The complex system of governance of the European Union often blurs the distinction between where decisions are made and who is responsible for them. One of the major institutions that steer the direction of EU policies is the Council of the EU which is run by member states based on a model of rotation.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were moderate expectations in 2021 in terms of the Western Balkans’ recovery and progression into the EU. Recognising that the pandemic created new challenges in the region all the while exacerbating the existing ones, the European Policy Centre (CEP) organised an online discussion in order to unpack the 2021 Enlargement Package.

The Conference on the Future of Europe (CotFoE) presents a unique opportunity for citizens to discuss – at a European, national, regional and local level – how to shape the future of the old continent in terms of securing reforms that would lead towards progress, prosperity, and security. As these issues cannot be properly tackled without integrating the Western Balkans (WB) into the wider debates, European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) has taken a proactive step forward by organising a high-level conference under the name EUROPE COMPLETE.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world unprepared, think tanks included. Besides producing evidence-based analyses of the current events, think tanks utilise their expertise and experience to foresee potential challenges that lie ahead. Yet, this crisis has proven that even think tanks, a beacon of forward-looking thinking, have failed to anticipate the outbreak of the pandemic, as well as the immediate magnitude of its consequences.

The Economic Reform Programme (ERP) is the most important strategic document in the economic dialogue of the European Union (EU) and candidates (and potential candidates) for membership in the EU. It is also umbrella economic document of the Republic of Serbia, because it serves to improve the management of economic policies and economic development.

The beginning of this year promised to reset the sluggish dynamics of Serbia’s EU accession path. Following the EU’s endorsement of the revised enlargement methodology, however, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the focus of the relationship between Serbia and the EU to economic recovery and questions of solidarity. Hence, the long-awaited EU-Western Balkans Summit which took place on 6 May 2020 has also adjusted its format and declaration to respond to these unprecedented times.

On 30 January 2020, the European Policy Centre – CEP hosted “The Future of Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the Context of Democratic Crises” conference.

On 28 November 2018, in the framework of the current Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Policy Centre – CEP hosted a conference under the name “European Union and the Western Balkans: How to make the enlargement process more credible?”. The event was part of the Western Balkans Reflection Forum Initiative, launched by a network of European think tanks in support of the Berlin Process

In Armstrong’s “Governing Social Inclusion: Europeanisation through Policy Coordination,” one of the reoccurring topics is the ‘Open Method of Coordination’ (OMC).

The European Court of Auditors recently published a special report on the impact of EU pre-accession assistance on strengthening the administrative capacity of the countries of the Western Balkans (WB).