In the second year of the Leadership Development Programme, twenty-nine participants from ten South-eastern European countries, as well as from Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the United States took part. The first activity of the Programme – the LDP-Summer Academy – was hosted in Berlin and at the

Neuhardenberg castle from 16 to 30 September 2007. The participants had the opportunity to learn on and discuss a series of topics concerning the EU and its role in the world and in South-eastern Europe, as well as to enhance their professional skills by performing political negotiations and participating in different skills development and research workshops. The speakers were prominent experts in their respective fields and came from the EU, the US and from South-East Europe.

The Academy included a cultural programme with, amongst other, a rally and a sight-seeing tour in Berlin, a visit to Frankfurt (Oder), as well as an intercultural evening and a cinema event featuring a documentary by an author from the region. Moreover, this year, the participants were associated to the 6th Annual International Conference of the TRANSFUSE Association. On that occasion, the participants had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of the high level professionals from the TRANSFUSE network and to attend a book presentation from Ivan Krastev, Centre for Liberal Studies in Sofia as well as a speech and an open discussion with Thomas Carothers, Vice President for Studies-International Politics and Governance at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington together with TRANSFUSE Association members.

Back in their home countries, the participants have worked in small cross-border groups to implement joint activities on EU-relevant topics in South-eastern Europe by March 2008.

The final event of the Programme – a five-day Seminar– was organised in Brussels and Bruges. It was designed to get a closer view of the Institutions based in Brussels and of the one partner institution of the LDP: the College of Europe in Bruges. In particular, the final event of the LDP offered an opportunity to meet policy makers from the EU and NATO and discuss with them a number of issues that concern South-eastern Europe and its future. It included also a visit of the ancient burg of Bruges and to one of the donor of the programme, the King Baudouin Foundation.