International Parliamentary Scholarship
Encyclopedia
The International Parliamentary Scholarship of the German Bundestag (IPS, Internationales Parlaments-Stipendium des Deutschen Bundestages) is an international parliamentary internship program, organized annually by the German Bundestag. The IPS enables politically engaged young college graduates from Central and South Eastern Europe
as well as from the USA and France
to get to know the German parliamentary system through a five-month stay in Berlin
(March 1 through July 31). The IPS invites graduates from 28 countries and includes a 15-week internship in the office of members of the German parliament.
to run its International Parliamentary Internships (IPS) scheme. This gives well qualified young people with a strong interest in politics from the USA and Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe
the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of Germany
’s system of parliamentary government. The scheme involves fifteen-week placements with Members of the German Bundestag. The participants are introduced to the wide variety of tasks carried out in a Member’s office. For example, they may find themselves drafting speeches, articles and letters or doing preparatory work for plenary sittings. The exchange programmes of the German Bundestag are conceived of as exciting ways of teaching young people about the significance of friendly cooperation based on shared political and cultural values. The scholarship-winners are chosen by the German Bundestag’s independent selection panel.
In 1989 a similar internship program with France
was established, which was an exchange program between France
and Germany
, i.e. German graduates could also do parliamentary internship in the French Parliament. Since 1989 85 French university graduates have been granted scholarships of the German Bundestag and 80 German university graduates have received scholarships from the French Parliament.
The IPS, at that time being officially called International Parliamentary Program (IPP), became open for university graduates from the countries of Central and South Eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War
. In 1990 Polish
and Hungarian
applicants were offered an opportunity to participate in the International Parliamentary Scholarship. In the following years the German Bundestag has expanded the Program to include participants from Bulgaria
(1995), the Czech Republic
(1993), Estonia
(1992), Latvia
(1992), Lithuania
(1992), Romania
(1996), Russia
(1993), Serbia
(2004), Slovakia
(1994), and Ukraine
(2000). In 2001 Albania
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Croatia
, Macedonia
and Slovenia
and in 2005 Georgia
and Kazakhstan
were also included in the IPS participants’ list. Since 2008 university graduates from Armenia
, Azerbaijan
, Moldova
and Belarus
can also participate in the IPS program. Since 2009 university graduates from Kosovo
and Macedonia
can also partake of the program as citizens of respective states. Israel
was also included in the list of IPS participating countries in 2009. As of 2007, 1,343 scholarship recipients have completed the parliamentary internship program in the German Bundestag.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as well as from the USA and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to get to know the German parliamentary system through a five-month stay in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(March 1 through July 31). The IPS invites graduates from 28 countries and includes a 15-week internship in the office of members of the German parliament.
Program Description
The German Bundestag collaborates with the Humboldt University of BerlinHumboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
to run its International Parliamentary Internships (IPS) scheme. This gives well qualified young people with a strong interest in politics from the USA and Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
’s system of parliamentary government. The scheme involves fifteen-week placements with Members of the German Bundestag. The participants are introduced to the wide variety of tasks carried out in a Member’s office. For example, they may find themselves drafting speeches, articles and letters or doing preparatory work for plenary sittings. The exchange programmes of the German Bundestag are conceived of as exciting ways of teaching young people about the significance of friendly cooperation based on shared political and cultural values. The scholarship-winners are chosen by the German Bundestag’s independent selection panel.
History of IPS
The German Bundestag has run the International Parliamentary Scholarship since 1986. The program has its origins in the Bundestag Internship Program (BIP). The BIP accepted young graduates only from the USA. 20 scholarships were granted in the years from 1986 to 1988.In 1989 a similar internship program with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was established, which was an exchange program between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, i.e. German graduates could also do parliamentary internship in the French Parliament. Since 1989 85 French university graduates have been granted scholarships of the German Bundestag and 80 German university graduates have received scholarships from the French Parliament.
The IPS, at that time being officially called International Parliamentary Program (IPP), became open for university graduates from the countries of Central and South Eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. In 1990 Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
applicants were offered an opportunity to participate in the International Parliamentary Scholarship. In the following years the German Bundestag has expanded the Program to include participants from Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
(1995), the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(1993), Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
(1992), Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
(1992), Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(1992), Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
(1996), Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1993), Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(2004), Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
(1994), and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(2000). In 2001 Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and in 2005 Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
were also included in the IPS participants’ list. Since 2008 university graduates from Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
can also participate in the IPS program. Since 2009 university graduates from Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
can also partake of the program as citizens of respective states. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
was also included in the list of IPS participating countries in 2009. As of 2007, 1,343 scholarship recipients have completed the parliamentary internship program in the German Bundestag.
External Links
- Information about the IPS from the German Bundestag (in German)
- Pätzold, Patricia. „Werkstatt der Demokratie: TU Berlin übernimmt Vorsitz beim Programm ‚Internationale Parlamentspraktika.’“ TU intern Nr. 2-3. Feb-März 2006. (in German)
- Heimpel, Barbara. Deutschlandfunk Campus & Karriere. „Brücken bauen: Die Internationalen Parlamentsstipendien des Bundestages“ 8. März 2007. (in German)
- Dorsch, Daniela. Mitmischen.de Das Jugendportal des Deutschen Bundestages. „IPS: Grosse Ziele werden Realität“ (in German)