Panelists:

• Matthew A. Palmer, Special Representative for the Western Balkans and Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Peter Beyer LL.M., Member of the German Bundestag, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Office
• Ambassador Susanne Schütz, Director for South-Eastern Europe, Turkey, EFTA States, OSCE and the Council of Europe in the German Federal Foreign Office
• Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Chair:

Prof. Dr. Florian Bieber, Political Scientist and Historian, Professor in South East European History and Politics and Director of the Center for South East European Studies at the University of Graz.

Background / Overview

The countries of the Western Balkans are a field of high interest and engagement of both the European Union and the United States. For many years, Germany has considered the Western Balkans region as a highly important area of its foreign policy and has confirmed this preference during its current Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In our dialogue with Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew A. Palmer, the Special Representative for the Western Balkans within the U.S. Department of State, we will try to explore to what extent the Western Balkans can be considered to be an arena of transatlantic cooperation: What are topics of common interest and which are areas of potential dissent? What are the challenges and potentials in achieving a common approach to the region? These issues will be discussed with representatives of the European Parliament, of the German Bundestag and the German Federal Foreign Office.