On Thursday, February 5 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center will host the inaugural Balkans Forward Summit at the Atlantic Council’s global headquarters in Washington, DC.
The year 2026 is pivotal for the Western Balkans. As the year gets under way, the Europe Center (as part of its Balkans Forward Initiative) will convene leaders from Southeast Europe for a half-day conference in Washington with discussions focused on the region’s priorities and Euro-Atlantic engagement for the year ahead. The Balkans Forward Summit will cover everything from US policy towards the region to regional economic integration, and it will provide an opportunity to hear from and connect with officials, experts, private-sector and civil society representatives from the region and the transatlantic community at the home of the Western Balkans in Washington.
The speakers and agenda can be found below, and please note the agenda will be updated as more speakers are yet to be confirmed.
New policy: In-person attendees will be required to show photo ID upon arrival, and no on-site registration will be permitted. Guests will not be admitted later than twenty minutes after the event’s start time. Registration for this event will close at 5:00 p.m. ET the day prior.
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Speakers
Moderated by
Agenda
3:00–3:30 p.m. ET | The future of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans: Security prerogatives and perspectives from Central Europe
Speakers
H.E. Elisa Spiropali
Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania
H.E. Alexandra Papadopoulou
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
Moderated by
Ilva Tare
Resident Senior Fellow, Europe Center,
Atlantic Council
3:35–3:55 p.m. ET | Fireside chat on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU perspective and transatlantic outlook
Featuring
H.E. Željka Cvijanović
Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Moderated by
Damir Marusic
Assignment Editor, Post Opinions,
The Washington Post
4:00–4:40 p.m. ET | The practicalities of regional economic integration in Southeast Europe
Speakers
Afrim Gashi
President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia
Amb. Justin Siberell
President, Regions and Government Affairs,
Bechtel
Jorida Tabaku, PhD
Member of Parliament of the Republic of Albania
Moderated by
Charles Lichfield
Director, Economic Foresight & Analysis and C. Boyden Gray Senior Fellow,
GeoEconomics Center,
Atlantic Council
4:40–5:00 p.m. ET | Coffee break
Join us during our coffee break.
5:00–5:30 p.m. ET | The future of US engagement in the Western Balkans
Featuring
Amb. Christopher Hill
Distinguished Fellow, Europe Center,
Atlantic Council;
Former US Ambassador to Serbia
Moderated by
James Rice
Balkans Forward Congressional Fellow;
Former Legislative Director,
Office of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
5:35–6:00 p.m. ET | Spotlight conversation with H.E. Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro
Featuring
H.E. Jakov Milatović
President of Montenegro
Moderated by
Jörn Fleck
Senior Director, Europe Center,
Atlantic Council
6:00–7:00 p.m. ET | Closing reception
Join us during the closing reception.
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