The Window of Opportunity for the Western Balkans

Diplomacy ♦ Published: April 26, 2018; 20:05 ♦ (Vindobona)

Will the Western Balkan countries be able to take advantage of the moment and will it bring the year 2018 closer to the European Union? In February 2018, a new Enlargement Strategy was presented in Strasbourg by the EU Commission. Bulgaria, currently having the Presidency of the Council of the EU, will organize a major Balkan’s Summit in May. Austria, for a long time one of the most prominent promoters of the EU Enlargement for the Western Balkans and a country deeply intertwined with the region, will assume the EU presidency in the second half of 2018. This year represents one of the crucial moments for enlargement as major steps need to be undertaken to reach the goal of making the enlargement perspective realistic for 2025.

2018: Window of Opportunity for the Western Balkans? / Picture: © Google Maps 2018

For this reason, the Karl Renner Institute, the International Institute for Peace (IIP), the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP) and the European Parliament are organizing a panel discussion entitled "Thinking and Shaping New Balkans in 2018: Navigating the ship between old challenges and new paradigms for the future".

About the panel discussion:…