In partnership with the Balkan Center for Constructive Policies – Solution (North Macedonia) and the Embassy of Sweden, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) is hosting the fourth edition of the BSC Leaders Meetings event that will take place on 12 March 2025 in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The BSC Leaders Meetings present a series of half-day events organised throughout the Western Balkans. They are part of the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) – a high-level international policy event organised by the BCSP each year in the third week of November in Belgrade.

The BSC Leaders Meetings aim to gather policy-makers and experts who will discuss major foreign and security challenges facing the region, geopolitical events and trends affecting it and to assess the future of democratic reforms, regional cooperation and the place of the Western Balkans in global politics.

Panel discussion “Montenegro’s European Dream: A Success Story for the Region?”

In December 2024, Montenegro reached a significant milestone in its European Union membership negotiations by provisionally closing three negotiation chapters during the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels. This signaled a renewed momentum in its EU integration process. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Montenegro’s ambition to become the EU’s 28th member by 2028 as achievable. Compared to other EU candidate countries, Montenegro’s small size and lack of major bilateral disputes with its neighbors position it as a clear frontrunner in the EU enlargement process. The aim of this high-level panel of the BSC Leaders Meetings is to take stock of the opportunities and obstacles standing between Montenegro and other Western Balkan countries’ EU membership. What are the remaining challenges Montenegro must address to be able to end the EU accession negotiations by 2028? What lessons can other Western Balkans countries take from Montenegro’s EU accession strategy? Could Montenegro’s progress catalyze renewed momentum in the EU integration of other Western Balkans nations? While 2025 promises to be a decisive year for EU enlargement, the question remains will the EU and its member states be ready to receive new members from 2028-2030?

Agenda

11:00 – 11:05 Opening remarks:

• Igor Bandović, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

11:05 – 12:05 Panel Discussion:

• Jessica Rosencrantz, Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden
• Todor Goranović, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Montenegro for Security and Defence
• Nikola Dimitrov, President and co-founder of the Balkan Center for Constructive Policies – Solucija, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia
• Vanja Ćalović, Executive Director of MANS

Moderator: Igor Bandović, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

11:45 – 12:00 Q&A

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The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) and the Balkan Center for Constructive Policies – Solution (North Macedonia) in cooperation with Open Society Foundations Western Balkans are honoured to announce that the BSC Leaders Meetings discussion will take place on 17 May 2024, from 10:00 CET, in Tirana, Albania.

The BSC Leaders Meetings present a series of half-day events organised throughout the Western Balkans. They are part of the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) – a high-level international policy event organised by the BCSP each year in Belgrade. The BSC Leaders Meetings aim to gather policy-makers and experts who will discuss major foreign and security challenges facing the region, geopolitical events and trends affecting it, and to assess the future of democratic reforms, regional cooperation and the place of the Western Balkans in global politics.

Panel discussion “Albania and the Western Balkans in the EU by 2030: Tackling the Obstacles Ahead”

Ever since the publication of the Report of the Franco-German Working Group on the EU Institutional Reform in September 2023, the launching of the New EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in November 2023, and more lately the Communication from the European Commission on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews in March 2024, it has become obvious that after an initial geopolitical impulse to accelerated enlargement caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the high speed EU integration train has left the station aiming to see the new member states join the Union as early as 2030. The Communication of the European Commission to the European Parliament and European Council has formally included all constructive proposals from the Western Balkans and European think tanks on how to render EU accession process more effective: introducing Qualified Majority Voting in all interim stages of the EU accession process, candidate countries joining the EU single market and gradual integration of the candidate countries before accession. Whereas there are many reasons for optimism, concerns remain whether the EU will achieve its institutional reforms in due time to welcome new members, and on the other hand whether the candidate countries in the Western Balkans will fulfill the criteria for EU membership before the due date.

The aim of this high-level panel of the BSC Leaders Meetings event is to take stock of the opportunities and obstacles standing between Albania and other Western Balkan countries’ EU membership by 2030.

Each BSC Leaders Meetings event includes a public panel discussion and a Chatham House debate dedicated to different foreign and security policy issues, including EU enlargement.

