Članak Assessing the 2025 Enlargement Package: Glass Half Full? se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Članak At a Crossroads: Serbia’s Prospects and Future in the EU Enlargement se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Članak Unpacking the 2024 Enlargement Package – A New Momentum or Business as Usual? se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Amidst these challenges, the European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) and Le Grand Continent organised a closed discussion titled “Political Priorities of Serbia and the Balkans between Trans-Atlantic, Sino-American, and EU-China Relations in Times of Global Changes.” The event was held under the Chatham House rule and gathered over 20 experts from civil society, academia and the private sector who shared their insights, perspectives, and opinions on the pressing issues facing Serbia. The discussion was divided into two panels, with the first one focusing on offering an outlook on Serbia’s internal situation in the context of its EU accession process, while the second focused on the country’s foreign policy amidst shifting global dynamics. This paper presents a summary of the discussions and offers important insights publicly while respecting the Chatham House rule and protecting participants’ names and affiliations.

Članak Political Priorities of Serbia: Between Trans-Atlantic, Sino-American, and EU-China Relations se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

In the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the intricate game of geopolitical considerations has prompted the EU to recalibrate its approach to enlargement. This recalibration has not gone unnoticed in the Western Balkans and former Eastern Partnership countries, where anticipation hangs in the air. Expectations are large, yet the undeniable truth lingers: the EU must reform its institutional groundwork for enlargement to materialise.

Against this backdrop, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, has cast a hopeful gaze towards 2030 as a target date when the EU should complete its internal reforms to become enlargement-ready. Simultaneously, candidate and potential candidate countries are urged to amplify their reform efforts. Brussels remains resolute – any progression towards membership will be merit-based, with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law. As the anticipation builds, all eyes turn to the 2023 Enlargement Package so as to see what the Commission has to say about the progress of respective countries, while also accounting for the Commission’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

In that context, CEP organised a webinar titled ‘Discussing the 2023 Enlargement Package and the Functioning of Democratic Institutions in the Western Balkans,’ inviting its regional partners from the Think for Europe Network (TEN) to participate. The event featured the participation of the Ambassador of Italy to Serbia, H.E. Luca Gori, as well as Mr Ger Jan Koopman, the Director-General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. The event had two primary objectives. Firstly, it served as a platform to delve into the EU’s 2023 Enlargement Package and the current state of the accession process in the Western Balkans. Esteemed experts from each WB country shared their insights and perspectives, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the region’s path forward. Secondly, the webinar presented the results of CEP’s research, which scrutinised the Commission’s methodology for evaluating the Functioning of Democratic Institutions (FoDI) across the region. This research and webinar were made possible with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.

Članak Unpacking the 2023 Enlargement Package: A Wake-up Call for the Western Balkans se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The outbreak of the war in Ukraine has dramatically changed the geopolitical map of Europe. With aggression against the sovereign and independent European state, Russia has drawn a line and isolated itself from peaceful and free Europe.

Former Soviet republics such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia rushed into the embrace of the European Union (EU), unwilling to remain behind Russia’s newly erected iron curtain. In the meantime, Western Balkan (WB) countries are continuing the European integration process, which is most clearly reflected in opening accession talks with Albania and (conditionally) North Macedonia, as well as in granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Simultaneously, changed geopolitical circumstances brought their alignment with the EU Foreign and Security Policy to the top of the agenda. In such a context, tracking where the WB countries stand on their path to the EU gains further importance.

In order to grasp where do the WB6 stand in 2022 in terms of their reform pace and overall preparedness for membership, while acknowledging the importance of the WB partners for Europe to be completed and united in the time of ongoing geopolitical and economic crisis, CEP hosted the event “Unpacking the Enlargement Package 2022: EU Enlargement to the Western Balkans in the light of the war in Ukraine” on 7 November 2022, together with its regional partners gathered in the Think for Europe Network (TEN) and in cooperation with the Directorate-General for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR). Acting Director-General, Maciej Popowski, presented the Package and highlighted the key results, following TEN members presenting their views, comments and recommendations from the perspective of their country. The aim of this discussion was to present to the public the key findings of the Commission’s annual reports, clarify and make them more transparent. By communicating the Commission’s findings to citizens and decision-makers, the goal is to truly prioritise the implementation of reforms that are required for EU membership.

