Fellowship

Experience the networking in the Black Sea region!

Following our motto, the Black Sea Young Reformers Fellowship aims to bring together reform-oriented, decision-makers of tomorrow in order to discuss common challenges and opportunities in the Black Sea region. Dialogue is the solution: We believe that if young policy-makers, civil servants and civil society activists are provided with a forum to share their thoughts and to connect their ideas, then the result will be fruitful solution concepts which address today’s challenges. This is the first step.

Because it is located between the Caspian Sea and Europe, the Black Sea region holds a highly strategic position as an “energy corridor,” a station that will only increase in significance as issues regarding European energy security become more salient. Bulgaria and Romania, two of the EU’s newest member states, are also associated with the Black Sea area; therefore it is in Europe’s best interest to encourage political reform and stabilization in this region. For these reasons, the Black Sea will soon gain a much higher profile on the international stage.

One of the most urgent problems facing political cooperation in the Black Sea Region is the lack of a common, unifying identity. The Black Sea Young Reformers Fellowship offers the potential to forge partnerships among this heterogeneous group of policy specialists. At its core, our main effort is to provide an arena for discussion, networking and promotion of ideas that will encourage openness and dialogue in the Black Sea region.

What is our mission?

The Black Sea Young Reformers Fellowship is created from the idea of fostering reformist identity in the Black Sea region. We would like to help young reformists to show their potential in finding new successful approaches to foster cooperation in the Black Sea region. 

• We invite the fellows to two conferences, one in the Black Sea area, one in Western Europe. Both conferences are a huge opportunity for the fellows to meet other high potentials from the area as well as renowned figures from the European Union but also policy experts from highly esteemed think tanks, diplomats and journalists. The conferences are an area for communication, exchange of information about the region and what is happening in the single countries as well the opportunity to develop new ideas which could be turned into projects and realized.

• We support our fellows in the interconference time. Our mission is to give them the possibility to promote their work and to include their ideas for more cooperation in the Black Sea region in the BSYR Fellowship network. Every fellow has his own private area at the BSYR homepage and can decide which information he/she would like to publish. Further, our fellows are invited to be part of the emerging BSYR Alumni Network. The Alumni Network is a self-organising entity, founded with the aim to establish a network of young aspiring decision-makers of tomorrow in the Black Sea region.