Activities
Six Graduate Seminars on Western Balkan countries EU integration (one for each country), involving policymakers, civil society representatives and scholars (videotaped and live streamed).
Dr. Sokol Dedja provided the audience with a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the Albanian path toward the European Union. Dr. Dedja focused on the transformative power of the EU accession criteria through the impetus for political and economic developments. However, the guest speaker revealed that there is a wave of skepticism from the EU’s side accompanying this transformative effect that has pushed for a more demanding and technical accession process for the country. In addition, Dr. Dedja discussed about the cost of EU integration focusing on economic challenges and consequences that might come with the need to compete in a common European market. The expert concluded by implying that ahead there is a journey of overcoming challenges for Albania.
“Albania and its path towards EU: issues at stake and opportunities ahead”
Dr. Milosavljevic engaged in discussion with participant graduate students on EU’s enlargement policy, its approach to Western Balkans region, and the reasons and consequences behind the package approach followed in the accession process of Albania and North Macedonia recently.
Also, Dr. Milosavljevic offered an overview of Serbia’s EU integration steps pointing out the issues and challenges in each step. Domestic challenges related to democratic values, Serbia’s alignment with CFSP of the EU, rising Euroscepticism in Serbia, and the normalization of relations with Kosovo currently dominate the EU integration agenda for Serbia. The normalization of relations with Kosovo appears as the most important factor in this process and has even overshadowed improvements and the need for domestic reforms according to Dr. Milosavljevic.
Assoc. Prof. Islam Jusufi discussed the democratization challenges of three Western Balkans countries such as Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, throughout their EU integration process focusing on democratization and de-democratization trends and dynamics. He elaborated on the role of Western and non-Western donors in the region in countries’ de/democratization trajectories.
Democratization Challenges in the Process of EU Integration
Graduate Seminar delivered by Dr. Ognen Vangelov from the School of Political Science at the University American College in Skopje, North Macedonia and External Expert to the WB-EUPath Jean Monnet Module. Dr. Vangelov offered a comparative approach and engaged in an interactive discussion with the workshop participants on the EU integration process of North Macedonia and Albania, highlighting the similarities, differences, and challenges that the countries are encountering.
Challenges of Western Balkan Coutries' EU Integration: The Case of North Macedonia and Albania
The Graduate Seminar, “The Bumpy Road to Climate Neutrality and Just Transition” by Emmanuella Doussis, Professor of International Institutions at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, explores the complex challenges involved in achieving climate neutrality while ensuring fairness and equity in the process. It emphasizes the importance of international cooperation and climate diplomacy to manage the socioeconomic impacts of climate policies. The concept of a "just transition" highlights the need to protect vulnerable communities and workers as economies shift away from fossil fuels. Also, it highlights the challenges faced by the Western Balkans in aligning with EU climate goals, emphasizing the region's need for structural reforms, investment, and support to ensure a fair and inclusive transition.
The Bumpy Road to Climate Neutrality and Just Transition
Altin Gjeta, PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham, delivered a thought providing Graduate Seminar titled “Coercive Consociationalism and Statehood Consolidation in Kosovo”. The seminar offered an analysis on how externally imposed consociational power-sharing has shaped Kosovo’s political trajectory since independence. Gjeta argued that such arrangements, while intended to foster stability, often entrench divisions and hinder genuine democratic consolidation. He emphasized the disconnect between international designs and local political realities, questioning the long-term viability of coercive frameworks. The talk also addressed the broader implications for peacebuilding in post-conflict societies.
“Coercive Consociationalism and Statehood Consolidation in Kosovo”
