Enhancing Think Balkans – knowledge hub for Western Balkans EU integration and regional cooperation

The ‘Enhancing Think Balkans – knowledge hub for Western Balkans EU integration and regional cooperation” project is financially supported by the International Visegrad Fund and builds upon the previously established cooperation between the members of the Southeast European Think Net Network (SEE Think Net) and Think Visegrad as part of the ‘Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans: The Berlin Process and Visegrad Group in comparison project’ and the project “Cooperation Instrument for the Western Balkans Think Tanks – THINK BALKANS” supported by the International Visegrad Fund.

By advancing the already established cooperation of Think Balkans consortium with Think Visegrad platform and the Visegrad Fund, the project aims to enhance Think Balkans network as a regional policy making hub. The main objective is to establish the Think Balkans as a recognized platform for knowledge sharing, and collaborative policy analysis and ideas on European integration and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans by the think tank community and the decision makers, more specifically Western Balkan ministries of foreign affairs (WB MFAs).

Based on the lessons learned, this project proposal aims to promote active participation in policy-making and foster democratic debate based on relevant data and information by further: 1) promoting cooperation among think tanks, CSOs and experts in the WB as a successful regional model; 2) strengthening the cooperation with the WB MFAs through the establish network of contact point and include their opinions and ideas in specifying the details of the topics chosen to be analyzed through this project; 3) providing V4 expertise on security, resilience and EU enlargement in general in light of the Russian invasion on Ukraine and the expressed interest of the Associate trio countries to join the EU; 4) using the potential with the establishment of Think Balkans to strengthening people-to-people links between the WB and V4; 5) cultivating interregional cooperation between V4 and WB6 on issues of common strategic interest.

In fulfilling these objectives, the project partners will organize three events in the Visegrad and Western Balkans region. The events will take place in Prague in October 2022, Skopje in March 2023 and Podgorica in June 2023. The partners will produce 4 short-term analyses and 1 long-term analyses on topics of common strategic interest for V4 and WB6 foreign policy perspectives, in the context of the European integration of the Western Balkan countries.

Following the successful past cooperation, the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” – Skopje will remain project coordinator, which, in collaboration with the European Movement in Serbia (EMinS), Balkan Research Institute from Kosovo*, Politikon Network from Montenegro, Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) from Albania, Humanity in Action from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) from Poland, Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) from Hungary, the Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) from Slovakia, and EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (EUROPEUM) from the Czech Republic, will work in achieving the project’s goals.

The project duration is 12 months, that is, from October 2022 to October 2023.

Approved funds: 32.000 EUR

Donor: International Visegrad Fund

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.