"Post Paris, Post Brexit - Perspectives for the Western Balkans", Western Balkans Summit Series - Paris and the way ahead

"Post Paris, Post Brexit - Perspectives for the Western Balkans", Western Balkans Summit Series - Paris and the way ahead

On 24.112016, our Research and Management Coordinator Sonja Risteska was one of the panelists at the Round-table discussion "Post Paris, Post Brexit - Perspectives for the Western Balkans", Western Balkans Summit Series - Paris and the way ahead organised by the European Policy Institute.

The Skopje roundtable and debate takes places as follow-on to the Reflection Forum “The Western Balkans in the European Union: new perspectives on integration?” organized by CIFE, the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) and CFA/ÖFZ in Paris on 30-31 May 2016 and the “Civil Society Forum Paris of the Western Balkans Summit Series” coordinated by the European Fund for the Balkans, ERSTE Foundation and others which took place in Paris on 3-4 July 2016. The idea is to provide a forum for information exchange and reflection on the achievements of the process so far and help to generate fresh contributions for the way ahead.

Similar roundtables have been, or will be, organised in all Western Balkan countries until the second edition of the Reflection Forum on the Western Balkans takes place in Italy, next year. Other participants were Malinka RISTEVSKA JORDANOVA from EPI, Skopje as a moderator, Tobias FLESSENKEMPER, Centre international de formation européenne (CIFE), Nice & University of Cologne, Florent MARCIACQ, Centre franco-autrichien pour le rapprochement en Europe (CFA/ÖFZ), Vienna & University of Luxembourg and a representative from the French Embassy in Skopje.

Ms Risteska's main points were:

-As EU hopes fail, Russia is trying to influence the Balkans through energy security. #PostBrexitBalkans;

-GDP is not the only factor in quality of life. Corruption, public health, eco enviroment. #PostBrexitBalkans