Would you like to get to know the German Parliament?

The German Bundestag invites highly motivated Arab graduates to take part in a scholarship programme in Berlin in September 2016.

The concept

In 2016, the German Bundestag is once again offering a scholarship programme for politically engaged young Arab graduates who are interested in the German parliamentary system and play an active role in promoting core democratic values in their home countries. The German Bundestag offers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of the German parliamentary system and political decision-making processes during an intensive four-week programme at the German Bundestag.

The programme

The programme will take place from 1 – 30 September 2016 in Berlin. The core element of the programme is a one-week work placement in the office of a Member of the German Bundestag. The focus is also on events about the German parliamentary system along with presentations, workshops and seminars on topics such as German history and culture, freedom of religion (with a visit to a church, synagogue and mosque), minority issues, comparison of systems and approaches to experiences of dictatorship and the German culture of remembrance (Nazi dictatorship, SED dictatorship). A workshop on project management aims to support the development of individual project ideas with a view to promoting democracy and civil society in participants’ countries of origin.

The scholarship

Participants will receive a monthly scholarship of 500 euros. The Bundestag will also cover the costs of health, accident and personal liability insurance. In addition, accommodation in an apartment complex (two people sharing) will be provided free of charge, and the costs of travel to and from Berlin covered.

The selection process

The scholarship programme is aimed at highly-motivated, capable and talented young individuals from the Arab region who are open to new ideas, interested in politics and wish to play an active and responsible role in shaping the democratic future of their country. Applicants will be invited to attend an interview at a German embassy in the Arab region, where an independent selection panel set up by the German Bundestag will choose the successful candidates based on their professional, social, language and intercultural skills. A proportion of the costs of travel to the interview will be reimbursed.

Eligibility criteria

• Citizenship of an Arab country
• Under the age of 35 at the start of the scholarship
• University degree
• Very good knowledge of German
• An interest in politics, and social/political commitment

Please send your completed application documents by email as a PDF-file to the German mission in your home country; the PDF-file name should consist of your surname, followed by your given name (i.e. “surname-first name”).

Your application should be submitted in German and include the following scanned documents:

• Passport photo (please attach this to the first page of the application form);
• Application form (available online at: www.bundestag.de/ips_arabisch);
• Evidence of very good knowledge of German;
• Personal statement of reasons for applying (maximum of two pages);
• Copy of passport or ID card;
• Certified copy of university degree certificate¹;
• Letter of recommendation in German or English (from a university professor or employer, assessing the applicant’s qualification for the programme).

Copies are officially certified when they have been signed and stamped by a recognised authority (a German or foreign public authority, an embassy or consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany, a university, notary, or translator/interpreter registered with the public authorities) to confirm that they are a true copy of the original. If several photocopies are stapled together, each individual copy must be certified in this way. Unless documents are properly certified, the application cannot be processed.

Applications closed

The application deadline has closed for the IPS programme for Arab countries for 2016. The application process for the 2017 programme is expected to start in November 2016.

Please apply ONLINE to the German mission in your country!

Parliamentary Coordination

The programme is coordinated at parliamentary level by the Rapporteur Group on International Exchange Programmes.

For further information, please send an email to: ips@bundestag.de