Panelists:

TANJA FAJON, MEP, Head of the Slovenian Delegation, Party of European Socialists
HANNES SWOBODA, President of the IIP, former MEP

Moderation:

STEPHANIE FENKART, Director of the IIP

Content:

In July 2021, Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the second time. The European Union will still have to cope with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which surely was the biggest challenge for its predecessors, Portugal, and Germany, with which Slovenia forms a trio to ensure a more consistent collaboration on the priorities which will be EU Green Deal, Rule of Law and Security of the EU. However, in June 2021 we are also commemorating the Break-Up of Yugoslavia. The Western Balkan countries still face many challenges related to its past. Reconciliation did not sufficiently happen; borders are still disputed, and nationalism is on the rise. While the commission declared a geopolitical orientation of the EU in the years to come, we can witness a “geopoliticalization” in the region with old and new actors entering the scene, mainly Russia, China, the Arab Emirates, who are challenging the European value-based approach towards the region.

Nevertheless, the European Perspective is not contested, and Albania and North-Macedonia were granted with the opening of accession talks in 2020 after going through fundamental reforms. Still the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the region. The Youth is leaving the country in search for a prosperous life, rule of law and press freedom is under pressure and non-papers are circulating, challenging the status of the region since the end of the wars. How can Slovenia contribute to a stabilization of the region? What is the value of the region for the EU and how can solidarity and reconciliation be supported?

These and other questions will be discussed in our IIP talk with Tanja Fajon and Hannes Swoboda.