With the Western Balkans Fellowship Programme, and in cooperation with the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB), the Austrian Parliament offers Fellowships for employees of the Parliaments of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Participants complete a six-week, work-placement training in the Austrian Parliament and engage in a wide range of areas.
A cooperation between the Austrian Parliament and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) was established in order to deepen the exchange not only on a political level but also on an administrative level, thus contributing to the consolidation and development of democratic structures. The "Western Balkans Fellowship Programme of the Austrian Parliament in Cooperation with the EFB" is the continuation of the pilot project "EFB Scholarships 2019/2020 in the Austrian Parliament". The Western Balkans Fellowship Programme is funded by the Austrian Parliament and implemented together with the EFB.
The Programme is aimed at employees of the national parliaments of the six Western Balkan countries Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
It offers the Fellows a unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the functioning of the Austrian Parliament, the internal workings of a parliamentary administration within the EU, and the role of national parliaments in the EU. Depending on their area of interest, the Fellowship holders work in different areas of the Parliamentary Administration, for example in EU participation or in the National Council Services.
The call for the 2025/2026 Programme is running from December 22, 2025 to February 6, 2026 via thewebsite of the European Fund for the Balkans.
The first two generations of Fellowship holders completed a six-week, work placement between September 2019 and fall 2021. The third generation took part in 2023, followed by the fourth in 2024.
In addition to the Fellowship, the "Joint Seminar" is held every two years. The Fellows consolidate their network and get to know parliamentary institutions such as the Austrian Court of Auditors or the Austrian Ombudsman Board and other EU institutions based in Vienna. The seminar also offers the opportunity to deepen the exchange with the bilateral parliamentary groups and other mandataries and to meet with representatives of think tanks.