Consolidating the European Idea in the Western Balkans

BELGRADE – Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE) and Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) Belgrade Office will organize conference and presentation of the position paper “Consolidating the European Idea in the Western Balkans” on 7 March in Hotel Metropol Palace in Belgrade.

Conference will be opened by Mr Heinz Albert Huthmacher, Director of FES Belgrade Office and Ms Sonja Licht, President of BFPE.

Mr Josip Juratović, Member of the German Bundestag, will present the paper. Paper has been prepared by members of SPD Parliamentary Party Group in the German Bundestag and deals with several important topics for straightening the European idea in the Western Balkans – among candidate and potential candidate countries.

In view of authors, providing new momentum to the process of accession to the EU for the Western Balkan states is crucial, together with economic development and strengthening of democracy and civil society.

After this presentation, conference will continue in two panels: Improving Economic Development as Precondition of EU Membership and Strong democracy and civil society as necessary elements of modern society.

Mihailo Crnobrnja, President of the European Movement in Serbia, Lufti Dervishi, Political Analyst from Albania, Gordana Đurović, Former Minister for European Integration of Montenegro and Saša Magazinović, Member of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Head of SDP of Bosnia and Herzegovina parliamentary group will speak on the panels. Also Dane Taleski, Visiting Fellow at the CSEES from University in Graz, Leon Malazogu, Executive director of Democracy for Development Institute (D4D) from Prishtina and Ramzi Lani, Director of Albanian Media Institute will give their contribution.

At the end, Metin Hakverdi, Member of the German Bundestag, will give final remarks and speak about new momentum to the process of accession to the EU for the Western Balkan states.