Public Policy Institute will organize international conference in Belgrade under title: “EU and Western Balkans 2015-2020 – Partnership opportunity and mutual concern” on Friday, December 5th. Among participants will be numerous European politicians and diplomats; among them is recent president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Baroso.
Bearing in mind that the role of University is very important for European and regional integrations, prominent rectors and members of academic community from leading universities in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina will speak about the function of those institutions in negotiation process.
Besides Mr. Baroso, who was at the helm of European Commission from 2004 to 2014 and who will communicate his expectations from that EU body in the next five year cycle, the president of European parliament and vice president of European People’s Party Mario David will also speak. Mr. David has acquired great experience in his previous diplomatic practice on leading positions in EU.
UN Deputy Secretary-General on Innovative Financing for Development Philipe Douste-Blazy, who was at the head of several ministries in France – Ministries of health, culture, communications and foreign affairs – will have the opportunity to convey his experiences and evaluation on future relations between EU and Western Balkan countries. Regional politicians will also take part at the conference – Jadranka Joksimović, Minister for European integrations in Government of the Republic of Serbia, Goran Svilanović, Secretary-General of the Regional Cooperation Council and Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, Chief Negotiator in the negotiations between Montenegro and European Union.
The Conference was organized in Belgrade with the goal to get some of the answers regarding the future of EU, with special focus on Western Balkans accession process. Serbia is faced with increasing poverty, criminal, corruption and heavy burden of the past. European integration can offer an essential institutional framework for national unification in each of the countries of the Western Balkans. Integrations are especially important in terms of local aspirations for democratization and universal crisis of national identity.
Participants will try to answer the questions about necessary harmonization of foreign policies of European Union and Serbia, obstacles, possibilities and importance of cooperation between countries of the region. The topic is also whether Serbia can expect stronger political and economic support from EU.
The role of academic institutions in European integrations will be covered by Professor Radmila Vojvodić, the first woman rector of the University of Montenegro and Ivanka Popović, provost for science of the Belgrade University and long-term professor of the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy. On behalf of the organizers, members of Public Policy Institute, professors Mijat Damjanović, Nikola Samardžić and Stevan Lilić from the University of Belgrade, will hold speeches.
