarding European Union institutions, their performance and EU common policies. Therefore, the purpose of this program is obtaining advance knowledge in the field of European Affairs and also the provision of general notions related to the process of European integration, the decision-making process at community level, common policies and financial instruments, rights and obligations of member-states.
Timetable
Each session took place during a four day period, with a daily duration of actual training of six hours. In the year 2009, the three sessions of European Affaires program have taken place in the following periods: March 23rd-26th, October 19th-22nd and November 16th-19th.
Details about the content of the program
The general training program in European Affairs was developed in the form of thematic modules, structured in the following manner:
- EU institution and decision-making processes
- The legal system of the EU
- Justice and Home Affairs
- Environmental policy
- Social policies and occupational policy
- Internal market of the EU
- The economic and social cohesion policy
- Economic and Monetary Union
- EU budget
The subjects were lectured by a team of six professional trainers most of them coming from the Romanian academic field, but also independent experts, all of them using the experience accumulated through their activities in formal education and professional training, as well as in the field of European Affairs. The programs were interactive and encouraged the development of critical reasoning.
The team of trainers for the year 2009 was composed by:
- Dr. Florin Bonciu – professor at the Romanian-American University, Studies of European Economic Integration Faculty;
- Dr. Sorin Cace – PhD in Sociology and Economics, the Romanian Academy, the Institute of Research about the Quality of Life;
- Mihaela Dumitrescu – senior trainer in European Affaires and Structural Funds focusing on institutions and policies of European Union;
- Dr. Mihaela Luţaş – professor at Babeş Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Economical Sciences and Business Administration Faculty;
- Dr. Rodica Stănescu – engineer at Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Applied Chemistry and Materials Science Faculty;
- Dr. Simina-Elena Tănăsescu – professor at University of Bucharest, Law Faculty.
At the end of each session, the participants took an evaluation test, according to which the EIR released a participation certificate.
Feedback from participants
The evaluation of the training program by the participants was conducted through the administration of an opinion poll fulfilled anonymously containing questions in which marks were awarded pertaining to the general level of the program, as well as that of the different modules, but also contained open questions about the most useful or redundant knowledge accumulated during the four days of training. Also there were open spaces for further comments and suggestions.
The assessment of the General training program in European Affairs had as overall evaluations of 45,71% very good and excellent 50,95%. The nine modules obtained assessments of good, very good and excellent; this last adjective being used the most.
The positive opinions about the course were reflected not only in these figures, but also in the wish expressed by many of the participants of returning to EIR training programs. Among the most useful themes/information the participants indicated: advance knowledge of EU institutions, becoming familiar with EU terminology, the decision-making process, the EU budget, the legal basis of the environmental policy, but also the dynamic form of the thematic modules.
Featured in the criticism addressed to the program was: too detailed presentation of environmental policy, permanent focusing on internal policy, the EU History, the condensed information in the four days of training, but also logistical details related to the small capacity of the training hall or the air conditioning installation.
The suggestions and the recommendations were aimed at continuing the programs, the diversification of themes and the active promotion of these activities in public institutions, as well as the delivery of the programs in the French and/or English languages.
Further, a small selection of the most representative opinions and suggestions offered by the participants:
- Interactive course with practical applicability;
- The expertise of the trainers is appreciable, the information was well structured and presented, the coverage area of European Affairs being rather wide;
- A very useful course for those at the beginning of their career, not posing a lot of knowledge;
- A very good covering for European Affaires area;
- Seriousness, punctuality, value, equality, opening, friendship, in one word – professionalism;
- Extremely interesting course, intense and well documented, very useful in the development of general knowledge;
- The testing system is not adequate considering that the choice of the course is on a voluntary basis;
- The program needs a bit of relating among the different themes approached.
Organizers
The general training program in European Affairs was organized by the European Institute of Romania at its headquarters in Bucharest, 7-9 Regina Elisabeta bldv in the conference hall at 4-th floor.
The project coordinator was Diana Achimescu, diana.achimescu @ier.ro
