Taking the Pulse of the Western Balkans

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine reinvigorated the European Union (EU) enlargement process and highlighted the importance of the process for peace and security in Europe. While the Western Balkans remains formally on the path to EU integration, it has faced setbacks and challenges, including democratic backsliding, corruption, a shrinking space for civil society and media freedom, and ethnonationalist politics.

The unpredictable engagement of the United States in the region and the global crisis of multilateralism, which underpinned conflict resolution after the wars of the 1990s, will put more responsibility on the EU to deal with these challenges. However, the current focus on the war in Ukraine mayfind the EU and its member states unprepared for future developments in the Western Balkans.

Welcome to a panel discussion on the current political developments and security dynamics in the region, with experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia. The event will also provide an opportunity to interact with journalists and civil society representatives from across the Western Balkans, as they visit SIPRI as part of a project funded by the Swedish Institute.

Speakers

Dean Džebić, Defence Reporter, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbeze Haxhiaj, Journalist, Kosovo

Ivana Ranković, Researcher, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Serbia