Practitioner in Residence Week 2016

JMU WELCOMES ANDREAS BERG: FROM KOSOVO TO BRUSSELS, THROUGH FLORENCE

James Madison University is very pleased to welcome EU practitioner Andreas Berg to its Florence campus, where he will give a series of lectures on policy analysis and policy making for the degree program M.A. in Political Science (EUPS).

Andreas Berg has been involved with JMU since January 2016, when he first met with JMU’s Academic Coordinator Caterina Paolucci. At that time, Berg was working on behalf of the Swedish Government, being the first international embedded member of the Kosovo Government to become an advisor to Kosovo Security Council Secretariat. In that position, he was providing assistance in developing security-related strategies and building the capacity of Kosovo's young institutions. Prior to this role, he worked as an advisor in Brussels and in Pristina while having a solid background of experiences in the academic and NGO arena, in London and Chicago.

Berg’s commitment in fostering the relationship between JMU and the government of Kosovo, particularly with the Office of the Prime Minister, has led to outstanding outcomes, pushing the EUPS program’s Kosovo strategy forward. Indeed, by firmly believing in the contribution that JMU students could give to the research on Kosovo’s policies, he has played a role in the foundation of the internship agreement that - from this summer onwards - will be linking James Madison University and the Prime Minister’s offices in Pristina. As a result, EUPS students will have the opportunity to intern in Pristina and work on policy making and implementation of strategies for the development of the country.

Starting in May 2016, EUPS students Karissa Suarez Del Real and Shannon Rano have been the first ones to take advantage of this new internship opportunity. “Kosovo is unique; it is hard to compare the existing or possible policy strategies to those of other EU countries” – said Karissa, who is focusing her research on anti- radicalization policies for Kosovo. Shannon is working on integration of foreigners and migration, through an internship developed by JMU with the Ministry of European Integration. She is looking at whether Kosovo’s policies are in line with the EU, providing a comparison with other countries in the Western Balkans. “A lot of people in the government come from the EU and the US, and are very educated and qualified. There is a pretty welcoming atmosphere for foreigners in Kosovo” – said Shannon with regards to her 1^st week in Pristina.

The welcoming atmosphere and the contagious hospitality of Kosovo has been shown by Berg itself, as he helped the first JMU interns meeting with high profile members of local institutions, as well as giving logistic support to facilitate the students. It is in the light of his remarkable contribution to the program that JMU in Florence has selected him as this year’s practitioner in residence. Each year during the summer semester, practitioners, academics or politicians come to JMU to lecture and interact with students on policymaking and policy analysis in practice.

Berg’s availability, significant connections and consolidated expertise as a policy drafter and analyst makes him a real asset and a relevant practitioner for JMU students, now and in the future. In fact, JMU hopes to keep in touch with Andreas beyond his practitioner’s week at Palazzo Capponi. After visiting the program he will be moving to Brussels where he will keep on being a great reference, especially during next academic year’s study trips.

Therefore: Benvenuto a Firenze, Andreas!