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

Oct 23, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – A view from the European Parliament on Kosovo-Serbia crisis | A Debrief with Viola von Cramon

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by, Viola von Cramon, a member of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee and the Rapporteur on Kosovo, to discuss the implications of the resolution and the EU’s role in ensuring that Serbia cooperates fully with the investigation into the Banjska attack.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Oct 13, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What is the future of normalization process between Kosovo and Serbia? | A Debrief with Alicia Kearns

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by British MP Alicia Kearns, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, UK House of Commons to discuss recent escalation of hostilities in Kosovo and the future of Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Oct 11, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Civil society’s role in Western Balkans EU accession | A Debrief with Andi Dobrushi

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare is joined in this episode of #BalkansDebrief by Andi Dobrushi, Western Balkans Executive Director of the Open Society Foundation, to discuss the importance of holding Western Balkan governments and EU member states accountable for their commitments to EU reforms and the role of civil society in the region.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Sep 19, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – How to integrate Serbs in Northern Kosovo? | A debrief with Shpetim Gashi and Milica Andric Rakic

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Milica Andric Rakic, program manager at the New Social Initiative, and Shpetim Gashi, Vice President of the Council for Inclusive Governance, to discuss steps needed for integrating the Serb community in the north of Kosovo.

European Union Political Reform

Balkans Debrief

Sep 8, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Will North Macedonia change its constitution? | A debrief with H.E. Bojan Maricikj

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews H.E. Bojan Maricikj, Deputy Prime Minister of European Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, on the country’s upcoming constitutional vote and EU accession prospects.

European Union Political Reform

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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

Balkans Debrief

Jan 11, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Will relations between Kosovo and Serbia normalize?| A debrief with Tim Judah

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Tim Judah, a journalist and author, in this episode of #BalkansDebrief about the role played by the Serbian President and the Prime Minister of Kosovo in reaching a normalization agreement acceptable to both parties.

The Balkans