EU, Western Balkans and COVID-19: Preventing EU’s cold from causing a bad fever in the region

The COVID-19 pandemic has stopped the whole world, in one way or another. How is Brussels, the "capital of the European Union", coping with the crisis? How are think tanks, educational institutions and NGOs in Europe struggling with it and how is it affecting their work? Does the EU have time to pay attention to its Western Balkan neighbours now, or is it preoccupied with its own problems? And - to what extent do events in Europe affect the Balkans, whether we like it or not? To discuss these topics, we have invited Nenad Šebek, journalist and CSO's and media consultant and Dušan Reljić, Head of the Brussels Brussels office of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP Berlin). Find more about SWP here: www.swp-berlin.org/en/

Keeping a physical distance, yet keeping the region close

The ongoing #COVID19 pandemic can be observed as a case study for the global, European, and regional solidarity and cooperation - or, the lack of thereof. Which side outweighs? When it comes to the Western Balkans, how this crisis influenced the already fragile relationships between countries? Can we hope that we will get out of this crisis smarter? To discuss this and other related topics, we reached Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)and former member of the Albanian Parliament and Minister of European Integration in the Albanian Government. RCC serves regional cooperation and European and Euro-Atlantic integration of South East Europe in order to spark development in the region to the benefit of its people. Find out more about their work here: www.rcc.int.

Kako sprečiti krah srpske privrede usled globalne krize izazvane pandemijom koronavirusa

Veliki napor je uložen u borbu protiv pandemije COVID-19, poznatog kao novi koronavirus, kako bi se sačuvali životi i izbegao „italijanski” scenario, koji se ogleda u kolapsu zdravstvenog sistema usled preopterećenja ogromnim brojem životno ugroženih pacijenata u kratkom periodu. Uvedene su nezapamćene mere ograničenja kretanja i društvenih kontakta, zabranjen je ili ograničen rad velikom broju, naročito malih, biznisa. Nažalost, smrtonosno dejstvo virusa snažno se oseća i u srpskoj ekonomiji, a naročito u privatnom sektoru. Kako bi se sprečili potpuni krah privrede i gubitak ogromnog broja radnih mesta, potrebna je hitna i odlučna akcija države: svojevrsni „finansijski kontraudar” na koronu. O merama koje treba preduzeti razgovaraju saradnik CEP-a, koordinator Radne grupe Nacionalnog konventa o Evropskoj uniji za vođenje pregovora o pristupanju Srbije EU za Pregovaračko poglavlje 4 – Sloboda kretanja kapitala i Pregovaračko poglavlje 9 – Finansijske usluge, Marko Obradović, i Nenad Šebek, novinar i konsultant civilnog društva i medija. Tekst Marka Obradovića o predloženim merama možete pronaći ovde: cep.org.rs/blogs/houston-we-have-a-problem/

Balancing between East and West: can Serbia benefit from a flexible foreign policy?

There are growing doubts about the region’s European perspective following a series of postponements in the opening of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia and the announcement of reforms of the enlargement methodology. Although Montenegro and Serbia are forerunners in the process, membership is still a long way off, especially after EU member states largely dismissed the 2025 membership perspective. This has resulted in a weakening of the EU’s gravitational force in the region, allowing space for other global and regional powers. The increase in economic cooperation between Serbia and China, as well as Serbia’s signing of a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, has made this especially clear. We discussed these issues with our guest, ambassador Duško Lopandić, CEP Council member. This episode coincides with the publishing of annual ranking of top think tanks worldwide by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program by the University of Pennsylvania, where CEP regularly finds their place. CEP is ranked as the best think tank in the WB and among the top ten in Central and Eastern Europe.  

Strict, fair & committed – the Dutch Approach to the Enlargement

In this episode, we speak about the Dutch approach to the accession of the Western Balkans in the European Union, the European Commission’s proposal for a revised accession methodology, proposal for participation of the Western Balkans at the Conference on the Future of Europe and what it’s like to make and maintain friendships when you’re a diplomat. Our guest is H.E. Gilles Beschoor Plug, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Serbia and to Montenegro.

More listening, less advising: think tankers as democracy defenders

In this episode, we speak about the think tanks, and their potential to counter the decline of democracy worldwide and nurture inclusive and evidence-based policymaking. Our guest is Sonja Stojanović Gajić, great connoseur of the topic, member of Executive Board of Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCBP) and CEP Council member. This episode coincides with the publishing of annual ranking of top think tanks worldwide by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program by the University of Pennsylvania, where both CEP and BCBP regularly find their place. CEP is ranked as the best think tank in the WB, while BCBP is regularly the best think tank on security and defence in the region and beyond. Recommendations for further reading: Enrique Mendizabal, Reclaiming the think tank space in 2020s onthinktanks.org/articles/reclaim…ce-in-the-2020s/ Isidora Stakić, BCBP, Threats and Pressures Faced by Activists and Independent Journalists in Serbia bezbednost.org/All-publications/…es-Faced-by.shtml Isidora Stakić, BCBP, Kriminalizacija solidarnosti: Obračun sa aktivizmom Združene akcije „Krov nad glavom" bezbednost.org/Sve-publikacije/7…-Obracun-sa.shtml #CooperativeSecurityInitiative i #CooperativeSecurityMatters

To boycott or not to boycott, that is the question now

Seeking for better service design and delivery: created by and for citizens

More and more countries worldwide are placing the administrators in the users’ shoes and trying to understand the citizens’ journey through the service request. Today, we will talk about public services and service delivery. Our guest is Gregor Virant, Head of SIGMA and former minister of public administration of Slovenia. SIGMA stands for Support for Improvement in Governance and Management, a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union.

Behind the French “non”: Discussing the French proposals for reformed EU enlargement process

EU enlargement policy has returned to the spotlight in Brussels. France is mostly to blame, or to thank for this, firstly for yet another postponement of the start of North Macedonia and Albania's accession negotiations, and secondly for its latest initiative to reform the EU’s enlargement policy towards the Western Balkans. Our guest is His Excellency Jean-Louis Falconi, the Ambassador of France to Serbia.

Council of Europe – the driver of rule of law promotion?

H.E. Tobias Flessenkemper, Head of the Belgrade Office of Council of Europe, is joined by Sena Marić, Programme Manager and Senior Researcher in CEP. Useful links: Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://www.coe.int/en/web/compass/the-universal-declaration-of-human-rights-full-version- Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence: https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/home European Charter of Local Self-Government: https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/122  Winston Churchill, speech delivered at the University of Zurich, 19 September 1946: https://rm.coe.int/16806981f3   European  Convention on a Human Rights: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life: https://www.coe.int/fr/web/youth/-/revised-european-charter-on-the-participation-of-young-people-in-local-and-regional-life Convention 108+  Modernised Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data: https://www.coe.int/en/web/data-protection/convention108/modernised Official website for Belgrade Office: https://www.coe.int/en/web/belgrade/coe-office-in-belgrade