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

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
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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

Nov 11, 2025

Is Kosovo heading toward another election crisis? | A Debrief with Adriatik Kelmendi

Ilva Tare from the Atlantic Council's Europe Center speaks with Adriatik Kelmendi to discuss Kosovo's election deadlock nine months after national elections.

Elections
Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Oct 29, 2025

The Hague vs. KLA leaders: Justice or tragedy? | A Debrief with James Rubin

Ilva Tare, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow, speakers with James Rubin about the Hashim Thaci war crimes trial in The Hague.

Democratic Transitions
Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Oct 22, 2025

Can Serbia survive US sanctions on Russian oil? | A Debrief with Igor Novaković

Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Igor Novakovic from ISAC Fund on the new US sanctions on Serbia's NIS.

Economic Sanctions
Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Aug 15, 2025

Will Serbia’s protests change its future? | A Debrief with Florian Bieber

Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Ilva Tare speaks with Florian Bieber from BiEPAG to discuss the latest escalations of tension in Serbia's student-led protests.

Corruption
Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Jun 17, 2025

What is Brussels’ mood on Balkans EU enlargement? | A Debrief with Augustin Palokaj

Europe Center Senior Fellow Ilva Tare sits down with Augustin Palokaj, Brussels-based correspondent, to discuss the EU's current attitude toward EU enlargement in the Balkans.

European Union
Political Reform

Balkans Debrief

Apr 11, 2025

From Dayton to Dodik, what’s at stake in Bosnia? | A Debrief with Adnan Ćerimagić

Ilva Tare, Europe Center Senior Fellow, sits down with Adi Cerimagic to discuss Bosnia and Herzegovina's political landscape and challenges.

Europe & Eurasia
European Union

Balkans Debrief

Mar 12, 2025

What is the future of Russian immigration to Serbia? | A Debrief with Srdjan Cvijić and Maxim Samorukov

Russians have migrated to Serbia en masse particularly since the Ukraine war began in 2022. Ilva Tare speaks with Srdjan Cvijic and Maxim Samorukov about BCSP's latest findings on Russian immigration to Serbia.

Europe & Eurasia
Migration

Balkans Debrief

Mar 7, 2025

Will Merz step up Germany’s role in the Balkans? | A Debrief with Gerald Knaus

Ilva Tare, Europe Center Resident Senior Fellow, speaks with Gerald Knaus about the German elections on February 23 and the next government's approach to the Western Balkans.

Elections
European Union

Balkans Debrief

Feb 13, 2025

Is Kosovo Headed for Political Gridlock? | A Debrief with Jeff Hovenier

Resident Senior Fellow speaks with Jeff Hovenier, retired former US Ambassador to Kosovo, to debrief Kosovo's 2025 parliamentary elections.

Elections
Europe & Eurasia

Balkans Debrief

Feb 6, 2025

The EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans – A Debrief with Valbona Zeneli, Isabelle Ioannides, & Richard Grieveson

The European Union’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans aims to accelerate economic growth and convergence in the region—but can it truly deliver? With reform, investment, and EU integration at stake, how can the region turn this initiative into real progress? Ilva Tare, Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, dives into the […]

Economy & Business
European Union
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