Srdjan Cvijic, President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, officially closed the Belgrade Security Conference. During his speech, Srdjan referred to the student protest in 1996 and 1997 where students carried a banner with the slogan ”Belgrade is the world”.  

Variety of topics and problems were discussed on this panel, from licence plates in Kosovo to the Franco-German initiative regarding Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. The panellists agreed that the relations between Serbia and Kosovo should be normalized but their opinions differed in the way how the future of relation should be comprehended. 

During the discussion, panelists largely agreed that Europe’s current dependence on the USA in terms of military security or information technologies is too strong. Therefore, they discussed the need of the EU to strive towards strategic autonomy which is however unlikely in the short term. Considering the renewed commitment to NATO because of the war against Ukraine, the panel also discussed the question of Serbia’s neutrality towards NATO in the course of its European integration process. 

Olivia Lazard, fellow at Carnegie Europe, opened the session with a presentation about global warming saying: “Compared to pre-industrial times earth is 1,3 degrees warmer”. She emphasizes the transition from fossil economy to mineral economy and that: “the green transformation for decarbonization is in the heart of geopolitical struggle, geo-economics and democracy”. Lazard mentions examples from Madagascar and Central-Africa Republic, describing the consequences of having big companies extracting raw materials for green tech.   

There are many ways in which organized criminal groups can take advantage of the freedoms afforded to individuals in democratic societies. Some argue that the non-democratic and authoritarian nature of organized crime groups allows them to thrive in environments dominated by corrupt governance. In authoritarian regimes, the line between the state and organized criminal groups is becoming increasingly blurred. The panelists discussed how it might be possible to reverse the trend of state capture and a close linkage between the state and organized crime.   

The internet’s democratic potential has been immensely challenged recently. Panel moderator Maja Bjelos, Senior Researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, questioned whether a human-centric approach to cybersecurity could strengthen democracy. Cybersecurity has become particularly important, especially with the greater potential for government misuse of technology, which was a point of agreement among all the panelists. 

The panel discussed disinformation in the Western Balkans and how to address it. The panel agreed that this problem must be handled by both the EU and public society. There should be initiatives to pressure powerful social media companies and develop a media literacy campaign that will create resilience against disinformation in the Western Balkans.  

This panel discussed the recent, increasing pressures that human rights defenders have been facing globally, in the EU, and in the Western Balkans. Participants exchanged ideas and analyses of the challenges and possible strategies for the protection of human rights defenders. They addressed the question: how to ensure effective protection for those that defend the public and citizens and what options do NGOs have within authoritarian political systems? 

Panelists discussed the implications of security and development policies in the context of fragile and conflict environments. The panelists provided diverse perspectives on the security-development nexus (SDN) and how policies can be adapted in conflict-prone and post-conflict contexts. Panelists agreed on the need for security and development policies to be appropriately tailored to their respective local contexts.  

All panelists agreed that human rights are a precondition for security development. Subsequently, countries should never choose between development and human rights. Oya Dursun-Ozkanca, Chair of International Studies from Elizabethtown College, emphasized that human rights are a bridge between security and development. Human rights seek inclusive and accountable institutions that belong to people and are linked to a positive peace context.