The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the Clingendael Institute, supported by the European Fund for the Balkans are organizing the public event “The Netherlands, the Western Balkans, and the EU”. The event is an occasion for the policy experts from the Western Balkans and the EU, civil society actors and diplomatic corps to discuss the following topics: the EU enlargement, the foreign influence in the Western Balkans and the bilateral disputes in the region. The event will be opened by Aleksandra Tomanić, Executive Director of the European Fund for the Balkans and H.E. Henk van den Dool, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Serbia. In the first panel, Wouter Zweers (Clingendael Institute), Jan Marinus Wiersma (Clingendael Institute) and Srdjan Majstorovic (European Policy Centre / BiEPAG) will discuss what are the real obstacles to the EU enlargement and whether this stuck process can be overturned. This panel will be moderated by Mitra Nazar (NOS). The speakers of the second panel Nikola Burazer (European Western Balkans), Vuk Velebit (political analyst, Talas.rs) and Marko Savković (Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence) will discuss what is the reallity, what are the causes and consequences of a foreign influence in the Western Balkans. This panel will be moderated by Maja Bjelos (Independent security expert). In the third panel, Donika Emini (Kosovar Centre for Security Studies / BiEPAG), Srdjan Cvijić (Open Society European Policy Institute / BiEPAG) and Zoran Nechev (Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” / BiEPAG) will discuss regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations. Specifically, the negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo on land swapping in the context of democratisation of the region will be addressed. This panel will be moderated by Igor Bandović (European Fund for the Balkans). The discussion is a follow-up of the event that took place in The Hague last week as a product of a close cooperation of the BiEPAG and Clingendael Institute. Programme 9.00 – 9.30 Registration and coffee 9.30 – 10.00 Welcome remarks and opening address 10.00 – 11.15 Panel 1: Real Obstacles to the EU Enlargement 11.15 – 11.30 Coffee break 11.30 – 12.45 Panel 2: Foreign Influence – Between Reality and Excuses 12.45 – 13.45 Lunch break 13.45 – 15.00 Panel 3: Democracy as the Driving Force of Resolving Bilateral Disputes
