I. Aim and contents:
Minority Protection, Crossborder Co-operation and Eastern Enlargement: each of these three catch-words stands for a political development which might change the face of Europe as we perceived it up to now. The trend towards regionalisation and trans-national co-operation and the growing public perception of the minority-conflict's destructive potential relate in many and diverse contexts to the main project of the European Union - its enlargement towards the East. The main objective of this innovative and ambitious Summer School is to elaborate this different interdependencies.
Both the European Council in the criteria of Copenhagen and the Commission in its recent reports emphasise the striking significance of resolving minority problems for the further Eastern Enlargement of the European Union. Minority protection is becoming an European issue and determines important decisions on the European level. On the other hand regional trans-border co-operation is an important mean for integrating the economies of East-Central Europe into the internal market, thereby providing welfare-creating effects in the East and offering the opportunity to overcome the economic division between Western and East-Central Europe. The border-crossing areas have also the potential to settle minority conflicts in a positive and peaceful way and contribute, thus, to the consolidation of political stability in the Eastern part of Europe.
Taking into account these new circumstances it seems to be very crucial to create forums where researchers, experts, political and administrative figures and representatives of minorities originating from Eastern and Western Europe come together and discuss these most current issues. Because of its history and geographical location, South Tyrol has a leading role to play in questions relating to the protection of minorities and to forms of trans-border co-operation. For that the research institute European Academy of Bolzano/Bozen offers an ideal background for providing a legal and practical training on the issues headed by this Summer School. The European Academy's Summer School 1999 represents a forum which aspires to foster a multidisciplinary East-West dialogue on the developments of regionalism, minority protection and Eastern Enlargement. Through a combination of theory and practice in seminars and excursions, models and possibilities for the future EU-Enlargement are discussed.
II. Structure and course:
The Summer School 1999 is organised as follows:
+ Lectures by international experts examine the international legal standards of minority protection, the work of the Council of Europe in this field and the different constitutional settings in the member and the applicant states. Furthermore, the role of the European Union and the Community Law concerning the legal protection of minorities will be examined and discussed.
+ Round tables with politicians, researchers, civil servants and officials of the European Commission show the broader framework of the problems associated with the process of the Eastern Enlargement.
+ Workshops such as "The Styrian Automobile-Cluster" as an example for trade-co-operation between industries within the EU and applicant countries (Austria, Slovenia, Hungary) provide both theoretical and practical insights into the inner-workings of trans-border co-operation.
+ Visits to local politicians, bilingual legal proceedings and sessions of the regional parliament gives a lively example of how a minority-system like that of the autonomous region Südtirol/Alto-Adige works. Participants have the opportunity to discuss with internationally recognised experts from Western and Eastern Europe whether this system may give some guidelines for resolving the eminent minority problems in CEEC.
+ Excursions to several state institutions, enterprises, local authorities and chambers of commerce in the Euregio Trentino/North-/South Tyrol illustrate the problems and benefits in establishing and maintaining regional trans-border co-operation.
III. Who can join the Summer School 1999?
We invite civil servants, qualified students and representatives of minorities to apply for our Summer School. The staff of local and national governments in the CEEC play the key role in adapting their countries to Western standards thereby providing the circumstances for a successful enlargement of the European Union.
Students in their last year of university showing good credits may use the Summer School as a possibility for multisciplinary specialisation in the field of regional economies, the legal, political and sociological background of minority protection as well as in the field of Eastern Enlargement.
Representatives of minorities may gain from this Summer School the legal background of minority protection in Europe, its possible further developments and the role it will play in the near future of European Integration.
IV. Information and application:
Please visit our website http://www.eurac.edu to get to know the European Academy. The section Ethnic Minorities and regional autonomies established a website (http://www.eurac.edu/summerschool) where you find general informations, the programm, a list of our lecturers and the application form for the Summer School. If you need further information do not hesitate to write an e-mail to the following e-mail account: Summerschool@eurac.edu. We are also at your full disposal under the telephon number 0039 0471 306121 (Secretary) or 0039 0471 306122 (Gabriel Toggenburg).
GABRIEL TOGGENBURG
European Academy Bozen
Weggensteinstrasse 12/a
I-39100 Bozen/Bolzano
Tel: +39 0471 306122
Fax: +39 0471 306199
(http://www.eurac.edu)
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