BERLIN – To conclude this year’s Aspen Southeast Europe program, the Aspen Institute Germany is hosting its Southeast Europe Working Group November 20-22, 2018.
Under the overarching topic “Taking Stock of the EU Enlargement Strategy and Its Impact on Reform Processes in the Western Balkans”, the main goal is to develop concrete policy recommendations as a result of the issues discussed at the Aspen events throughout the year.
The working group consists of high-level government representatives from the Western Balkans Six, select experts as well as representatives from the German Government, the Bundestag and the EU.
The key topics during the Aspen conferences in 2018 evolved around the rule of law, as well as political influence on independent institutions in the Western Balkans. Both aspects were discussed against the background of the European Commission’s 2018 Enlargement Strategy and its implications for the reform processes.
The envisaged Working Group aims to identify the next steps that should be taken by Western Balkans, German, and EU decision-makers and to develop concrete policy recommendations. The recommendations will be published and distributed. To round up the discussions, the conference group will meet with members of the Parliamentary Group „Southeast Europe” in the German Bundestag.