Agenda

10:00 – 10:15 Opening Remarks

· Dr. Srđan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

· Andi Dobrushi, Director of Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans

10:15 – 11:45 Panel Discussion

· Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania

· Prof. Dr. Daniela Schwarzer, Member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board

· Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council

· Alba Çela, Executive Director and Head of the European Program at the Albanian Institute for International Studies

Moderator: Dr. Nikola Dimitrov, President and co-founder, the Balkan Center for Constructive Policies – Solucija, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia

11:45 – 12:00 Q&A

12:00 – 12:30 Coffee Break

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Under the title “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?”, the second in a series of BSC Leaders Meetings events took place in Skopje on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

The speakers at the panel discussion were Stevo Pendarovski, President of the Republic of North Macedonia; Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia; Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations and Goran Buldioski, Director of Programs for Open Society–Europe and Central Asia. Srdjan Cvijić, the President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, moderated the discussion.

Igor Bandović, the Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, made opening remarks by saying that a new era has come to our region where a change in the style of governance and a change in leadership goes hand in hand. “Only this will give a new breath of fresh air and new energy to our dying and exhausted Balkans,” he stated.

The main topics of the BSC Leaders Meetings panel discussion in Skopje were Russian propaganda in the region, EU membership, the bilateral dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, and many more.

While discussing the effects of Russian propaganda in the Western Balkans, the President of President of the Republic of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, pointed out that it has won the hearts and minds of people in the region and that being a member of NATO helps to cope with cyber-attacks and endless propaganda.

Vessela Tcherneva described the media environment as polluted, partly due to Russian propaganda but also the consequence of narratives filled with fear and anxiety – the narratives people tend to accept in times of crisis.

Regarding relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Goran Buldioski said bilateral disputes in the EU integration process are part of political reality and should be resolved as such. “The EU can show examples that North Macedonia can learn from, such as the issue of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia or German-French relations,” he explained.

Deputy Prime Minister Slavica Grkovska said there are many challenges and issues to resolve, but also there is a strong political will to do that. “It is not easy to deinstall the system of the captured state, but the current government is reform-oriented, and it has done a lot.”

The panelists concluded that EU membership is still a strategic goal of North Macedonia.

Following the panel discussion, at the beginning of the Chatham House debate, the BSCP researchers Luka Šterić and Ivana Ranković presented a report on Hungary’s role in the Western Balkans, followed by a discussion of international and regional experts.

The BSC Leaders Meetings events, with the distinguished panel of international and domestic speakers, are planned to continue in the coming months in other capitals of the Western Balkans.

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The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) is honoured to invite you to the BSC Leaders Meetings discussion under the title “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?”, which will take place on 17 May 2023 at 14:00 CET, at Marriott Hotel, Skopje.

The BSC Leaders Meetings present a series of half-day events organised throughout the Western Balkans. They are part of the Belgrade Security Conference (BSC) – a high-level international policy event organised by the BCSP each October. The BSC Leaders Meetings aim to gather policy-makers and experts who will discuss significant foreign and security challenges facing the region, geopolitical events and trends affecting it and to assess the future of democratic reforms, regional cooperation and the place of the Western Balkans in global politics.

Each BSC Leaders Meetings event includes a public discussion and a Chatham House debate. The BCSP research on the role and strategies of different geopolitical actors in the Western Balkans will be presented and discussed. On this occasion, the Hungarian influence in the Western Balkans will be discussed under the Chatham House rules. The primary impulse for debate will be provided by the BCSP researchers Luka Šterić and Ivana Ranković, who will be presenting BCSP new research report on the Hungarian role in the Western Balkans.

Agenda:

13:30 – 14:00 Registration and Welcome Coffee

14:00 – 14:05 Opening remarks

Igor Bandović, Director, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

14:05 – 15:00 Panel discussion

• Stevo Pendarovski, President of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Slavica Grkovska, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies in the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia
• Vessela Tcherneva, Deputy Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations
• Goran Buldioski, Director of Programs for Open Society–Europe and Central Asia

Moderator: Srdjan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

15:00 – 15:30 Q&A

15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break

Please click below to complete the mandatory registration for in-person participation:

Register here 

The post BSC Leaders Meetings Skopje: “Russian Aggression Against Ukraine: New Momentum for the EU Enlargement?” appeared first on BELGRADE SECURITY CONFERENCE 2024.

On Wednesday, April 12, the first in a series of BSC Leaders Meetings was held in Podgorica, under the title “Montenegro after the presidential elections: Fast forward towards the EU?”, organised by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and the Institute Alternative. 

Jakov Milatović, President-elect of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, Prime Minister of Montenegro, Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, Milena Muk, researcher at the Institute Alternative, dr. Srđan Cvijić, president of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and Igor Bandović, director of the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, took part in the public panel discussion. 

