BELGRADE – European decision-makers have been increasingly claiming that the EU should move on to contain the negative influence in the Western Balkans of other external actors, namely, Russia, China, Turkey and the Gulf countries. The EU considers itself involved, against its will, in a traditional geopolitical game of influence in a European periphery where its competitors allegedly strive to redefine the rules of the game, to the disadvantage of the region and the EU.
This will be the main topic of the conference “Global Actors in the Western Balkans” organised by the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, the European Western Balkans and supported by the European Fund for the Balkans, on Monday, June 17 in Belgrade.
The event will present the latest BiEPAG Policy Brief “The Western Balkans as a Geopolitical Chessboard? Myths, Realities and Policy Options” and the academic background study “The Western Balkans in the World. Linkages and Relations with Non-Western Countries” having Florian Bieber and Nikolaos Tzifakis as editors, and BiEPAG members as contributors to the study.
Some of the speakers of the conference will be Aleksandra Tomanić, Executive Director of the European Fund for the Balkans, Florian Bieber from the Centre for the Southeast European Studies of the University of Graz, Nikolaos Tzifakis from the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the University of the Peloponnese, Marko Kmezić from the Centre for the Southeast European Studies of the University of Graz, Zoran Nechev from the Insitute for Democracy “Societas Civilis, Jovana Marović from Politikon, Tena Prelec from London School of Economics, Anastas Vangeli from Polish Academy of Sciences and Sabina Pačariz from Queen Mary University of London.