The Group for Development Policy (Serbia) and its partner organisations: Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” Skopje (Macedonia) and Foundation ‘New Policies’ (Bosnia and Herzegovina) who have been jointly working on the project “Enhancing Regional Cooperation: Monitoring of the Implementation of the Vienna Western Balkans Summit Commitments” are organising the regional round table discussion with the same title. The event which is part of the programme cycle of the EFB's Think and Link Regional Policy Programme will take place in Belgrade on 30th of June, 2016. In the run-up to the Paris Summit on the Western Balkans, the partner organisations examined whether and to what extent the governments participating in the Berlin Process have managed to put in life the commitments they agreed upon in two declarations adopted at the 2015 Vienna Western Balkans Summit, i.e. the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office of the Western Balkans and the Declaration on the Regional Cooperation and the Solution of Bilateral Disputes. The special emphasis was given to the assessment of the implementation of the commitments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Serbia. Furthermore, the project explores the role of the civil society organizations in the Berlin Process. The Executive Director of the European Fund for the Balkans Hedvig Morvai and the Programme Director of the Group for Development Policy Dr. Tatjana Papic will open the discussion, which is aimed at presenting the regional overview about the established cooperation on the commitments of the Vienna Western Balkans Summit. Jovan Nicić (Researcher, Group for Development Policy Belgrade), Selma Mameledžija (Researcher (Foundation ‘New Policy’ Sarajevo) and Zoran Nečev (Researcher, Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ Skopje) will present the regional study on the implementation of the commitments which was produced on the basis of the joint research methodology, and it includes findings and recommendations for the upcoming Paris Summit. The event will conclude with an open discussion: “On the Eve of the Paris Summit” having Igor Bandovic (Senior Programme Manager of the Think and Link Regional Policy Programme) as moderator. Zoran Nečev (Researcher, Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ Skopje) will offer the wrap-up conclusions. After the Paris Summit, the three partner organisations on this project will conduct additional research and prepare recommendations for the improvement of the implementation of the Berlin Process commitments in the field of regional and youth cooperation (Regional Policy Brief). These will be presented at the press conference in December 2016. Check the agenda.
