Events
Three public panels to enhance discussion academicians, policymakers, professionals, civil society actors, media representatives and other stakeholders on common/unique dynamics and challenges in EU integration paths of WB.
The panels are open to the wider society to spread knowledge about EU subjects to wider society (beyond academia and specialized audiences) and will bring the EU closer to the public and enhance EU public diplomacy in Albania and other WB countries.
The Public Panel “The Western Balkans on the Road to the European Union” brought together academics and policymakers to discuss and share their perspectives on the Western Balkan countries’ EU integration dynamics, issues, and challenges with a particular focus on the EU integration path of Albania and Serbia. Chaired by Dr. Jubjana Vila, leader of the WB-EUPath Jean Monnet Module, the panel included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lisen Bashkurti, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at Epoka University; Dr. Ivana Radic Milosavljevic, member of the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade; Mr. Aldo Bumçi, former member of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania; Dr. Christina Griessler, Chair of Comparative Politics at Andrássy Universität Budapest; and Prof. L. Marvin Overby, Director of the School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg.
First Public Panel “The Western Balkans on the Road to the European Union”
Chaired by Dr. Jubjana Vila, leader of the WB-EUPath Jean Monnet Module, the panel started with the welcoming remarks of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lisen Bashkurti, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences at EPOKA University. Mr. Ditmir Bushati, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, provided a deep evaluation of Albania’s progress and current challenges in the EU integration process. Mr. Bart de Bruijn, in the capacity of the Rule of Law Coordinator for the Western Balkans at the Dutch Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, highlighted the regional patters in terms of rule of law issues and dynamics across the WB countries; Dr. Ognen Vangelov from the School of Political Science at the University American College in Skopje, North Macedonia, offered a historical overview of the North Macedonia’s journey towards the EU pointing out the main critical junctures in this process. Mr. Emir Abrashi, Former Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, elaborated on the main advantages and challenges of Kosovo as a young state in the EU integration process. Mr. Gledis Gjipali, Executive Director of the European Movement in Albania (EMA), emphasized the importance of civil society in promoting values and fostering the process of EU integration.
The public panel enhanced constructive discussions among policymakers, professionals, academicians, leaders of civil society organizations, and youth as important stakeholders in the EU integration process of the Western Balkans. It aimed spreading knowledge about the EU integration process, progress, and challenges, and bringing the EU closer to the public by enhancing EU public diplomacy in the region. The panel is based on the approach that the EU integration process requires ownership in all levels of the society and regional cooperation across levels.
Second Public Panel "EU Integration of Western Balkans: Challenges and Perspectives"
The Public Panel “Strengthening of Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in the Light of EU Enlargement”, as an integral part of ICES’24, addressed the critical issue of enhancing judicial cooperation in criminal matters within the context of EU enlargement of the Western Balkans. The panel chaired by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teresa Russo, Professor of EU Law and Chair Holder of the EUVALWEB Jean Monnet at the University of Salerno, offered a discussion on progress made and challenges in judicial cooperation in the Western Balkans. It included panelists Lorenzo Salazar, Deputy Prosecutor General in Naples (ret.)/Italy, Fulvio Baldi, Deputy
Prosecutor General at the Italian Supreme Court/ Italy, Carmine Pirozzoli, the Italian Liaison Prosecutor in Albania and Gledis Nano, Former General Director of the State Police in Albania. The panel concluded with a shared recognition of the progress made and challenges in judicial cooperation in the Western Balkans. The panelists called for enhanced capacity building, more robust frameworks for mutual recognition of judicial decisions, and continued political will to address the most persistent issues of organized crime and corruption.
