MISSION STATEMENT

In the context of the 30 years since the breakup of Yugoslavia, the IIP takes a deeper look at reconciliation process in successor states. The IIP discusses this issue in interviews with various experts. The main idea is to look at the medium and long-term future of the Western Balkans and how the reconciliation process functions!

30 years after the breakup of Yugoslavia the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the region. Old-fashioned backwards-oriented politics and nationalism are still present and even on the rise. The past is still instrumentalized for political purposes. The lack of economic, educational, or social perspectives for the youth drives many young people to leave their countries towards the West searching for a better life and more opportunities. In terms of dealing with the past a lot of efforts were made to initiate and support reconciliation, yet the results are rather limited and the question of effectiveness of tools and means applied remains. How important is reconciliation for the young generation of the Western Balkans? How do they perceive the multi-sided dimensions of history and truth, victimhood and human rights abuses? What importance does reconciliation have for the future of the region, be it for the regional cooperation, good-neighbourly relations or personal encounters and exchange between youngsters in Southeastern Europe? What role did internal actors play so far and how can a reconciliation process be supported from within and from the outside? How important is reconciliation to shape a prosperous future for those who were not yet born when Yugoslavia went through dissolution and wars?

PROJECT AND ACTIVITIES

2021

In the context of the 30 years since the breakup of Yugoslavia, the IIP takes a deeper look at reconciliation process in successor states. The IIP discusses this issue in interviews with various experts. The main idea is to look at the medium and long-term future of the Western Balkans and how the reconciliation process functions!

Short Statement Videos

In-depth Analysis by Experts

EVENT

blog

16 June | Thirty Years after the Breakup of Yugoslavia - Hannes Swoboda

More to come

Experts:

FLORIAN BIEBER, University Professor at University of Graz, Centre for Southeastern European Studies

MAJA BJELOS, Public Policy Analyst and Advocate in the area of security sector reform and gender, Serbia

ERHARD BUSEK, former Vice-Chancellor of Austria, and Chairman of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM)

SABINA CEHAJIC-CLANCY, Associate Professor of social psychology at Stockholm University, Bosnia & Herzegovina

LUKA CEKIC, Project Assistant at the IIP, Serbia-Austria

ADNAN CERIMAGIC, Senior Analyst at the Berlin-based think tank, European Stability Initiative (ESI), Bosnia & Herzegovina

VEDRAN DZIHIC, Senior Researcher at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Studies, South East Europe, and Senior Lecturer at the Institute for Political Sciences, University of Vienna

DONIKA EMINI, Director of CiviKos Platform, Kosovo

CHRISTINA KOULOURI, Professor and Rector of Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences

ULRIKE LUNACEK, former Vice-President of the EP, and EP-Rapporteur on Kosovo; Board Member European Citizens Forum Austria, Vienna Forum for Democracy and Human Rights.

MARIO MAZIC, Partner at Europe&Southeast, Advisor at PeaceNexus Foundation, Inaugural Scholar at The Obama Foundation, Fellow at The Royal Society of Arts, Croatia

WOLFGANG PETRITSCH, former HR of UN to BiH, former EU's Special Envoy for Kosovo, EU chief negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks in Rambouillet and Paris

VESNA PUSIC, Croatian Politician and former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia

GORAN SVILANOVIC, former Foreign Minister of Serbia and former Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)

HANNES SWOBODA, President of the IIP and former MEP