#BalkansDebrief

North Macedonia's accession to the European Union has been delayed in the last two years due to disagreements with Bulgaria. The dispute centers around the identity of the Slavs in Macedonia and whether there is a istinctly Macedonian ethnicity and language.

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by Petar Todorov a historian and a member of the Bilateral Multidisciplinary Expert Commission for Historical and Educational questions between Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Bulgaria.

After 22 meetings of the joint Commission is a final agreement close? What are the chances of finding a "common ground" on historical narratives? Is it possible to adopt a pluralist view of history for north Macedonia and Bulgaria while maintaining the political legitimacy and national sovereignty? Why is the distinction between language and dialect so controversial between the two countries?

Even though the situation between Serbia and Kosovo is more tense than in recent memory, with the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, the broader situation in the region remains unchanged. As EU enlargement remains stalled, the best prospect for improving the lives of citizens in the region appears to be the private sector investment in economic development.

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by Diana Gligorijevic, the co-founder of Telegroup Solutions, an IT Provider and telecommunication company in Serbia, and Mergim Cahani, the co-founder and the CEO of Gjirafa, US-registered company operating across Southeast Europe.

In this episode, Tare poses key questions on the regional investment climate, economic development, and the critical role of the private sector. What are main weaknesses and strengths of investing in the region, especially with unresolved bilateral issues? How do politics play a role in the investment climate? Have their businesses felt any impact from the heated political rhetoric?

Another end-of-year flare-up in the north of Kosovo was just the latest in a cycle of crisis that repeats itself every time a deadline for normalization is approaching or a new agreement is about to take effect between Kosovo and Serbia.

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Tim Judah, a journalist and author, in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the role played by the Serbian President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo in reaching a normalization agreement acceptable to both parties. Tim Judah recently wrote an article titled "Will Kosovo war ever end?", analyzing the cycle of instability and the role of regional leader's in perpetuating it.

With the West appearing to pressure Prishtina to implement the Association of Serbian Municipalities, will Kosovar government agreed to the Western demands? What is the likelihood that parties agree to the Franco-German proposal? Beyond the Serbia-Kosovo standoff, what is the biggest challenge that the Western Balkans are currently facing?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has largely defined the year with the crises across the Western Balkans shaping against this grim backdrop. Even though the year-end leaves the region in an uncertain place, with tensions between Serbia and Kosovo at an all-time high, some positive developments ought to be noted.

Ilva Tare, Atlantic Council Europe Center's Nonresident Senior Fellow, speaks with Maja Piscevic, Nonresident Fellow, and Damir Marusic, Senior Fellow, at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the high and low points of the year and the challenges ahead for the region.

How significant is the EU's renewed commitment to the region's enlargement perspective? Is there a way out of the deadlock between Kosovo and Serbia? How can the United States and the EU work together in region? What are the chances for the Common Regional Market to be realized?

The recent EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana, Albania, was seen as a step in the right direction for reinvigorating the EU enlargement process. Is there a new political will for enlargement among the EU member states? How did the new geopolitical momentum following Russia's aggression in Ukraine affect the membership prospects of the Western Balkan countries?

Ilva Tare, Atlantic Council Europe Center's Nonresident Senior Fellow, speaks with Paul Taylor, Senior Fellow for Peace, Security and Defence at Friends of Europe, in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the next steps following the EU-Western Balkans summit.

Is the EU able to give the region a clear and realistic timeline for enlargement? Why is the region lacking developments funds? How can investments be used as a tool to encourage reform? What are the prospects for normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo?

With the Berlin Process summit in sight, the first headlines coming from Germany indicate that Berlin will deliver agreements signed by all six Western Balkans countries. Will these new regional dynamics produce long-term meaningful changes? Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Milan Nič, Senior Fellow at the German Council on the Foreign Relations, in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the next steps for the Balkan countries following the implementation of these agreements. Can we expect an update on the Common Regional Market? Can the Open Balkan initiative work in tandem with the Berlin process, even though some countries oppose it? Is there a role for the US in the Berlin process?

The quest for freedom has long been the interest of political scholars and philosophers. Yet an 11-year-old girl in Albania began debating the issue with her parents while the streets of Tirana erupted with protests demanding freedom. That girl is Lea Ypi, a political theory professor at the London School of Economics and the author of the internationally acclaimed novel, "Free, coming of age at the end of Communism." Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare talks with Lea Ypi in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the meaning of democracy and why some democracies backslide into autocracies. How did people in Eastern Europe deal with the challenges of representation and democracy in the 1990s? What can history reveal about how post-communist countries dealt with the issue of memory? How can the recent rise of nationalism and populism in so-called established democracies be explained?

When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz broke the news of a Berlin Process 2.0, the Western Balkans' hopes for a revival of European enlargement were revived. The Common Regional Market and the 'four freedoms' are at the heart of Berlin process, but previous negotiations broke down in Sofia due to differences between Serbia and Kosovo.

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Ilva Tare speaks with Manuel Sarrazin, the German Special Representative for the Western Balkans, about a potential breakthrough in November's summit in the hopes of seeing concrete results and signed agreements between the six countries.

What are the challenges if there is a Common Regional Market deal? How will implementation work? Does the Open Balkan initiative have any role if Common Regional Market is adopted? Will the Berlin Process 2.0 provide support for youth and professionals from the region who are leaving the Balkans? Learn more on this episode of #BalkansDebrief with Ilva Tare.

While the United States is expected to bolster its political commitment to the Western Balkans through economic support, a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress aims to enhance those efforts by providing increased funding and technical assistance.

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Ilva Tare speaks to Senator Jeanne Shaheen who is leading this bipartisan effort to bolster American leadership in the region, all the while keeping a close eye on events in the Western Balkans.

The Senator addresses concerns about Bosnia's future, questionable extension of the EUFOR mandate, and shares her impressions of the region after returning to the Western Balkans for the second time this year.

What is the view in the Senate on Serbia now that Serbia and Russia have agreed to align their foreign policies? How can the United States ensure Serbian alignment with the West? What is the United States doing to ensure renewal of the EUFOR mission. What role will the United States play in assisting Albania following the cyber-attacks launched in retaliation for the Iranian MEK's presence in the country?

Bosnian citizens voted for new representatives on October 2. Immediately after the polls closed the Office of the High Representative, led by Christian Schmidt, imposed a new election law requiring immediate implementation.

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Ilva Tare speaks to Damir Marusic, Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, about the main takeaways of the elections.

What is next for Bosnia? Are the Dayton's accords still relevant? Can Bosnia become a liberal non-ethnic democracy? Why is the West backing the OHR's decision, seen by critics as giving more power to the nationalists?