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NEW WIND IN EUROPE’s WESTERN BALKAN POLICY?

Shaping the Meantime to Accession by Regional Initiatives?

22.11.2024 - 24.11.2024

Thema

The development in the Western Balkan countries has been difficult in the past years: Despite of the “Zeitenwende”, the EU enlargement process looks still stuck and will not lead to the membership of the region any time soon. At the same time, the countries are facing a multitude of problems, ranging from economic development, political instability and democratic backsliding, emigration, and the meddling of external authoritarian actors, to the repercussion of climate change and environmental pollution. Against the backdrop of these challenges, the EU has started several processes and policy initiatives to tackle these issues and at the same time to prepare the countries of the region for enlargement. These platforms and policies like the Berlin Process, the Economic and Investment Plan, the Green Agenda or the Growth Plan are stressed to be not an alternative, but rather a support for enlargement policy.

This event will take a look at the challenges the Western Balkans are currently facing and discuss in how far the EU’s processes and policies besides the enlargement process have the potential to both tackle the region’s challenges as well as to support enlargement.

This conference follows the Chatham House Rule. It is a joint project of the Southeast Europe Association (SOG), the German Eastern Business Association and the Protestant Academy Loccum. The working language will be English. German-English interpretation will be provided on request.

Programm

Freitag, 22.11.2024
14:00 Uhr
Arrival and Check-in

14:45 Uhr
Words of Welcome

Anja QUIRING, Regional Director South-Eastern Europe, German Eastern Business Association, Berlin
Christian HAGEMANN, Executive Director, Southeast Europe Association, Munich
Thomas MÜLLER-FÄRBER, Protestant Academy Loccum

15:00 Uhr
Cake & Coffee

15:30 Uhr
INTRO TALK 1 | What are the Most Crucial Trends Shaping the Western Balkans – Today and Tomorrow?

Odeta BARBULLUSHI, Resident Professor, Department of Europe, Transformation and Integration Studies, College of Europe and Former Albanian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tirana*

16:45 Uhr
Coffee and Tea

17:00 Uhr
PANEL DISCUSSION | The European Union and the Western Balkans – Between Geopolitical Necessities, Bilateral Disputes and Democratic Backsliding

Michael MARTENS, Journalist, Southeast Europe Correspondent, FAZ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Frankfurt a.M./Vienna
Eric NELSON, U.S. Ambassador in Residence, George C. Marshall Centre, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Michael REIFFENSTUEL, Director for South-Eastern Europe, Turkey, EFTA States, OSCE and Council of Europe, German Federal Foreign Office, Berlin
René TROCCAZ, Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Paris*
Valentina SUPERTI, Director, Western Balkans (Near.D), Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission, Brussels*

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
ROTATIONAL GALLERY WALK | Scenarios and Foresight Studies on the Future of the Western Balkans and its coming Integration into the European Union

In recent years and especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been a couple of foresight studies and scenarios on how the future of the Western Balkans and the EU will develop in the coming years. We have invited two speakers who will present their organizations’ results of these studies and discuss their findings with our participants.

20:45 Uhr
Informel Get Together

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmation

Samstag, 23.11.2024
08:15 Uhr
Invitation to the morning service

08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

09:15 Uhr
CHALLENGES IN THE WB6 (PART 1) | Creating Economic Growth: A Perspective on Youth, Gender and Emigration

Christoph BEECK, Board Member, ProCredit Bank, Frankfurt a. Main
Nora HASANI, Managing Director, German-Kosovar Business Association (OEGJK-KDWV), Pristina
Marzena KISIELEWSKA, Head of Southeast Europe Division, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD, Paris
René SCHLEE, Director of the FES Office for Regional Dialogue, Sarajevo*

10:45 Uhr
Coffee & Tea

11:00 Uhr
CHALLENGES IN THE WB6 (PART 2) | Climate Change and Sustainable Economic Development

Verena ALLERT, Senior Advisor, Energy Transition Collaboration Western Balkans, Germanwatch, Berlin
Vladimir ĐURĐEVIC, Professor at Institute of Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, Belgrade
Aleksandra TOMANIC, Executive Director, European Fund for the Balkans, Belgrade

12:30 Uhr
Lunch

14:00 Uhr
INTRO TALK 2 | Mapping of the EU Policy Landscape in the Western Balkans – What is new, what is specific, where are overlaps?

Adnan CERIMAGIC, Senior Analyst, European Stability Initiative, Berlin

15:00 Uhr
Cake and Coffee

-
IDEA WORKSHOP | Regional Policy Initiatives – The Go-To for Shaping the Meantime Until EU Accession?

Against the background of the difficulties in the EU accession process for the Western Balkan countries, this ideas workshop will scrutinize the policy initiatives of the EU and its Member States that are trying to have an impact in the region in different areas and with different approaches. Particular attention will be paid to the Berlin Process, the Economic and Investment Plan / the EU's Green Agenda, and the New Growth Plan. Using the thesis paper method and elements of pre-conference polling among participants, this interactive part of the conference aims to assess what impact these European policy initiatives towards the Western Balkans can have, what difficulties and obstacles arise, and where there are opportunities for improvement. The timing of this discussion is favorable. The new legislature of the European Parliament, which has just started, and the new EU Commission, which is taking office, offer opportunities to set a new course in Western Balkans policy.

