France and the Western Balkans’ EU membership - online event
Channel: Beogradski centar za bezbednosnu politiku
Date: 06/03/2021

Paris should take a brave approach and involvement in helping reforms on the ground in the Western Balkans instead of maintaining the status quo and further losing its credibility in the region – it was concluded during the online event “France and the Western Balkans’ EU membership”, organized by BCSP on Friday, March 5th .  

Welcoming remarks:
- Igor Bandovic, Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy
- His Excellency Jean-Louis Falconi, the Ambassador of France to Serbia

Participants of the first panel have agreed that decision-makers in France falsely believe that supporting the accession process for the Western Balkans would foster the public disapproval and the fierce response of the right-wing parties. They share the view that it is time for Paris to take a brave approach instead of maintaining the status quo and further losing its credibility the region.
Panelists:
- Srdjan Cvijic, Senior Policy Analyst with the Open Society European Policy Institute, Brussels
- Sébastien Gricourt, Director of the Observatoire des Balkans for the Fondation Jean-Jaurès, Paris
- Loïc Tregoures, Ph.D. in Political Science and Balkans specialist
Moderator:
- Marion Dautry, journalist for the Agence France-Presse

Regional panellists were highly pessimistic that Paris would accept a more proactive stance regarding the EU membership of the region in the foreseeable future. They agreed that there is a need for a radical shift in the European approach, and that the inclusion of the WB in the Union must be seen as a continental completion rather than enlargement process.
Panelists:
- Jovana Marovic, Executive Director of the Politikon Network, Podgorica
- Alba Çela, Executive Director and Head of the European Program at the Albanian Institute for International Studies, Tirana
- Zoran Nechev, Head of the Center for EU integration of the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”, Skopje
- Vuk Vuksanovic, researcher of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Belgrade
Moderator:
- Marion Dautry, journalist for the Agence France-Presse