Practical information
Themes and regions
Related centers and programs
The Western Balkans have been on the EU path for more than twenty years now, without really getting closer to EU accession. Their European perspectives took a new turn with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
The new geopolitical context makes their accession an incontrovertible goal. Yet, much remains to be done to make it a reality. Disrupted by bilateral disputes and contested sovereignty issues, the EU’s accession policy has lost much of its clout, and it is ill-equipped, in its present form, to tackle serious challenges in the East, let alone complex security-related issues. Also, its revamp, whilst necessary, hinges on sensitive internal reforms in the EU and on Member States’ competing visions of the future of Europe. What course should the EU set for a more strategic accession policy in the new geopolitical context? What reforms would the EU need to undergo to ensure the proper and timely completion of the process? How can the EU counter the disrupting power of open bilateral disputes and contested sovereignty issues and effectively promote good neighbourliness? In a word, what should a new agenda for the EU in the Western Balkans look like?
Programme
Welcome
Dominique David, President of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe; Advisor to the Executive Chairman of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri)
Discussion
Donika Emini, Member of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), Researcher at the University of Westminster and Executive Director of CIVIKOS
Alexandre Adam, Former Europe advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Member of the Council of State of the French Republic and Member of the Council of the European Council on Foreign Relations
Moderation
Florent Marciacq, Deputy Secretary General of the Austro-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe and Associate Researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri
REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSED
![]()
Related Subjects
Other events
China’s New Five-Year Plan: Accelerated Electrification and Global Clean Tech Export Expansion?
China's energy and clean tech sector developments are continuing to decisively impact the global energy system on the one hand, and to steer the country's economy towards rapid electrification on the other hand.
The Enlargement of the European Union: A Strategic Choice? France, the Western Balkans and the EU in an Uncertain Geopolitical Context
Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought the enlargement of the European Union back to the centre of European strategic debates. In this context, the Western Balkans have regained heightened visibility in discussions on the continent’s security, at a time when the international environment is marked by a growing number of destabilising factors.
From Signal to Noise, Assessing Nuclear Threats in the Twenty-First Century
The resurgence of crises involving nuclear-armed states, accompanied by increasingly visible military signaling and forceful rhetoric, has renewed concerns about nuclear risk