#BalkansDebrief

Will the regional crises turn into opportunities? | A debrief with Maja Piscevic and Damir Marusic

Dec 21, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has largely defined the year with the crises across the Western Balkans shaping against this grim backdrop. Even though the year-end leaves the region in an uncertain place, with tensions between Serbia and Kosovo at an all-time high, some positive developments ought to be noted.

Ilva...

Why should the EU speed up the integration process in the Western Balkans? | A debrief with Paul Taylor

Dec 14, 2022

The recent EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, Albania, was seen as a step in the right direction for reinvigorating the EU enlargement process. Is there a new political will for enlargement among the EU member states? How did the new geopolitical momentum following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine affect the...

What challenges do the Western Balkans face after the Berlin Process?| A debrief with Milan Nič

Nov 2, 2022

With the Berlin Process summit in sight, the first headlines coming from Germany indicate that Berlin will deliver agreements signed by all six Western Balkans countries. Will these new regional dynamics produce long-term meaningful changes?

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Milan Nič, Senior Fellow at...

What is the problem with democracies representing people’s interests? | A Debrief with Lea Ypi

Oct 26, 2022

The quest for freedom has long been the interest of political scholars and philosophers. Yet an 11-year-old girl in Albania began debating the issue with her parents while the streets of Tirana erupted with protests demanding freedom. That girl is Lea Ypi, a political theory professor at the London School of Economics...

What will the Berlin process bring to the Western Balkans? | A Debrief with Manuel Sarrazin

Oct 19, 2022

When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz broke the news of a Berlin Process 2.0, the Western Balkans’ hopes for a revival of European enlargement were revived. The Common Regional Market and the ‘four freedoms’ are at the heart of Berlin process, but previous negotiations broke down in Sofia due to differences between...