The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB), in cooperation with the Danish Foreign Policy Society and three key Danish political parties – the Social Democrats, the Liberal Party and Green Left, hosted the whole day conference at the Danish Parliament on 25 January 2023.

The discussion, which has attracted significant interest and had a public of around 100 participants, was mainly focused on the recent developments and the present challenges in the relationship between the EU and the aspiring member states in the Western Balkan.

In the centre of the debate were the opportunities and obstacles for the countries of the Western Balkan towards progress in the EU accession through a dialogue between policymakers, activists and analysts from Denmark, the EU and the Western Balkans and how to make the integration process of the Western Balkans more tangible, bringing the region closer to the EU and how Denmark can support the process.

The conference was also attended by Young European Ambassador (YEA) Ivan Durgutov, who was part of the panel ‘Challenges of Trust and Transformation in the Western Balkans’. The panel included young people who addressed the challenges of youth engagement and involvement in Western Balkan-EU relations.