At the second edition of the Western Balkans First Series, hosted by Modul University Vienna in partnership with Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) joined the panel on “EU Enlargement: Balkans, Ukraine – Who Shall Be Next and Why?”, contributing to a high-level discussion on the future of EU enlargement and its strategic significance for Europe.
Amidst ongoing debates about the future of the EU and the challenges of geopolitical realignment, the event brought together leading policymakers, scholars, and experts to discuss the future of EU enlargement and its strategic importance for Europe.
CRPM’s Dr. Marija Risteska, Executive Directress, took part in the panel “Waiting for Godot: European Enlargement in the Western Balkans”, alongside
Miroslav Gačević, Assistant Minister at the Ministry of European Integration of Serbia;
H.E. Filip Ivanović, Vice President of the Government of Montenegro; and
Miša Đurković, Head of the Center for Geopolitics at MCC.
Dr. Risteska highlighted the consequences of delayed EU integration for the Western Balkans, stating:
𝘐𝘧 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 — 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.”
The event also featured a second panel, “Too Big to Digest: The High Stakes of Ukrainian EU Accession,” examining Ukraine’s accelerated path toward membership and the challenges of integrating a nation in conflict and reform.
By contrasting the slow-moving Western Balkans enlargement process with Ukraine’s rapid trajectory, the event underscored the need for a renewed, strategic vision of EU enlargement that ensures a stable, united, and forward-looking Europe.
