Target Group
Officials from regional, national and European authorities directly or indirectly taking part in negotiations inherent to the decision-making and decision-taking processes of the European Union, more specifically within Council preparatory bodies.
Description
This three-day seminar aims to help participants to consider and improve techniques to adequately manage the three fundamental challenges in European negotiations (the 3 Ps): procedures, processes and package deals. The first set of factors relates to the institutional and procedural requirements, protocols and do’s and don’ts of formal and informal European negotiations. Managing processes requires being aware of the essential methodological, strategic and tactical parameters. Finally, tackling European negotiations requires the specific Brussels-based approach and tools to get results, bridge gaps and work out compromises between many actors with different positions, interests and power bases.
Method
The method followed is interactive and practical, combining theoretical aspects, empirical knowledge and a learning-by-doing approach by using two simulations of genuine Council negotiations. The simulations will reproduce the various levels of decision making within the Council of Ministers, with a view to prepare negotiators for the differences between the technical and political levels of decision making. Role plays and targeted debriefing sessions will render the training an experimental laboratory, allowing participants to audit – and improve – their knowledge of European negotiations as well as their negotiation techniques. Video recording and analysis will be used in order to highlight and apply evidence to the learning points. This seminar is not designed to analyse the individual performance and communication skills of participants: an area and agenda that is reserved for the advanced European Negotiations II seminar. Participants will receive a special negotiation handbook, as well as all relevant technical and procedural official EU documents, in order to be appropriately prepared for the negotiations ahead of them.
Objectives
Each participant should leave the training with a multifunctional set of vital techniques and negotiation skills regarding:
- preparing a negotiation strategy: checklist of things to do before going to Brussels;
- preparing a plenary: how to approach the Commission and the Presidency;
- planning an intervention (intervening early or late?);
- the essential rules to intervene efficiently, be constructive and command attention;
- using the Council’s rules of procedures and avoiding surprises;
- bargaining tools and alternative solutions to strike deals in stalemates;
- the ability to identify and respond to the main tactics used in European negotiations;
- socialising and sharing information: who are the targets and key players to watch?
- how and what to report to one’s capital/authorities?
The Programme on European Negotiations (PEN) is an initiative aiming to streamline and unite EIPA’s actions of learning, development, coaching and research on the negotiation processes involving national and European officials within the EU governance system. The PEN aims to bring negotiation theory to EU decision-making processes, rationality and pragmatism to intuitive negotiation skills, shared best practices to individual negotiation experiences, and research to European negotiations as a whole. Open training activities of PEN consist of four complementary seminars to enhance EU negotiation skills: Representation and Negotiation in the Council of the EU (I); Interpersonal and Intercultural Dimensions of European negotiations (II); Managing EU Negotiations under Codecision (III); and the Presidency Challenges (IV).
DAY 1
Introduction and identification of the expectations of the participants
Workshop: Building a List of Do’s and Don’ts
This session will allow participants to share their negotiating experience and views on ‘things to do and things one should avoid doing’ in European negotiations. The objective of this session is to identify and better delimitate the challenges for the ‘European negotiator’.
The EU Procedural Level Playing Field
The objective of this session is to set the scene for the first simulation of European negotiations by briefly providing the panoramic and multidisciplinary knowledge of EU decision making, which is indispensable for the negotiator going to ‘Brussels’. Attention will be paid to the procedural and institutional parameters at the early stages of the decision-making process within the Council and to the rules of procedure governing working parties. The session will present a ‘check-list’ of the institutional and procedural elements to identify in a dossier that is subject to negotiation ‘in Brussels’.
Preparation of Simulation I: A Council working party dealing with a Commission proposal (video recorded)
The objective of this exercise is to put the participants in a situation typical of the early stages of European negotiations. On the basis of a Commission proposal for a Council and European Parliament Directive, issues will be addressed that are negotiated in Council working groups and that often relate to definitions and objectives, as well as to the speed and scope of the approximation of national legislations.
DAY 2
Debriefing of Simulation I (part 1)
Group discussion and Q&A session in which participants will be able to link the simulation and reality by expressing their views, interrogations and questions regarding the negotiations at working party level.
Debriefing of Simulation I (part 2) and video analysis
The objective of this session is to present negotiating techniques available in the context of the EU rules and procedures. This session will address the main do’s and don’ts in European negotiations. There will be a focus on ways to impact a meeting and influence negotiations through appropriate techniques. Attention will also be given to approaches and techniques to be considered in order to break a deadlock and reach a compromise.
DAY 3
Simulation II: High-level European negotiations
The objective of this second exercise is to simulate negotiations at the upper levels of EU decision making, which are characterised by a higher degree of bargaining.
Debriefing of Simulation II (Part I)
The objective of this session is to discuss how to best approach negotiations when subject to pressure, and to look at the fate of a dossier negotiated at the upper levels of the Council. The session will therefore present bargaining theory and the rules applicable to tactics. It will further elaborate on available methods to report the information on the Brussels negotiation processes back to one’s capital/authority.
Final Considerations for Future Negotiations
The objective of this wrap-up session is to sum up the available tools and techniques required from and indispensable to the European negotiator. Participants will be guided through a handbook which provides a detailed and in-depth description of all aspects of European negotiations presented in this seminar.
Programme
The programme will commence on the first day at 09.00 and will finish on the third day around 16.30.
Seminar Venue Maastricht
The seminars in Maastricht will take place at the European Institute of Public Administration, O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, Tel: +31.43.3296222, Fax: +31.43.3296296.
Working Language
The seminars will be conducted in English with simultaneous interpretation in French (please note that interpretation will be subject to a minimum number of participants requiring translation). Please indicate your language of preference on the registration form.
Fee
The participation fee is € 1325 and includes documentation, three lunches, and beverages. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participant or their administration. EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% of the registration fee. This reduction is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s member countries (i.e. AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, ES, SE, UK).
Hotel
The Institute will be pleased to make hotel reservations for you at Hotel Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl), at the rate of € 102 p.p.p.n. incl. breakfast and tourist tax. The hotel is in the city centre and close to our Institute, ±10 minutes walk. Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please indicate the dates of arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations
cannot be guaranteed.
Meals
The lunches will be served at the venue. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian, diabetic), please inform the Programme Organiser so this can be arranged.
Registration
Kindly complete the registration form and submit it before 6 October 2010. Please note that the number of participants is limited.
Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed registration form.
Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation. Please indicate the method of payment on the registration form. In any case, the participant or his/her administration will receive an invoice for the payment of the registration fee. For cancellations received after the date indicated on the registration form we will have to charge an administration fee of € 150 unless a replacement participant is found.
Cancellation policy
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to 2 weeks before the starting date. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, hotel, etc.). For EIPA’s cancellation policy, please visit our website www.eipa.eu (legal notice).
Seminars
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