The program, directed by Ambassador (ret.) Dr. Christine Althauser, involved 17 young diplomats from countries undergoing the EU rapprochement process, including Albania, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The three-week program provides participants with the possibility to learn more about the EU and gain skills and knowledge necessary to implement reforms for EU accession. To achieve this, an intense program schedule includes meeting German official representatives, such as ministries and Bundestag, as well as visiting NATO and learning about the rule of law, crisis prevention, mediation, and conflict transformation.
CRISP was invited to take over one of the program days. We implemented the simulation game "Bribania" centered on developing an anti-corruption strategy for a fictional country aspiring to join the European Union. Participants took on different roles and pursued their goals, at the same time trying to find an agreement with other parties or organizations. The simulation game also addressed the challenge of EU rapprochement and let participants experience the challenges of developing strategies first-hand.
However, the benefits of the simulation game didn't end there. The process was designed for gaining practical experience in negotiations and working with conflicts, as well as it provided participants with a safe space for testing different approaches and strategies to solving core issues of the game. Thus, we encouraged participants to think creatively and find innovative solutions to complex problems while fostering open communication, which is crucial for effective collaboration. "Bribania" emphasized the importance of collaboration and engaging diverse stakeholders in developing effective strategies.
In the end, we went through a guided reflection process to discuss and analyze the experiences participants gained in the game, including their successes and challenges.
