The Atlantic Council Europe Center‘s #BalkansDebrief series features timely conversations on key issues impacting the Western Balkans.

Nonresident senior fellow Ilva Tare hosts newsmakers, experts, and officials for discussions on rule of law, energy security, cultural heritage, Russian and Chinese influence in the region, and more.

Watch #BalkansDebrief on YouTube and listen to it as a Podcast.

#BalkansDebrief Episodes

Balkans Debrief

Apr 15, 2024

#BalkansDebrief – Why is France refocused on security in the Balkans? | A debrief with Alexandre Vulic

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Europe Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare welcomes Alexandre Vulic. They discuss France’s security concerns for the Western Balkans.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Balkans Debrief

Mar 29, 2024

#BalkansDebrief – Why is the UK focused on reconciliation in the Balkans? | A debrief with Lord Stuart Peach

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Europe Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare welcomes Lord Stuart Peach. Together, they discuss the UK perspective on reconciliation in the Balkans.

Europe & Eurasia Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

Balkans Debrief

Mar 20, 2024

#BalkansDebrief – Why are elections in North Macedonia critical for its EU path? | A debrief with Marko Troshanovski

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare sits down will Marko Troshanovski, President of the Institute for Democracy, to discuss the importance of the elections and the key issues debated by the main two opposing political camps.

Corruption Elections

Balkans Debrief

Feb 27, 2024

#BalkansDebrief – Why did the dinar ban spark Kosovo-US tension? | A debrief with Arian Zeka and Dragisa Mijacic

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Ilva Tare, Europe Center’s Nonresident Senior Fellow, welcomes Arian Zeka and Dragisa Mijacic. Together, they discuss the implications of the recent dinar ban in Kosovo.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Jan 17, 2024

#BalkansDebrief – What awaits the Balkans in 2024? | A debrief with Damir Kapidzic 

In this episode of #BalkansDebrief, Ilva Tare, Europe Center’s Nonresident Senior Fellow, welcomes Damir Kapidžić, Political Scientist and Associate Professor at the University of Sarajevo, and a Weatherhead Visiting Scholar at Harvard. Together, they dissect the critical crossroads facing the region as U.S. and EU elections loom on the horizon.

The Balkans

MEET THE #BALKANSDEBRIEF HOST

Europe Center

The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.

Content

Balkans Debrief

Jun 1, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What’s behind the escalation in Kosovo? | A debrief with Jovana Radosavljevic and Agon Maliqi

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks to Jovana Radosavljevic, a Kosovo Serb who resides in the north of Kosovo and the Executive Director of the New Social Initiative, and to Agon Maliqi, an analyst from Kosovo.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

May 22, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Why the European future of the Balkans depends on Serbia? | A Debrief with Borut Pahor

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by former Prime Minister and former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor to discuss region's main challenges.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

May 4, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What challenges face ASM? | A Debrief with Miodrag Marinkovic and Naim Rashiti

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by Miodrag Marinkovic, an activist from the north of Kosovo and Director of the Center for Affirmative Social Actions (CASA), as well as Naim Rashiti, Executive Director of the Balkans Policy Research Group in Pristina, to provide on-the-ground insight into the latest developments in the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. 

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Apr 26, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Anti-Roma Sentiment in the Western Balkans | A Debrief with Sonja Licht and Zeljko Jovanovic

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare discusses the current challenges and potential changes for Roma communities in the Western Balkans with Sonja Licht, the President of Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society in Belgrade and Zeljko Jovanovic, the Director of Roma Initiatives Office for the Open Societies Foundation in Berlin. 

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Apr 11, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What’s next after Bulgarian elections? | A Debrief with Dimitar Bechev

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Dimitar Bechev, Lecturer at Oxford School of Global and Area Studies on implications of another caretaker government for Bulgaria's economic and European outlooks.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Mar 17, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What challenges faces the Kosovo/Serbia agreement | Debrief with Jovana Radosavljevic and Visar Ymeri 

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Jovana Radosavljevic, Executive Director of the New Social Initiative, and Visar Ymeri, Executive Director of the Institute for Social Policy "Musine Kokalari," to discuss the challenges of implementing a proposed agreement for normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the expectations for the upcoming Ohrid Summit on March 19.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Mar 3, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Is a deal on normalization between Kosovo & Serbia possible? | A debrief with Miroslav Lajčák 

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues, on this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the latest meeting in Brussels, details of the EU brokered plan, implementation of any future agreement, and the path forward.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Feb 22, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What is the future for Kosovo Serbs in the north? | A Debrief with Tatjana Lazarevic 

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Tatjana Lazarevic, the Editor-in-Chief of the KoSSev news portal and a resident of the Kosovo Serb-majority city of Mitrovica in the north of Kosovo.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Feb 8, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – How can Bulgaria and North Macedonia overcome their differences? | A debrief with Petar Todorov

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Petar Todorov, a historian and a member of the Bilateral Multidisciplinary Expert Commission for Historical and Educational questions between Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Bulgaria.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Jan 25, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – How can investment drive regional prosperity? | A debrief with Diana Gligorijevic and Mergim Cahani

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Diana Gligorijevic, the co-founder of Telegroup Solutions, an IT Provider and telecommunication company in Serbia, and Mergim Cahani, the co-founder and the CEO of Gjirafa, about the role of investment in driving positive change in the Balkans.

The Balkans