German-Italian Winter School in Diplomacy

The winter school is open to graduates holding a Bachelor’s degree in any subject area or an equivalent qualification, who are interested in developing specialist expertise on the role of the Italian-German partnership in shaping changes in the European and global order.

The programme also targets young professionals and officials working in the public sector, international organizations, European institutions, and research centers, as well as those in the private sector, institutional relations, and companies engaged in internationalization processes or in the energy and digital transitions.

The winter school aims to train participants on the transformations of European and international diplomacy, with particular attention to the partnership between Italy and Germany within major European policies (economic, energy, and technological), providing tools to understand multi-level decision-making processes, the interplay between national interests and European governance, and the role of bilateral and supranational institutions.

Additionally, the initiative aims to prepare qualified professionals capable of working in research and public policy, fostering dialogue between universities and institutions, and raising awareness of the strategic value of Italian-German cooperation for stability, innovation, and sustainable development in Europe.

The course defines the following learning objectives:

• to provide historical, political, and legal tools for analyzing the mechanisms of diplomatic cooperation among European Union member states
• to deepen understanding of the functioning of multi-level decision-making processes and the interaction between national, bilateral, and European dimensions
• to illustrate the role of institutional, economic, and strategic actors involved in shaping common policies
• to develop skills in interpreting and simulating negotiations, fostering the integration of academic knowledge with practical application

Possession of a three-year undergraduate degree in any disciplinary field or an equivalent qualification (bachelor degree).

The following qualifications are considered preferential, in order of importance:

• master’s degree or equivalent (master degree)
• PhD
• enrolment in a PhD programme
• possession of language certifications

1. carefully read the admission notice (to be published soon)
2. submit the application for admission (according to the form that will be published with the notice)

Monday, 5 October

• History of German-Italian cooperation
  09:00 - 13:00
  Federico Niglia, Full Professor of History of International Relations (SSD GSPS-04/B), Università per Stranieri di Perugia
• Sustainability governance and industrial transition in Europe: the Italian-German dimension
  15:00 - 19:00
  Marzia Traverso, Full Professor and Head of Institute (INaB) at the Institute for Sustainability in Civil Engineering, RWTH Aachen University

Tuesday, 6 October

• Diplomacy on resources, sustainability and the Green transition
  10:00 - 12:00
  Francesco Asdrubali, Full Professor of Environmental Technical Physics (SSD ING-IND/11), Università per Stranieri di Perugia
• Italy, Germany and the politics of the EU
  15:00 - 19:00
  Matteo Scotto, Director of Research and Projects Department, Villa Vigoni German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue

Wednesday, 7 October

• Cultural Diplomacy
  09:00 - 13:00
  Luca Crescenzi, Full Professor of German Literature (GERM-01/B), Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
• Cultural transfer, literature and intellectual exchanges between Italy and Germany
  15:00 - 19:00
  Esther Schomacher, Professor of Italian Literature and Cultural Studies, Institute of Romance Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany

Thursday, 8 October

• Public Diplomacy
  08:00-14:00
  Giovanni Battista Bronzini, PhD student, Department SUSI – Università per Stranieri di Perugia
• Technological and Industrial Diplomacy
  15:00-19:00
  Lucrezia Ranieri, RTT, Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences - University of Siena

Friday, 9 October

• Digital Diplomacy
  10:00-13:00 and 14:00-20:00
  Alessia Chiriatti, Researcher and Head of Training Programme – Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

Scientific Director
Luigi Mundula (University for Foreigners of Perugia - Course Coordinator)

Scientific Committee
Luigi Mundula (University for Foreigners of Perugia)
Carlos Pineda (University of Murcia)
Sonia Grotz (PAR University)
Norberto Santos (University of Coimbra)
Rosa Marcela Ramos Hidalgo (University of Murcia)
Magdalena Duda-Seifert (University of Wroklaw)