Moderation:

Stephanie Fenkart, Director of the IIP

Panelists:

Goran Svilanović, former Foreign Minister of Serbia and former Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
Hannes Swoboda, President of the IIP, former MEP

Content:

As the world slowly starts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges have begun to surface. In the Western Balkans, aside from direct consequences for the health and economic sectors, concerns are rising over political turmoil in the region, the further weakening of democratic institutions, the suppression of protests and political opposition, and restrictions and violations of civil and political rights. Will the period after the pandemic trigger a democratic rollback in the region? What will it mean for regional cooperation in the Western Balkans and EU integration? What might its impact be on human rights, civil society, the media, and young people across the region?

To answer these and other pressing questions, we have launched a series of online discussions titled Post-COVID or Post-Democracy Balkans? taking place over the coming weeks. Each discussion will feature a panel of young experts from the region who will cover issues such as political instability, human rights and media freedom, challenges for civil society, prospects for education, and more. The discussions will take place within the framework of our initiative ‘Young Generations for the Western Balkans 2030,’ jointly run with the Karl-Renner Institut and the Austrian Institute for International Affairs.

This event features a conversation between Goran Svilanović and Hannes Swoboda on the future of the region and recent political developments.

Other discussions in the Post-Covid or Post-Democracy Balkans? series include:

June 2: Political turmoil in Albania, Kosovo and Serbia
June 9: State of human rights, media freedoms, and civil liberties during the pandemic
June 16: Solidarity within the region and beyond
June 30: Transitional justice and reconciliation after the pandemic