#BalkansDebrief

#BalkansDebrief is an online talk show hosted by journalist Ilva Tare and presented by the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center—fresh look at the region, its people, its culture, and its challenges and opportunities.

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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

Jul 16, 2026

What’s Next for Vučić and Serbia’s EU Future? | A Debrief with Srđan Majstorović

Resident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Srdjan Majstorovic to discuss Serbia's EU future.

Elections Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Jul 8, 2026

Can soccer unite Bosnia beyond politics? | A Debrief With Jasmin Mujanović And Dženeta Karabegović

Europe Center Resident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Jasmin Mujanović And Dzeneta Karabegović about Bosnia and Herzegovina's World Cup run and its significance for the country's political unity.

Europe & Eurasia Migration

Balkans Debrief

Jun 29, 2026

How can gradual EU integration work in the Balkans? A Debrief with Odeta Barbullushi & Adi Cerimagic

Europe Center Resident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare sits down with Adi Cerimagic of the European Stability Initiative and Odeta Barbullushi from the College of Europe to discuss the new Franco-German non-paper on gradual EU accession for the Western Balkans.

Europe & Eurasia European Union

Balkans Debrief

Jun 12, 2026

Unpacking the new US Western Balkans strategy | A Debrief with Fleck, Piscevic, Zeneli & Thorpe

Resident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare sits down with four Atlantic Council experts to discuss the new US report to Congress on policy toward the Western Balkans.

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

May 8, 2026

Are the Balkans the Key to Europe’s Critical Raw Materials? A Debrief with Rizos, Adams & Pop

Ilva Tare speaks with Vasileios Rizos, Kirk Adams, and Daniel Pop to discuss critical raw materials in the Western Balkans.

Critical Minerals Economy & Business
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MEET THE #BALKANSDEBRIEF HOST

Fellow

Ilva Tare

Resident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Albanian English

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

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Content

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

Balkans Debrief

Jul 26, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – What to expect from the October Berlin Process Summit? | A debrief with Odeta Barbullushi

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare interviews Dr. Odeta Barbullushi, advisor to Albania's Prime Minister on European issues and regional cooperation.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Jul 19, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Benefits of regional economic integration | A debrief with Stefan Lazarevic and Enio Jaco

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks to the President of American Chamber of Commerce of Serbia Stefan Lazarevic and President of American Chamber of Commerce of Albania Enio Jaco on the region’s business climate.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Jun 21, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Will Montenegro form a new government? | A debrief with Petar Popovic

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare discusses the post-election political landscape in Montenegro with Petar Popovic, associate professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb.

The Balkans

Balkans Debrief

Jun 13, 2023

#BalkansDebrief – Will Kosovo and Serbia make the needed concessions towards normalization? | A debrief with Sen. Chris Murphy

Nonresident Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks to Hon. Chris Murphy, United States Senator (D-CT), to discuss his recent trip to the region, the messages he delivered to the leaders in Pristina and Belgrade, and the concessions that Kosovo and Serbia should make in order to progress on their respective paths.

The Balkans

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
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