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IDEA GROUP 1 The Berlin Process

Marika DJOLAI, Researcher and Policy Analyst, BiEPAG (Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group), London
Silvana MOJSOVSKA, Professor at the Institute of Economics, Skopje University, Skopje
Florent MARCIACQ, Deputy Secretary-General, Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe, Vienna/Paris
Klodjan SEFERAJ, Programme Manager, Open Society Foundation Western Balkans, Tirana (Kommentator)

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IDEA GROUP 2 The Green Agenda and Economic and Investment Plan

Agron DEMI, Director, Balkan Green Foundation (BGF), Pristina*
Kristijan FIDANOVSKI, Economist, Vienna Institute for International Ecomic Studies (WiiW), Vienna
Ivana Markovic BOSKOVIC, Senior Expert on Green Agenda, Regional Cooperation Council, Sarajevo*
Sascha FUZUL, Department EU Enlargement, Southeast Europe and Turkey, Ministry for Economy and Climate Protection, Berlin

-
IDEA GROUP 3 The New Growth Plan

Ardian HACKAJ, Research Director and Coordinator of Tirana Connectivity Forum, Cooperation and Development Institute (CDI), Tirana
Milica UVALIC, Visiting Fellow, Robert Schumann Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute (EUI), Florence
Valbona ZENELI, Senior Fellow at Europe Center and Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council of the United States. Visiting Scholar Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University*

15:30 Uhr
PART 1 | Introduction into the Workshop (in plenary mode)

What’s the Method and the Procedure? What is the Envisioned Outcome? Why were exactly these three regional policy Initiatives selected? How to split up the participants in three different breakout groups?

15:45 Uhr
PART 2 | Presentation of Thesis Papers & Comments

We will start the workshop phase with focused presentations of the theses papers (approx. 15 Minutes each). These will be commented on and discussed by the working group.

17:00 Uhr
Coffee and Tea Break

17:15 Uhr
PART 3 | Collective Writing Phase

Based on the discussion of the theses papers the groups will enter into collective writing exercise trying to pen innovative policy ideas related to the regional policy initiatives.

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
LITERATURE SALON | Inside-Outside-Relation – A Textual Deciphering Exercise

Book presentation “Ankommen” by Vedran DZIHIC, Senior Research at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), lecture at the University of Vienna and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, Vienna

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmation

Sonntag, 24.11.2024
08:15 Uhr
Invitation to the morning service

08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

09:30 Uhr
PART 6 | Presentation and Discussion of the Idea Workshop Findings

(in plenary)

10:30 Uhr
Coffee and Tea

10:45 Uhr
CONCLUDING PANEL | What’s Next for the EU’s Policy towards the Western Balkans?

David McALLISTER, Member of European Parliament (Christian Democrats), Chairmann of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Brussels/Bad Bederkesa
Manuel SARRAZIN, Federal Government Special Representative for the Countries of the Western Balkans, German Foreign Office and President of the Southeast Europe Association, Berlin/Hamburg*
Marta STACHOWIAK, Director, Department for European Union External Policy, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Warsaw

12:30 Uhr
Farewell Lunch

12:50 Uhr
Bus Shuttle to Wunstorf train station

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmation

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Organisatorisches

Tagungsnummer

2424

Tagungsgebühren

Regular
210€
Reduced
120€

Die Tagungsgebühr beinhaltet Übernachtung, Verpflegung und Kostenbeitrag.
Für Auszubildende, Studierende, Freiwilligendienstleistende sowie Arbeitslose gilt die ermäßigte Gebühr nur bei Vorlage einer gültigen Bescheinigung VOR der Tagung.
Eine Reduzierung der Tagungsgebühr für eine zeitweise Teilnahme ist nicht möglich.

The conference fee includes accommodation, board and a contribution to costs.
For trainees, students, volunteers and unemployed persons, the reduced fee only applies on presentation of a valid certificate BEFORE the conference.
A reduction of the conference fee for temporary participation is not possible.

Stornierung

Bei einer Absage nach dem 14.11.2024 müssen wir Ihnen 50% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei einer Absage nach dem 19.11.2024 müssen wir Ihnen 100% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei nicht erfolgter Absage müssen wir die gesamte Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.

Zahlung

Bitte bezahlen Sie die Gebühren erst nach Erhalt einer Rechnung von uns.

Anreise

Informationen über die Anreise mit dem PKW oder der Bahn finden Sie hier

Es besteht eine direkte Verbindung zur Akademie mit dem Zubringerbus ab dem Bahnhof in Wunstorf.
Zur Akademie - Abholung am Bahnhof Wunstorf, Ausgang ZOB: 22.11.2024, 13:30 Uhr
Zum Bahnhof - Ankunft am Bahnhof Wunstorf (voraussichtlich): 24.11.2024, 13:30 Uhr

Bitte setzen Sie im Anmeldeformular bei gewünschter Mitfahrt im Zubringerbus die entsprechende Auswahl, da die Plätze begrenzt sind.