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A one-of-a-kind programme to enhance Europe’s political leadership and make progress on critical policy areas.
Policymaking today is more demanding than ever.
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Politicians are expected to govern fast-moving, high-stakes, and increasingly complex policy challenges, often under intense scrutiny and with limited time. The current political climate leaves little room for long-term strategic thinking, innovative policy development, or meaningful cross-party exchange — all essential ingredients for impactful political leadership.
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Rooted in ten years of experience creating cutting-edge political dialogue learning spaces, our programme is designed by experts in international relations, leadership, and political collaboration, to explicitly address the unique needs and most urgent policy challenges of Europe’s political class.
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The inaugural edition of 'The Policy Mission Fellowship' is launching this winter.​​
We are accepting applications from members of parliaments from across Europe for a one-of-a-kind political dialogue and training programme.
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​​​Over the course of five transformative months, selected participants will unlock accelerated learning, breaking new ground in policy thinking, and enhancing their policymaking capacity. The 2026 cohort will work on the Policy Mission:​​
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To collaborate on advancing innovative policy thinking and solutions at the nexus between economic and security policy.
The Securitisation of Europe's Economic Power
Who Should Apply?
This programme is designed for European parliamentarians who are deeply engaged in the mission themes and committed to advancing meaningful policy progress — even in the face of political complexity or gridlock.
We are seeking individuals who combine a strong sense of urgency with the discipline and perseverance required to do the demanding, time-intensive work of shaping effective political solutions.
Ideal candidates will:
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Possess a successful political track record. Candidates should exhibit clear evidence of leadership, influence, or institutional responsibility.
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Be at a critical juncture in their career. The ideal candidate is seeking to reshape a key policy area, stepping into a new role, ready to scale an existing initiative, or start a new venture.
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Embrace a spirit of enquiry. We look for candidates who demonstrate the necessary intellectual openness and acumen to engage constructively with new ideas and political perspectives.
Fellowship Grants
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Thanks to the generous support of the Open European Dialogue partners, we will award up to 16 fellowship grants to exceptional candidates. Each fellowship grant, valued at € 18,000, fully covers the costs of participation in the programme.
Tailored Political Trainings
"That training you did in Rome was fantastic. I still have my notes and go back to them to this day – it was the first time I experienced a high-level training tailored to politicians, with peers from other countries – we need more of that!"
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— Margareta Cederfelt, Moderate Party, Member of the Swedish Parliament
Testimonials From Our Community
Partners and Supporters
The Policy Mission Fellowship is an Open European Dialogue initiative, Europe’s first cross-party dialogue and learning platform for elected politicians.
The programme is led by APROPOS - Advancing Process in Politics, together with a consortium of European partners, the Istituto Affari Internazionali, CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), ELIAMEP (the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the King Baudouin Foundation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung.
The platform has been providing policymakers across borders and party lines with non-partisan dialogue and political leadership development spaces since 2015. Its methods are recognised by the OECD and the Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Governance and Democracy as a global best-practice in political innovation.​​​
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