From 18 to 20 November 2019, the Administration Academy, in cooperation with the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, conducted the training session "EU – Institutions and decision-making procedures" intended for public employees who will participate in the project of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2021 as chairs of Council working bodies, assistants or national delegates and, from January 2020, will perform their duties at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia in Brussels.

The two-day training session covered the core tasks of the presidency and described in detail the work in the working groups of the Council, collaboration with the European Parliament and decision-making procedures. Experts from the General Secretariat of the Council also presented the preparation and use of documents, the use of new tools and applications and the manner of collaboration with translators and interpreters. The main emphasis of the training session was on the practical presentation of procedures and the exchange of good practices and experience.

The training related to the presidency will be divided into three main sets covering EU content, special skills required for the presidency and foreign languages and will be carried out in the form of short seminars and workshops with an emphasis on the simulation of practical examples and active participation of attendees. The training will be conducted by the representatives of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the European Commission, foreign and Slovenian experts and Slovenian public employees with extensive experience in the working bodies of EU institutions.

In one year and a half, more than 1000 public employees will undergo training. They will get the opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills needed to successfully carry out the presidency and to build professional competence for work in public administration.