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Dialogue Southeast Europe

Our Mission
Seven members of the FES Dialogue Southeast Europe project team pose for a formal group photo in front of white blinds. In the back row, from left to right, stand Selma Šehović, Saša Vasić, Ema-Džejna Smolo-Zukan, and Harun Cero. In the front row, seated at a wooden table from left to right, are Lejla Garaplija, Sarah Hees-Kalyani, and Jasmina Pirija.
Creator: FES / Admir Kuburović

Our Mission

After more than two decades of engagement in southeastern Europe, the FES recognizes that the challenges and problems still facing this region can best be resolved through a shared regional framework. Our commitment to advancing our core interests in democratic consolidation, social and economic justice and peace through regional cooperation, has since 2015 been strengthened by establishing an infrastructure to coordinate the FES' regional work out of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Regional Dialogue Southeast Europe (Dialogue SOE).

To that end, Dialogue SOE provides analysis of shared challenges in the region and develops suitable regional programs and activities in cooperation with the respective FES offices. Our work is conducted in close cooperation with colleagues and partners across the region. Activities are jointly implemented and overseen by either an FES office or Dialogue SOE. Furthermore, we integrate our regional work into joint initiatives with our colleagues in Berlin and Brussels. We aim to inform and be informed by the efforts of both local and international organizations in order to further our work in southeastern Europe as effectively as possible.

Our regional initiatives are advanced through three broad working lines:

Our website provides information about individual projects within each of these working lines, past events, and future initiatives.

Our Areas of Work

Just Cry for Justice
Creator: We Cry for Justice by David Haigh - License: CC BY 2.0

Social Democratic Politics and Values

Dialogue SOE is committed to advancing social democratic policies and values in southeastern Europe. Our work in this field is based upon youth exchange and political academy programs.

Ne u EU - Enlargement Policy Trash
Creator: Nel Pavletić / License: Pixel Media d.o.o.

Social and Economic Justice

Substantive democratic governance practices are rooted in fair and equitable economic arrangements. Social justice, more broadly, is intrinsic to the regional agenda the FES advances through its respective offices and individual projects.

Progressive Peace Policy

Peace and stability initiatives represent a decades-long cornerstone of FES work in southeastern Europe. Recent events have only reaffirmed the centrality of southeast European stability within the broader continental security paradigm.

Socio-Ecological Transformation
Creator: Azra Kadic

Socio-Ecological Transformation in SEE

The FES Dialogue Southeast Europe aims to address social challenges in climate and energy policy in the region.

Latest Publications

  • Publication
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

The quest for meaningful (interim) goals : Overview of different EU enlargement models

The successful EU accession process relies on three key elements: first, a credible promise of membership in a reasonable timeframe; second, comprehensive negotiations during which candidate countries align their legal frameworks with EU...

  • Publication
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

Youth Study Southeast Europe 2024: Independent, but concerned

When asked about the concerns that drive them regarding the future of their respective countries, youth in Southeast Europe place corruption and unemployment at the top. This is the result of the representative Southeast Europe Youth...

  • Publication
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

80 godina AFŽ - Antifašistički front žena

Fondacija Friedrich Ebert s ponosom predstavlja ovu publikaciju, koja označava duboko ukorenjenu posvećenost naše organizacije emancipaciji žena i promociji progresivnih vrednosti u društvu. U 2022. godini, zajedno sa Ženskom platformom...

  • Publication
  • Publication Political Trends & Dynamics

Political Trends and Dynamics: Navigating Southeast Europe's Futue: A vision for 2030

Within the last PTD in 2023, join us on a journey into Southeast Europe's future as geopolitical shifts reshape the region. In this edition, our experts forecast SEE dynamics by 2030, offering critical tools for decision-making amidst...

  • Publication
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

Authentic Social Democratic Response to the Stirring up of Serb-Albanian Interethnic Tensions

Over the past century, interethnic relations between Albanians and Serbs have been defined by nationalism that has proven to be unhelpful and unsupportive of the resolution of tensions. Since the beginning of the 20th century, authentic...

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  • Publication Political Trends & Dynamics

Political Trends and Dynamics - Cyber Security in Southeast Europe: Past, Present and Future

In today's hyper-connected society, cyberspace is closely intertwined with our daily existence, influencing everything from public services to private interactions. But this convenience comes at a price, as our collective security is...

  • Publication
  • Publication Political Trends & Dynamics

Political Trends and Dynamics: Addressing the complexities of migration in Southeast Europe

Over the past few decades, migration dynamics have significantly shaped Southeastern Europe as a region. Most recently, Southeast Europe has been affected by the transit of refugees and migrants from other regions, and many of its...

  • Publication
  • Publication Political Trends & Dynamics

Political Trends and Dynamics: Cold winter ahead: Energy supply and energy poverty in Southeast Europe

This winter, eyes across Europe are on thermostats and energy bills, and concerns over energy supplies are overwhelmingly present. The threat of energy poverty is particularly high in Southeast Europe. This edition of Political Trends...

  • News
  • Publication
  • Social Democratic Politics and Values
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

The European Political Community and the Western Balkans: Strategic thinking or misleading hope?"

Ahead of tomorrow's EU - Western Balkans summit, we are sharing a reflection on a proposal that has raised a few eyebrows among the Western Balkans countries: European Political Community (EPC).

  • Publication
  • Publication Social Democratic Politics and Values

The European Political Community and the Western Balkans: Strategic thinking or misleading hope?

The launch of the European Political Community (EPC) has taken the Western Balkans aback. Yet the need for political engagement on strategic issues that are not limited to EU accession is more pressing than ever. Overly marketed, the EPC...