CEEOL - Search Result

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Political Priorities of Serbia in 2024: Between Trans-Atlantic, Sino-American, and EU-China Relations

Author(s): Đorđe Dimitrov / Language(s): English

Keywords: Serbia 2024 political priorities; Trans-Atlantic relations; Sino-American relations; EU-China relations; foreign policy challenges; Serbia-EU relations; geopolitical strategy; Serbia-China cooperation;

In the face of looming global challenges, Serbia finds itself navigating a complex and uncertain landscape. The ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, coupled with heightened tensions in the Western Balkans region, have placed the country in a precarious position. The past year has been particularly turbulent for Serbia, marked by widespread anti-government protests and snap elections in December 2023, which were characterised by allegations of electoral fraud, both on national and local levels. On a foreign policy level, developments such as the United Nations Srebrenica resolution and developments regarding Kosovo’s Council of Europe membership application have further inflamed public discourse and increased political tensions in Serbia. Meanwhile, exactly a decade since the start of the accession talks, Serbia’s journey toward the EU shows no encouraging signs of the necessary change.

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Unpacking the 2023 Enlargement Package: A Wake-up Call for the Western Balkans

Author(s): Marko Todorović,Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: 2023 Enlargement Package; Western Balkans; EU accession; Serbia; EU enlargement; geopolitical challenges; reform process; EU integration;

In the wake of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the intricate game of geopolitical considerations has prompted the EU to recalibrate its approach to enlargement. This recalibration has not gone unnoticed in the Western Balkans and former Eastern Partnership countries, where anticipation hangs in the air. Expectations are large, yet the undeniable truth lingers: the EU must reform its institutional groundwork for enlargement to materialise. Against this backdrop, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, has cast a hopeful gaze towards 2030 as a target date when the EU should complete its internal reforms to become enlargement-ready. Simultaneously, candidate and potential candidate countries are urged to amplify their reform efforts. Brussels remains resolute – any progression towards membership will be merit-based, with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law. As the anticipation builds, all eyes turn to the 2023 Enlargement Package so as to see what the Commission has to say about the progress of respective countries, while also accounting for the Commission’s new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.

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EU enlargement to the Western Balkans in the light of the war in Ukraine

Author(s): Sava Mitrović / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU enlargement; Western Balkans; war in Ukraine; EU integration; geopolitical shift; Serbia; enlargement policy; European Union; regional stability;

The outbreak of the war in Ukraine has dramatically changed the geopolitical map of Europe. With aggression against the sovereign and independent European state, Russia has drawn a line and isolated itself from peaceful and free Europe. Former Soviet republics such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia rushed into the embrace of the European Union (EU), unwilling to remain behind Russia’s newly erected iron curtain. In the meantime, Western Balkan (WB) countries are continuing the European integration process, which is most clearly reflected in opening ac- cession talks with Albania and (conditionally) North Macedonia, as well as in granting candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Simultaneously, changed geopolitical circumstances brought their alignment with the EU Foreign and Security Policy to the top of the agenda. In such a context, tracking where the WB countries stand on their path to the EU gains further importance.

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EU Trio Presidency Rewind: From Germany, over Portugal, to Slovenia

Author(s): Miloš Pavković,Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU Trio Presidency; Germany; Portugal; Slovenia; European Union; presidency rotation; EU governance; EU cooperation;

The complex system of governance of the European Union often blurs the distinction between where decisions are made and who is responsible for them. One of the major institutions that steer the direction of EU policies is the Council of the EU which is run by member states based on a model of rotation. In order to ensure continuity in the Council’s decision-making process, the notion of the Trio Presidency was introduced with the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, which defines it as “pre-established groups of three Member States for a period of 18 months taking into account their diversity and geographical balance within the Union”. The Trio sets long-term goals and prepares a common agenda with the major issues that will be addressed by the Council over an 18-month period. In order to better grasp the recent key developments in the Union, the work of the Council in the last year and a half is the focus of this CEP Presents (July 2020 – December 2021).

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Unpacking the 2021 Enlargement Package

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Miloš Pavković / Language(s): English

Keywords: 2021 Enlargement Package; EU enlargement; Western Balkans; accession process; European Union; candidate countries; EU reforms; enlargement policy; European integration;

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there were moderate expectations in 2021 in terms of the Western Balkans’ recovery and progression into the EU. Recognising that the pandemic created new challenges in the region all the while exacerbating the existing ones, European Policy Centre (CEP) organised an online discussion in order to unpack the 2021 Enlargement Package. The event was organised alongside the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission, and the Think for Europe Network (TEN) which gathers think tank representatives from all Western Balkan countries. In the first part, the acting Director-General, Maciej Popowski, presented the Package and emphasised the key results, while in the second, TEN members presented their views, comments, recommendations, and questions from the standpoint of their country. The aim of these discussions was to present to the public the key findings of the Commission’s annual reports, all the while highlighting to what extent these converge with the regional think tanks’ assessment of the situation on the ground.

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Effects of the Pre-Accession Assistance (Ipa) on Strengthening of Administrative Capacities in the Western Balkans

Author(s): Sena Marić,Miloš Đinđić / Language(s): English

Keywords: Western Balkans; administrative capacities; IPA; strengthening; pre-accession assistance;

The European Court of Auditors recently published a special report on the impact of EU pre-accession assistance on strengthening the administrative capacity of the countries of the Western Balkans (WB). The focus of the analysis is on projects in the areas of rule of law and public administration reform, whose implementation success is reflected by the assessment of the state of administrative capacity.

