The integration of the Western Balkans is back on the agenda as a geostrategic priority for the EU following Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine. In this context, the European Council has provided new impetus to accession negotiations with EU candidate countries, while the European Commission has sought to capitalise on the momentum for enlargement through the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The conference “Advancing EU Enlargement: Italy’s Role and Strategic Convergence on the Western Balkans’ Integration”, to be held in Rome on 15 April 2025, will assess recent progress, discuss challenges and explore concrete measures to accelerate the process while safeguarding its sustainability.
Organisers: Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and with the support of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation.
This project is realized with the support of the Unit for Analysis, Policy Planning, Statistics and Historical Documentation - Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in accordance with Article 23 ‒ bis of the Decree of the President of the Italian Republic 18/1967.
The views expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The EU enlargement before regional cooperation in the Western Balkans?
Regional cooperation has always been one of the key conditions for Western Balkan countries to access the EU. Over the years, EU conditionality has led to a proliferation of initiatives aimed at promoting cooperation among candidate countries from the WB region. CeSPI and OBCT undertook a study, financed by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to map and examine the regional cooperation efforts undertaken in the WB in the last years, with a specific analysis of the Berlin Process.
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As part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response project, OBCT organised on 17 October 2023 an international conference aimed at unpacking the nexus between rule of law, media and democracy. Here you can find all the materials and video recordings of the event
OBC Transeuropa has produced 6 datasets in the frame of the Work4Future project to support its journalistic production. The datasets refer to EU cohesion policy and funds, and can be consulted and downloaded from the following link
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