Staff & Research Areas
Working Groups
Balkans Group
Researcher: David Walker
Chair: Tony Brown
The Balkans Group is chaired by Tony Brown, was a director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, an advisor to the Oireachtas Delegation to the European convention, the author of “From Dublin to Mostar: Irish Envolvement in the Reconstruction of the Balkans” (2007, IIEA, Dublin), and editor of “Lisbon: What the Reform Treaty Means” (2008, IIEA, Dublin).
About the Balkans Group:
The project analyses the situation in the Balkan/South Eastern Europe region in respect of key developments in the political, economic, security and broader societal spheres. It also studies the evolving relationship of the region to the European Union and to the process of European integration. While the position of the EU accession states in the region is given priority, the Project gives full attention to the situation of the other states in the region, and, importantly, to that of significant neighbours.
- Balkans Update 1 - November 2001
- Balkans Update 2 - April 2002
- Balkans Update 3 - November 2002
- Balkans Update 4 - July 2004
- Balkans Update 5 - July 2003
- Balkans Update 6 - November 2003
- Balkans Update 7 - June 2004
- Balkans Update 8 - March 2005
- Balkans Update 9 - November 2005
- Balkans Update 10 - March 2006
- Balkans Update 11 - July 2006
- Balkans Update 12 - January 2007
- Balkans Update 13 - July 2007
- Balkans Update 14 - March 2009
- Balkans Update 15 - March 2010
Previous Events:
"Kosovo Before and After the Declaration of Independence: Views from the last traditional SRSG
"
H.E. Dr. Joachim Rücker, Former Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN and Head of Mission for Kosovo (UNMIK) 2006-2008, 20 July 2009
Meeting with H. E. Tania Milasinovic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina
“European Integration for the Balkan Countries as the Only Hope for Reconciliation and Lasting Stability in the Region"
Erwan Fouere, EU Special Representative for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 30 April 2009
“McMafia: Crime Without Frontiers”
Mischa Glenny, author and journalist, 22 April 2009
"Can the Balkans escape the global financial crisis?"
Peter Sanfey. Lead Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 30 March 2009
"EU Funds Management and Absorption: Challenges and Prospects for Bulgaria"
H.E. Dr. Meglena Plugtschieva, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and Responsible for the Management of European Funds, 11 March 2009
“Croatia in the EU”
Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak, Chief Negotiator in Croatia's accession talks with the EU, 5 February 2009
“Can the EU Survive its Internal and External Crisis”
Hannes Swoboda, MEP, Rapporteur on Croatia for the European Parliament, 29 January 2009
2008
“Regional Cooperation in South East Europe – Developments, Challenges, Synergy”
Hido Biscevic, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council, 21 November 2008
“European Policy Towards Bosnia and Herzegovina”
Kurt Bassuener, Co-Founder of the Democratization Policy Council and Independent Policy Analyst in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 November 2008
“Regional Economic and Political Co-operation in South Eastern Europe - Current Status and Future Prospects"
Mary O’Mahony, Economic Consultant and former Director at the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, 23 September 2008
“The Expanding European Union: What are its Future Limits?”
Graham Avery, Secretary General, TEPSA, September 2008
"The Balkans in Transition - from Conflict to Cooperation"
Peter Sanfey, Lead Economist with the EBRD, 30 June 2008
“Update on the Current Situation in Kosovo”
Dr. Driton Qehaja, Economic Advisor to the Kosovar Prime Minister, 18 April 2008
“The Balkans: Zones and Problem Areas - The Greek Perspective”
Dimitrios Katsoudas, Greek Secretary General of European Affairs, 14 April 2008
Roundtable with Martti Ahtisaari, UN Special Envoy in Kosovo 2005 to 2007, former President of Finland, and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, April 2007
“Macedonia’s Progress to NATO and EU Membership”
by Pajo Avirovic, Director of the Public Diplomacy Directorate of the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 6 March 2008
2007
"Islam - a political factor in the Balkans?"
Christopher Cviic, O.B.E., Senior Advisor to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), 26 November 2007
Briefing by Mary O’Mahony, Coordinator of the Trade Initiative of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, November 2007
“The Enlargement Agenda: Challenges Ahead”
Michael Leigh, Director General, DG Enlargement, European Commission, October 2007
"Crunch Time for Kosovo"
Dr. Nicholas Whyte, Head of Independent Diplomat’s Brussels office, 15 October 2007
"Can the Western Balkans Catch Up?"
