Our 15th International Summer School with two topics: NATO, EU and Crisis Management – Importance of cooperation for effective crisis management; and: Western Balkan countries and New Security Challenges – Integration or Isolation, that was held on the island Šipan in the period between 30 June – 5 July, gathered many participants from the region and wider, and lots of professors and experts in international relations and international security. The School was held under the high auspices of the President of the Republic of Croatia H.E. Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, and supported by NATO Public Diplomacy Division (NATO PDD) and International Institute for Peace from Vienna. President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia Prof. Radovan Vukadinović PhD stated that the traditional Summer School has been throughout these past 15 years very efficient in showing young professionals and leaders new thoughts in international relations.
Some of the presentations and lectures were as follows:
First speaker Eric Povel, representative of NATO PDD, greeted the participants and reflected mainly on the NATO Warsaw Summit that will be held soon, looking to main topics that will be discussed at the Summit.
President of the Republic of Croatia Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic held a presentation about the importance of NATO and its global role in keeping peace, security and stability.
President of the International Institute for Peace (IIP) in Vienna Dr. Hannes Swoboda opened the second part of the International Summer School that has the topic: ‘Western Balkan countries and new security challenges – Integration or Isolation’.
Mladen Nakić PhD from the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs introduced into the importance of a strong NATO under the topic of the presentation: Strong NATO in uncertain world with reliable Croatia. The Chair of the first session was Prof. Boris Vucelić PhD.
Robert Mikac PhD had a topic: ‘Terrorism and Immigration Crisis – Connecting the Dots’ and talked about main triggers for European migration crisis, such as: Arab Spring, failed revolutions, German ‘open door’ policy, economic reasons and many others.
Professor Milos Šolaja PhD from Banja Luka held a presentation: ‘Bosnia and Herzegovina at the crossroad to the European Union – Scepticism, fatigue or lagging’. Prof. Solaja raised the issue on BH way towards the EU.
EU conflict management tools in the Western Balkans was the topic of the presentation of Anna Orosz PhD from the Hungarian Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Budapest. Orosz presented views of the conflict triangle and the importance for crisis management.
Prof. Stojan Slaveski PhD from Macedonia shared his views on the global role of NATO in keeping peace and stability, saying that NATO is successful in collective defence arrangements and cooperative security measures. Prof. Slaveski also reflected to the position of Macedonia in global security environment.
Professor from Spain, Carlos Flores Juberias, together with his colleague Irina Ćudoska PhD from Macedonia, held a presentation with the topic: Euroscepticism, Enlargement Fatigue, and Absorption Capacity as EU Excuses to the Challenge of the Western Balkan Enlargement
‘Danube Commission – Current situation and perspectives of the Danube navigation’ was the topic of the speaker – Permanent representative of Croatia in Danube Commission and Croatian Ambassador in Hungary Gordan Grlić Radman PhD, who introduced participants into this international intergovernmental organization.
TV reporter of Serbian national TV RTS TV Jasminka Simić PhD held a presentation on Serbia’s way towards approaching the European Union.
Prof. Besfort Rrecaj PhD, President of newly founded Euro-Atlantic Council of Kosovo held a presentation and talked about the role of NATO and EU in Kosovo.
‘Cyber security – Individuals as critical links’ was the topic of the presentation held by Siniša Begović MBA, e-business consultant, in which he mentioned that individual employees should protect themselves and therefore their organizations and institutions will also be protected in cyber space.
Students were given a task to make a simulation with the topic related to the refugee crisis and were guided through the discussion by the Vice-President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia Monika Begovic PhD.
On the occasion of the visit of the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, participants and speakers of the International Summer School were greeted by the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavić, together with the County Advisor for International Cooperation Luka Vidak. Since our School is being held on the Elafiti island Sipan, in Luka Sipanska, its mayor Božo Brajović greeted the participants, expressing gratitude to the President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia Prof. Radovan Vukadinović for choosing Šipan to hold this important event for international relations.
If you want to see more of the atmosphere during this 15th International Summer School, visit our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticCouncilofCroatia1/
