European Western Balkans
 | |
| Available in | English |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 2014 |
| Founder(s) |
Nemanja Todorović Štiplija (editor-in-chief) Artan Murati Nikola S. Ristić |
| Website |
www |
| Launched | May 21, 2014 |
| Current status | Active |
European Western Balkans (sometimes abbreviated EWB) is web portal that focuses on the Western Balkans countries and reports on development of the European Union's enlargement policy towards these states – Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo[a]. Croatia, which is the only Western Balkans state member of the EU, is also included in this project, as a good role-model for other states. The project is a joint collaboration of young academics with European experience who are from Western Balkan countries.
The objective of European Western Balkans is to enhance understanding, raise awareness and further dialogue surrounding issues facing the democratization of Balkan nations and the desire for its integration in the European Union. European Western Balkans website takes a more journalistic than scholarly approach with interviews and analysis from journalists, experts, analysts, writers, historians, as well as leaders and political figures from the European Union and Western Balkan states. [1]
European Western Balkans is entirely independent and it is owned and run Centre for Contemporary Politics (Центар савремене политике) based in Belgrade
EWB Interviews
European Western Balkans has a series of interviews with key people from Western Balkans countries which are involved in European integration process of their countries and interviews with politicians and specialists in a wide range of fields especially in European Politics and European integration.[2] Notable interviews include:
- Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration
- Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, Chief Negotiator for negotiations over Montenegro’s accession to the European Union
- Jadranka Joksimović, Serbian Minister without portfolio
- Peter Sørensen, Danish diplomat, European Union Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Samuel Žbogar, Slovenian diplomat, European Union Special Representative to Kosovo
- Biljana Borzan, Croatian Member of the European Parliament
- Klajda Gjosha, Albanian Minister of European Integration
- Mitja Drobnič, Slovenian diplomat, Head of Delegation of the European Union in Montenegro
- Major General Dieter Heidecker, Commander of EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- David McAllister, German Member of the European Parliament, standing Rapporteur on Serbia
- Borko Stefanović, Head of the Democratic Party parliamentary group in the Serbian Parliament, former Serbian representative during the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations
- Teuta Sahatqija, Chairwoman of Committee for European Integration of the Assembly of Republic of Kosovo
- Majlinda Bregu, Chairwoman of European Integration Committee of the Parliament of Albania
- Branislav Borenović, Chairman of the Committee for European Integration of National Assembly of the Republika Srpska
- Christian Danielsson, Director General for Enlargement at the European Commission
- Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations
- Eduard Kukan, Slovakian Member of European Parliament, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia
- Cristian Dan Preda, Romanian Member of the European Parliament, standing Rapporteur on Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Aymeric Chauprade, French Member of the European Parliament
- Jozo Radoš, Croatian Member of the European Parliament
- Andrey Kovatchev, Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament and European Parliament Questor
- Jean-Eric Paquet, Director for Western Balkans in the Directorate General for Enlargement
- Aida Ćorović, NGO activist and member of Serbian Parliament
- Mladen Ivanić, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Jurriaan Kraak, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Bosnia and Herzegovina
- James Ker-Lindsay, London School of Economics and Political Science and LSE's Research on South Eastern Europe research unit,
- Josip Juratović, SPD member of the Bundestag
- Angelina Eichhorst, Director - Western Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey in the European External Action Service
- Hannes Swoboda, Austrian social democratic politician, former President of S&D Group
- Axel Dittmann, Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany to Republic of Serbia
- Gunther Krichbaum, CDU member of the Bundestag, Chairman of Committee for European Affairs
EWB Op-eds
Notable contributing op-eds include:
- Igor Vidović, Minister of Economic relations and Regional cooperation of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Ivan D. Leković, Head of Mission of Montenegro to the European Union
- Titus Corlățean, Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Duško Lopandić, Head of Mission of Serbia to the European Union
- Knut Fleckenstein, German Member of the European Parliament, standing Rapporteur on Albania
- Ulrike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament, Austrian Member of the European Parliament, standing Rapporteur on Kosovo
- Bekim Çollaku, Kosovar Minister of European Integration
- Nikola Vuljanić, Member of Croatian Parliament, former Croatian Member of the European Parliament, former standing Rapporteur on Albania
- Charles Tannock, British Member of the European Parliament, standing Rapporteur on Montenegro
- Daniel Mondekar, Member of Croatian Parliament, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the Croatian Parliament
- Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, Chief Negotiator for negotiations over Montenegro’s accession to the European Union
- Tanja Fajon, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament
- Sir Robert Cooper, British diplomat and adviser, former Special Adviser at the European Commission, former EU mediator during the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations
- Dejan Jović, Professor of International Relations at University of Zagreb, 2010-2014 Chief Political Analyst in the Office of the President of Croatia
- Brankica Janković, Serbian Commissioner for Protection of Equality
- Anneliese Dodds, British Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee
- Marko Đurić, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia
- Ditmir Bushati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Albania
- Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czech Republic
- Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport
- Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia
Notes
^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received recognition as an independent state from 110 out of 193 United Nations member states.
References
- ↑ "About European Western Balkans". European Western Balkans. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ↑ "Portfolio". European Western Balkans. Retrieved 22 June 2016.