Peter Sanfey, Lead Economist with the EBRD, 16 July 2007
"Montenegrin Nationhood Regained: Reflections on the UN's Newest State"
Elizabeth Roberts, St Antony's College, Oxford, and expert on Montenegro, 2 July 2007
Publication of ‘From Dublin to Mostar: Irish Involvement in the Reconstruction of the Balkans’ by Tony Brown, May 2007
"Balkan Economic Cooperation Without Enlargement"
Dr. Vassilis Monastiriotis, lecturer at the European Institute, London School of Economics, 22 May 2007
"Macedonia and the European Union"
Professor Edward Moxon-Browne, Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Limerick, 25 April 2007
"Key issues for sustainable economic development of Kosovo in the process of EU accession"
Mimoza Kusari-Lila, Executive Director, American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo and former advisor and spokesperson for the Rexhepi government, 6 March 2007
"The Macedonian Rocky Road To European Integration"
Gabriela Konevska-Trajkovska, Macedonian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Integration, 2 February 2007
2006
“Peacemaking in the Modern World: Lessons from Bosnia-Herzegovina”
Lord Paddy Ashdown, former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 6 December 2006
“SEE the Road to Europe?”
Lyubomir Kyuchoukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, 28 November 2006
“Briefing on the Future of Kosovo”
Dr Judy Batt, Research Fellow at the Institute for Security Studies in Paris, 24 June 2006
“Croatia's Accession Negotiation - State of Play and Prospects"
Ambassador Vladimir Drobnjak, Croatian Deputy Head of the State Delegation and Chief Negotiator in the negotiations on the accession of Croatia to the EU, 6 November 2006
“How the EU is coming to terms with its Enlargement, Foreign, and Neighbourhood Policies:
Karen Smith, London School of Economics, October 2006
“The Impact of the Montenegrin Referendum”
Marcus Tanner, Editor/Trainer for the Balkans Invesitigative Reporting Network, 3 July 2006
“The Macedonian Road to Reform and EU Membership”
Erwan Fouéré, EU Special Representative and Head of the European Commission Delegation to Macedonia (FYROM), 12 May 2006
“On Political Developments in the Balkans”
Dr Spyros Economides, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and European Politics in the European Institute at the London School of Economics, 25 April 2006
“Economic Cooperation in South Eastern Europe”
Mary O’Mahony, Coordinator of the Trade Initiative of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe
“The Western Balkans: An Emerging or Obsolete Market?”
Peter Sanfey, Senior Economist for the Balkans at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Stephen Dewar, Policy Consultant on TACIS & CARDS and a former UNDP Project Manager in FYR of Macedonia, 26 January 2006
"Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro: What next in 2006?”
2005
Tim Judah, freelance journalist specialising in the Balkans and author of Kosovo: War and Revenge and The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia, 16 December 2005
“EU Civilian Crisis Management: The New Frontier?”
Michael Sahlin, fomer EU Special Representative for Macedonia, and Marc van Bellinghen, Head of Unit for Crisis Management at the European Commission, December 2005
Briefing on Commission 2005 Enlargement Strategy at Department of Foreign Affairs, November 2005
“Croatia's Accession Process: A Western Balkans Success?”
