The Summer Academy for Strengthening Democracy in the Euro-Med Region is an initiative of the Bulgarian School of Politics “Dimitry Panitza” and was organized in cooperation with the Tunisian School of Politics and the Citizenship School of Political Studies in Morocco. All three schools are members of the Network of Schools of Political Studies under the auspices of the Council of Europe.

The central theme of the Summer Academy in 2017 was „Violent Radicalisation and Extremism in the Euro-Med Region and the Role of Civil Society in Developing Successful Countering Strategies.” 

The Academy was supported by the European Endowment for Democracy. The edition of the Summer Academy in 2017 follows the successful academies that took place in the summer of 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The main goal of the Summer Academy was to reinforce the democratic reforms and the establishment of democratic governance in the Southern Mediterranean through experience sharing and cooperation among active participants in the political life of the countries in the region and the EU. The Summer Academy brought around the same table prominent young leaders, aged 25-40 from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Bulgaria and aimed to promote cross-border constructive dialogue and establish transnational networks among democracy practitioners, activists, representatives of political parties and civil society organizations from Middle East and North Africa and Europe.

The event took place in Pravets, Bulgaria, from 3rd to 9th July 2017.