At the one-day summit in Brdo Castle in Slovenia, early October, EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Western Balkan countries’ accession to the bloc, without a firm timeline. The event was also overshadowed by Bulgaria’s veto over starting accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania which triggered harsh criticism, especially from Skopje. The EU promised to allocate a new EUR 9 billion package to economic development, however, it will have little impact on tackling the despair and frustration of the WB countries. The workshop aimed at evaluating the current stage of EU-Western Balkans relations with special focus on domestic political endeavors, public opinion and prospective future.
Program:
10:00 – 10:05: Opening remarks – Zoltan Egeresi, Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies
10:05 - 11:05: Panel discussion
Ilir Kalemaj, University of New York Tirana
Jeton Mehmeti, GAP Institute
Milan Igrutinovic, Institute for European Studies
Moderator: Zoltán Egeresi, ISDS
11:05-11:30: Q&A
11:30-11:35: Closing remarks – Zoltan Egeresi, ISDS