The enlargement process has lost credibility on all fronts – and the Western Balkan countries are stuck in different "waiting rooms "while the EU member states hesitate and procrastinate. Yet, the Ukrainian war proved again how important it is to strengthen democratic forces across the continent, in a progress-oriented agenda. And, ideally, the EU enlargement to the Western Balkan region is at the forefront of these developments.
Against this backdrop – organisers the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Dialogue Southeast Europe, Renner Institut, Masarykova demokratická Akademie, Kalevi Sorsa Foundation, Fondation Jean-Jaurès, Foundation Max van der Stoel, Društvo Progresiva, Olof Palme International Center, in cooperation with CeSPI – are hosting the first meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans in hopes of bringing the productive and progressive thoughts on the Western Balkans together.
The event brought many politicians and experts together, from BiH MP Saša Magazinović to Josip Juratović (Germany), Thijs Reuten (Netherlands), Delara Burkhardt (Germany), Adnan Dibrani (Sweden), and many others. The political representatives exchanged their opinions and engaged with expert inputs from think tanks and academics from Western Balkans and wider Southeast Europe.
20 years ago in Thessaloniki, the EU member states reiterated that the future of the Western Balkans is within the European Union. Today, two decades…
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Open letter from the Friends of the Western Balkans network to the European leaders ahead of the EU – Western Balkans Summit, scheduled in Tirana on 6…
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On June 23rd, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Dialogue Southeast Europe, in cooperation with the Austro-French Center for Rapprochement in Europe and…
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