Članak EU enlargement to the Western Balkans in the light of the war in Ukraine se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

In order to ensure continuity in the Council’s decision-making process, the notion of the Trio Presidency was introduced with the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, which defines it as “pre-established groups of three Member States for a period of 18 months taking into account their diversity and geographical balance within the Union”. The Trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda with the major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18-month period. In order to better grasp the recent key developments in the Union, the work of the Council in the last year and a half is the focus of this CEP Presents (July 2020 – December 2021).

As part of rewinding the past year and a half, the paper sets out to examine the policies adopted during the watch of Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia, as well as to provide an overall assessment of the degree to which the 18 month Programme of the Council was accomplished. Moreover, it argues that although the COVID-19 pandemic has caught the EU off-guard, the tenth Trio has managed to push for an effective and joint response to the health crisis thus making the Union more united than before.

As these activities corresponded with the Conference on the Future of Europe, European debates also served as a good platform to explore additional avenues for better equipping the Union to address future crises. In the context of the enlargement and the pandemic, although the Union has kept sending medical and financial assistance, the Trio was ultimately less successful than originally expected in accelerating the pace of the countries of
the region on their path to the Union.

Članak EU Trio Presidency Rewind se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The event was organised alongside the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission, and the Think for Europe Network (TEN) which gathers think tank representatives from all Western Balkan countries. In the first part, the acting Director-General, Maciej Popowski, presented the Package and emphasised the key results, while in the second, TEN members presented their views, comments, recommendations, and questions from the standpoint of their country.

The aim of these discussions was to present to the public the key findings of the Commission’s annual reports, all the while highlighting to what extent these converge with the regional think tanks’ assessment of the situation on the ground.

Članak Unpacking the 2021 Enlargement Package se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The title of this initiative was deliberately chosen to showcase that only a united Europe, a continent comprised of countries sharing common values, can properly address the ever-growing number of cross-border challenges. This concept therefore extends beyond the EU as it envisions the WB as an essential piece of the European puzzle.

Considering that discussions in the framework of the CotFoE are well under way, with a goal of concluding by the summer of the next year, EUROPE COMPLETE was registered at the official Portal of the CotFoE. The key message of the event was that the time is ripe for an open and critical deliberation, not on whether the WB can contribute to the development of the European project, but on how and to what extent. That is why this CEP Presents provides a succinct analysis of key themes that marked the event, such as the idea of introducing a model of accession in stages, involving the region into wider European strategic autonomy, further exploiting the economic benefits from the cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans, and exploring ways for giving a stronger say to European youth in the context of digital challenges. Hence, the subchapters of this paper follow the titles of panels of the event and present the main ideas, critiques, and conclusions of each panel discussion.

Članak Europe Complete se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Such observation, which brings to light the existing deficiencies of think tanks, should be viewed in the light of self-evaluation, with the greater purpose to usher the path for their further improvement and evolution. Self-awareness and self-improvement of this kind become all the more important considering that the democratic norms continue to erode under the pressure of the political, economic, and social impact of the pandemic.

With this context in mind, the European Policy Centre (CEP) hosted a conference under the name “Times of Crisis, Time for Think Tanks: the case of the Western Balkans” on 29 January 2021. In this issue of CEP Presents, we present the most important points and conclusions from the conference.

Članak Time of Crisis, Time for Think Tanks se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

This ERP info sheet was prepared as part of the Prepare to Participate project, jointly implemented by the European Policy Centre (CEP), the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), the Center for Contemporary Policy (CSP) through the European Western Balkans portal, with financial support Delegation of the European Union to Serbia.

Članak Economic Reform Programme – ERP se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

How well has Serbia adjusted? The COVID-19 crisis shed light on the fragile state of Serbian democracy, which became particularly visible when the authorities introduced a state of emergency and adopted stringent and out-of-proportion measures to fight the pandemic. To make matters worse, during this period the latest Freedom House Report came out, in which Serbia was no longer classified as a “semi-consolidated democracy”, but rather as a “hybrid regime”. As Serbia geared up for the June 2020 parliamentary elections, tensions grew even greater, especially as a large part of the opposition opted for the strategy of boycotting the election.

In order to better understand the challenges of the post-pandemic EU accession process, the European Policy Centre – CEP has discussed the current situation and the road ahead with prominent domestic and foreign stakeholders. On 13 May 2020, CEP hosted an online, closed-door discussion panel titled “Serbia’s COVID-19 diplomacy and the outcomes of the Zagreb Summit: Déja vu or crucial milestone on the path to EU accession?” The following represents an analysis of key elements brought up by discussants at the event.

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Photo: Flickr/ EU2020HR

Članak Serbia’s COVID-19 Diplomacy and the Outcomes of the Zagreb Summit se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.