Igor Bandović, who opened the BSC Leaders Meetings event, expressed in the opening remarks his great pleasure to organise the first event of this kind in Podgorica. “The Belgrade Security Conference aims to be a window to the world for the entire region of the Western Balkans and a promoter of positive changes in the Balkans. Relying on the experience of our partners from Munich, we decided to organise Leaders Meetings events throughout the countries of the Western Balkans and thus initiate the creation of a new political culture, a new style of debates and new content to promote.”  

The main topics of the panel discussion, organised in the aftermath of the presidential elections, were the possible scenarios of Montenegro’s accession to the European Union, the main obstacles and opportunities, as well as the EU’s political capacity to receive new members and Montenegro’s ability to reform. 

On that occasion, the newly elected President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, said that the new generation of politicians is a symbol of changes in the country and that the main priorities of Montenegro should be the fight against state capture and economic stability. “Regional economic integration is the basis of European integration. The success of one Western Balkan country is the success of all six of them,” Milatović pointed out. 

At the first BSC Leaders Meetings event, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazović, said that for Montenegro, there is no other choice but EU integration. “By joining the EU, Montenegro will fulfill its national interests, which is the reason why it will remain committed to the process of European integration.” Referring to the war in Ukraine, Abazović said: “Considering the size, population and capacities of Montenegro, support for Ukraine is more than significant, and citizens of Ukraine feel safe in Montenegro.” 

Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, pointed out that the enlargement process has become more complex. “Nothing is promised from Brussels, but the Balkans are not forgotten.” The importance of the rule of law, civil society and political leaders who send strong messages at home are considered crucial to the process of European integration.” 

On behalf of the Institute Alternative, Milena Muk stated that the previous Montenegrin governments did not meet high expectations and did not achieve sufficient progress in reforms. “Montenegro currently does not have a single institution at full capacity, but in the so-called acting condition. Responding to Srđan Cvijić’s question about the main priorities of the future government, Milena Muk highlighted the reforms and the fulfillment of temporary criteria within Chapter 23. – “I think it is positive that the European Union has become more clear and more direct in conditioning key reforms in the country, and it should persist in that approach. We see that individual islands of integrity are being created, primarily in the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, and it is up to us to demand multiplying of these islands.” 

The BSC Leaders Meetings events, with the distinguished panel of international and domestic speakers, are planned to continue in the coming months in other capitals of the Western Balkans. 

The post The new generation of politicians – a symbol of change in the country  appeared first on BELGRADE SECURITY CONFERENCE 2024.

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy and Institute Alternative (IA) are pleased to announce the BSC Leaders Meeting, the first in the series, which will take place on 12 April 2023., at Hotel Hilton in Podgorica, under the title: “Montenegro after the presidential elections: Fast forward towards EU?” 

It is organised in the immediate aftermath of the country’s presidential elections. Montenegro is a frontrunner in the EU accession negotiations. Its chances of becoming the 28th EU member state in the foreseeable future are arguably greater than any other candidate for EU membership.

Whether Montenegro will succeed depends on the EU’s political capacity to absorb new members but also on Montenegro’s ability to reform itself. Together with the distinguished panel of international and domestic speakers, we will discuss the likely scenarios of Montenegro’s accession path, the main hurdles, and opportunities.

Agenda:

10:00 – 10:05 Opening remarks

· Igor Bandović, Director, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

10:05 – 11:05 Panel discussion

· Jakov Milatović, President-elect of Montenegro

· Dritan Abazović, the Prime Minister of Montenegro

· Rosa Balfour, Director, Carnegie Europe

· Milena Muk, Public Policy Researcher, Institute Alternative

Moderator: Srdjan Cvijić, President of the International Advisory Committee of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

11:05 – 11:30 Q&A

Please click below to complete the mandatory registration for in-person participation:

Register here

BSC Leaders Meetings are half-day events gathering foreign and security policy communities throughout the Western Balkans. Their objective is for the Belgrade Security Conference discussions to continue throughout the year in all countries of the region.

Each event is composed of a public panel with regional political leaders and back-to-back Chatham House discussions with international and regional experts on the most pressing foreign and security matters. Throughout the event, a distinguished panel of international and domestic speakers will try to assess the future of democratic reforms, regional cooperation, and the place of the Western Balkans in global politics.

The post BSC Leaders Meetings Podgorica: “Montenegro after the presidential elections: Fast forward towards EU?”  appeared first on BELGRADE SECURITY CONFERENCE 2024.