The Russian invasion of Ukraine reshuffled the geopolitical cards and placed the Western Balkans back in the heart of EU’s concerns. Could this revive the long promised integration process ?

While the EU enlargement process has been frozen, a series of parallel initiatives (Berlin Process, European Political Community, Open Balkans) has emerged to keep the flame alive. Still, it doesn’t seem to be enough : weary of being stuck in the waiting room of the EU, the people of Albania, Bosnia-and-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are turning away. It benefits rival great powers like China, Russia, and Turkey.

How to revive the process today? Is EU integration still happening? Is peace threatened again in the Western Balkans? What do Balkan citizens think of it, while they still are emigrating en masse towards the Western and Northern parts of the continent?

To discuss these stakes, crucial for Europe’s future, Le Courrier des Balkans invites :

• Simonida Kacarska, Director of the European Policy Institute (EPI) (Skopje)
• Florian Bieber, BiEPAG, Director, Centre for Southeast European Studies (Graz)
• Nikola Burazer, Programme Director at the Centre for Contemporary Politics and - Executive Editor at European Western Balkans (Belgrade)
• Visar Ymeri, Director of the think tank Musine Kokalari (Pristina)

A debate moderated by Simon Rico, co-editor in chief of Le Courrier des Balkans.