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.

Please find the draft program linked under "Weiterführende Links / Further links".

For more information on the conference and how to register, please visit the website of the Protestant Academy Loccum: 

https://www.loccum.de/tagungen/2424/