Initiative Group Alpbach The European Forum Alpbach (EFA)

The European Forum Alpbach (EFA) was founded in 1945, with the aim to promote the idea of European unity and to contribute to the process of peaceful unification of Europe. The Forum’s goals are to promote peace and stability through scientific cooperation, to encourage international collaboration and networking of young people and to contribute to development of the civil society. To achieve these goals, many simposiums are held at the Forum, such as architectoral, reform, economic, technological, political and medical simposium. The Forum is held in a small Tyrolean village Alpbach, every year from mid-August until the beginning of September. The Forum achieved remarkable reputation due to the fact that it had as participants, for many years, people like , , Ban Ki-moon and other prominent leaders from many scientific and other areas. Nowadays, regular participants of the Forum are numerous government representatives, representatives of the EU institutions, as well as Nobel Prize laureats. Chairman of the Forum is dr Franz Fischler, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries (1995–2004) and former Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry in the Government of . The profile of Montenegrin representatives can speak the best of importance of the EFA for Montenegro. In the recent years, Montenegrin representatives at the Forum were: current Prime Minister of Montenegro Igor Lukšić, prominent university professors Gordana Đurović (former Minister of the European Integration), Miodrag Perović and Milan Popović, Reis of the Islamic Community in Montenegro Rifat Fejzić, and others. More information on the Forum can be found at the following webpage: http://www.alpbach.org

The European Forum Alpbach Network (EFA-N)

Within the Forum, numerous regional and national initiative groups and clubs are being founded, currently counting 33.

The Initiative Group Alpbach Podgorica was founded in March 2007, by young Montenegrin entusiasts who participated at the Forum.

Alpbach View

The Congress Centre terrace in Alpbach The IGAP panel discusion, January 2012

The Initiative Group Alpbach Podgorica is a member of the European Forum Alpbach network.

Initiative Group Alpbach Podgorica 2 e-mail: [email protected]; url: alpbachpg.wordpress.com; Facebook Page: IG Alpbach Podgorica About Us Main goals of the IG Alpbach Podgorica are: realising activities aimed at promotion and fostering multiculturalism and going beyond political differences in our society, encouraging national and international cooperation among the youth, promotion of fundamental values of civilized world, such as peace, stability, human rights and freedoms, through scientific cooperation, organising discussions, round tables, conferences, seminars and simposiums in Montenegro and abroad, as well as raising funds for scholarships, to provide the possibility for young people - in the first place to students - to participate at the Forum. Also, one of our activities is to lobby every year in the Forum, that more participants from Montenegro are invited as speakers. In November 2011, the organisation adopted the new Statute and former the new Governing Board, and decided to intensify its activities. In 2012 we organised four important events: 1. Panel discussion on agricultural and rural development, at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Montenegro on 24 January, where the main speaker was dr Franz Fischler, actual Chairman of the Forum. 2. Panel discussion on the European debt crisis, at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Montenegro on 16 March, where the main speaker was dr Erhard Busek, former Chairman of the Forum. The panel discussion was attended by over 200 students and prominent representatives of diplomatic corps, state administration and the business sector. 3. Panel discussion on the topic: „Balkan Networking – Youth Networking“, in cooperation with the Atlas Foundation, on 9 June. Participants of the programme were Phillippe Narval, Executive Director of the European Forum Alpbach and representatives of the initiative groups from the region (Bosnia and Herzegovina, , and Kosovo), as well as successful young Montenegrin leaders from different areas. News report of the Atlas Television from the latest panel discussion can be found at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lHy7WIQ2NB8 4. Small talk “Social Entrepreneurship- Opportunities for the Future”, in cooperation with KIC “Budo Tomovic” Podgorica, organised on 29 October in Podgorica. The speakers were Ms Doraja Eberle, Member of the Managing Board of the ERSTE Foundation and Ms Anica-Maja Boljević, CEO of the fAKT (Active Citizens Fund).

IGAP Scholarships

Young people from Montenegro can apply every April for scholarships for participation at the European Forum Alpbach. Apart from these scholarships, our initiative group tries until July to provide funds for as more scholarships as possible, for young people from our country. The aim is to attract more participants from Montenegro at the Forum.

Funds which cover participation costs of one student at the Forum are: Panel discussion “Balkan Networking - Youth Networking” Participaton fee: 110.00 Eur Accommodation: 320.00 Eur Daily allowance: 320.00 Eur Members of the IGAP

Based on these costs, the full amount of one Bojana Bulatović, President scholarship is 750 Eur. Andrija Đuranović, Vice President Ana Mijanović, Vice President Candidates must be successful students with high Bojana Popadić, Secretary General average score, must possess the ability to perceive the Sanja Bulatović, Public Relations Manager world in a critical manner, as well as be interested in the work of the Forum and our IG.

Apart from student scholarships, the IG Alpbach Podgorica offers to its sponsors and partners to provide, through the IG as an intermediary, scholarships for their employees, and to provide them with an opportunity to participate at the Forum, or at some of its numerous seminars or simposiums. With the IG Alpbach Podgorica as an intermediary, participation costs are significantly cut, at the amount of 750 Eur (compared to more than 1,500 Eur, participation costs without an intermediary).

The Initiative Group Alpbach Podgorica is a member of the European Forum Alpbach network. Initiative Group Alpbach Podgorica 3 e-mail: [email protected]; url: alpbachpg.wordpress.com; Facebook Page: IG Alpbach Podgorica