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Europe Complete

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Miloš Pavković,Sava Mitrović / Language(s): English

Keywords: Europe; continent future; accession; enlargement; policy; Western Balkans;

The Conference on the Future of Europe (CotFoE) presents a unique opportunity for citizens to discuss – at a European, national, regional and local level – how to shape the future of the old continent in terms of securing reforms that would lead towards progress, prosperity, and security. As these issues cannot be properly tackled without integrating the Western Balkans (WB) into the wider debates, European Policy Centre (CEP - Belgrade) has taken a proactive step forward by organising a high-level conference under the name EUROPE COMPLETE. The title of this initiative was deliberately chosen to showcase that only a united Europe, a continent comprised of countries sharing common values, can properly address the ever-growing number of cross-border challenges. This concept therefore extends beyond the EU as it envisions the WB as an essential piece of the European puzzle.

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Kenneth Armstrong (2010) ‘Governing Social Inclusion: Europeanisation through Policy Coordination’, Oxford University Press

Author(s): Kiera Wilkins / Language(s): English

Keywords: Kenneth Armstrong; 2010; social inclusion; governance; Europeanisation; policy;

Review of: Kenneth Armstrong (2010) ‘Governing Social Inclusion: Europeanisation through Policy Coordination’, Oxford University Press

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Serbia’s COVID-19 Diplomacy and the Outcomes of the Zagreb Summit

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Aleksa Ilić / Language(s): English

Keywords: COVID-19; Serbia; diplomacy; Zagreb summit; outcomes;

The beginning of this year promised to reset the sluggish dynamics of Serbia’s EU accession path. Following the EU’s endorsement of the revised enlargement methodology, however, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the focus of the relationship between Serbia and the EU to economic recovery and questions of solidarity. Hence, the long-awaited EU-Western Balkans Summit which took place on 6 May 2020 has also adjusted its format and declaration to respond to these unprecedented times. How well has Serbia adjusted? The COVID-19 crisis shed light on the fragile state of Serbian democracy, which became particularly visible when the authorities introduced a state of emergency and adopted stringent and out-of-proportion measures toght the pandemic. To make matters worse, during this period the latest Freedom House Report came out, in which Serbia was no longer classied as a “semi-consolidated democracy”, but rather as a “hybrid regime”. As Serbia geared up for the June 2020 parliamentary elections, tensions grew even greater, especially as a large part of the opposition opted for the strategy of boycotting the election.

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The European Union and the Western Balkans

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: EU; Western Balkans; integrations; accession; policy;

On 28 November 2018, in the framework of the current Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Policy Centre – CEP hosted a conference under the name "European Union and the Western Balkans: How to make the enlargement process more credible?". The event was part of the Western Balkans Reflection Forum Initiative, launched by a network of European think-tanks in support of the Berlin Process.

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#ThinkTanksMatter2020

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: Europe; policy; think tanks; significance; Serbia; Western Balkans;

On 30 January 2020, the European Policy Centre – CEP hosted “The Future of Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the Context of Democratic Crises” conference. This two-panel event took place on the occasion of the launch of the “2019 Go To Think Tank Index Report”, published as a programme of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. For the third year in a row, CEP organised the presentation of this report in Belgrade, using this opportunity to proudly share results with panellists and guests. In this report, CEP was ranked as the best think tank in the Western Balkans for the second year in a row, as well as among the top ten organisations from Central and Eastern Europe. The Think for Europe Network (TEN), whose work is coordinated by CEP, made it to the list of the world's best think tank networks (in the 35th position), also for the second consecutive year.

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Time of Crisis, Time for Think Tanks

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić / Language(s): English

Keywords: COVID-19; policy; health; security; think tanks; crisis; Balkans;

The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world unprepared, think tanks included. Besides producing evidence-based analyses of the current events, think tanks utilize their expertise and experience to foresee potential challenges that lie ahead. Yet, this crisis has proven that even think tanks, a beacon of forward-looking thinking, have failed to anticipate the outbreak of the pandemic, as well as the immediate magnitude of its consequences. Such observation, which brings to light the existing deficiencies of think tanks, should be viewed in the light of self-evaluation, with the greater purpose to usher the path for their further improvement and evolution. Self-awareness and self-improvement of this kind become all the more important considering that the democratic norms continue to erode under the pressure of political, economic, and social impact of the pandemic.

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Series:Centar za evropske politike - PRESENTS

Political Priorities of Serbia in 2024: Between Trans-Atlantic, Sino-American, and EU-China Relations

Unpacking the 2023 Enlargement Package: A Wake-up Call for the Western Balkans

EU enlargement to the Western Balkans in the light of the war in Ukraine

EU Trio Presidency Rewind: From Germany, over Portugal, to Slovenia

Unpacking the 2021 Enlargement Package

Effects of the Pre-Accession Assistance (Ipa) on Strengthening of Administrative Capacities in the Western Balkans

Europe Complete

Kenneth Armstrong (2010) ‘Governing Social Inclusion: Europeanisation through Policy Coordination’, Oxford University Press

Serbia’s COVID-19 Diplomacy and the Outcomes of the Zagreb Summit

The European Union and the Western Balkans

#ThinkTanksMatter2020

Time of Crisis, Time for Think Tanks