David Daly, Head of Unit for Croatia in DG Enlargement, 27 October 2005
Briefing by Paullina Arola, Executive Director, Crisis Management Initiative Helsinki/Brussels, October 2005
"Crunch Time: Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia”
Misha Glenny, journalist and author, 19 September 2005
Address by Robert Cooper, Director General for Politico-Military Affairs at the EU Council and author of ‘The Breaking of Nations’, July 2005
“A European Perspective for Serbia and Montenegro”
Svetozar Marovic, President of Serbia and Montenegro, and Minister of International Economic Relations, Predrag Ivanovi?, 21 June 2005
Launch of Report of International Commission on the Balkans, Brussels, April 2005
“Macedonia National Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness Council”
Balkans Group roundtable with representatives from the Macedonia National Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness Council (NECC), 5 April 2005
Discussion with H.E. Elvira Begovic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 2005
“Seminar on EU security policy in the Western Balkans”
Garda Commissioner Kevin Carty, Head of the European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM), Major General Sean Brennan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces and was chaired by Michael Gaffey, Director for South East Europe, Department of Foreign Affairs, 20 January 2005
Roundtable on Macedonia
Harald Schenker, European Centre for Minority Issues, January 2005
2004
“Sevelopments in Serbia and the Province of Kosovo”
Sonja Biserko, Head of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, and Albin Kurti, Kosova Action Network, 22 November 2004
Roundtable with HE Kolinda Graba-Kitarova, Minister for European Integration of Croatia, November 2004
“Shaping EU Policy in the Western Balkans: The Future of Enlargement”
Stefan Lehne, Director for the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, and Christopher Cviic, Senior Political Counsellor for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and author of Remaking the Balkans, 28 October 2004
Briefing by Croatian Delegation, October 2004
“In Search of an EU Enlargement Strategy for South East Europe”
Dr. Dimitris Papadimitriou of the University of Manchester, 8 July 2004
“Briefing: Overview of the Western Balkans”
Nicholas Whyte, European Programme Director of the International Crisis Group, 29 March 2004
“Developments in Bosnia and Heregovina”, March 2004
Discussion with Miromir Udovicki, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro, March 2004
Address by H.E. Ilinka Mitreva, Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, 22 March 2004
“Croatia and the EU”
Dr. Miomir Zuzul, Croatian Minister for Foreign Affairs, 9 February 2004
“Albania and the EU”
Ermelinda Meski, Albanian Minister of European Integration, 19 January 2004
“Developments in Serbia and Montenegro”
Dr. Vladeta Jankovic, Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro to Ireland, 19 January 2004
“Greek Perspectives on the Balkans Region”
Ambassador Alexandros Mallias, Director of SEE Department, Greek Foreign Ministry, 9 January 2004
2003
“Briefing: Developments in Kosovo”
HE Harry Holkeri, UN Special Representative in Kosovo, 19 December 2003
Briefing by H.E. Elvira Begovic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, December 2003
“Bulgaria's Road to the EU 1990-2003 and the Way Ahead”
Solomon Passy, Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, 13 November 2003
“The Stability Pact's Role and On-Going Challenges in the Region”
Dr. Erhard Busek, Stability Pact in South East Europe, 4 November 2003
“Croatia's Approach to the EU”
Ivan Simonovic, Deputy Foreign Minister of Croatia, 20 October 2003
Roundtable with delegation from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by Party Leader, Dr. Ivo Sander, September 2003
“The EU and Kosovo”
Skender Hyseni, Chief Advisor to the President of Kosovo, 8 September 2003
“DFA Briefing on the Thessaloniki Summit”
Michael Gaffey, Department of Foreign Affairs, 1 July 2003
“An Garda Siochana in the Balkans”
Chief Supt. John Kelly, 9 June 2003
Roundtable with Sir Ivor Roberts, British Ambassador, 4 March 2003
2002
Presentation by the Defence Forces on their work in the Balkans Redion
Drig.Gen. Saunderson, Cmdt. McMahon, Cmdt. Kilfeather, and Cmdt. Dawson), Convember 2002
“On Official Irish Assistance to the Balkans Region”
Don Secton, Ruairi de Burca, and William Carlos, Department of Foreign Affairs, October 2002
“On the Situation in Serbia and Montenegro”
Elizabeth Roberts, University College Dublin, May 2002
Balkans Update 2, April 2002
“NGO Involvement in the Balkans Region”
Terence Fitzgerald, Concern, April 2002
Briefing by Ambassador Antoin Mac Unfraigh, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in the Balkans, March 2002
Address by Carl Bildt, former Special Envoy of the UN for the Balkans, and author of ‘Peace Journey’, February 2002
“Trade Relations among the Countries of South East Europe”
Mary O’Mahony, TDI, January 2002
2001
Balkans Update 1, November 2001
“The Croat Perspective on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzeovina”
Tony Foley, Department of Defence, November 2001
Roundtable with James Pettifer, editor of ‘The New Macedonian’, October 2001
“The Situation in Macedonia”
Tony Brown, June 2001
“On Developments in Serbia and Montenegro”
Elizabeth Roberts, University College Dublin, May 2001
“On Economic Development in the Balkans Region”
Prof. John Bristow, TCD, April 2001
“General Overview of the Situation in the Balkans Region and of Irish Involvement through UN, EU, OSECE, etc.”
Brendan Moran, Department of Foreign Affairs, March 2001
Inaugural Meeting of the Balkans Group: Discussion of Mission Statement and Work Programme, February 2001
2000
Roundtable with Mischa Glenny, author of ‘The Balkans’, November 2000