The new project “Aspen Western Balkans Initiative: Engagement for Progress and Stability” is scheduled to run from April 2023 to December 2024. The objectives of the project are to promote dialogue and cooperation in the region, develop concrete recommendations, and draw public attention to the enlargement and reform process. The project includes the organization of three conferences over the next two years. The first international conference will take place in Montenegro in the fall of 2023 and will focus on the intersection of democracy and digitalization. The second conference will take place the following year and will be dedicated to reconciliation and will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, a third conference is planned for 2024, which will be held in Berlin and will focus on the topic of EU enlargement. Furthermore, a vision for the year 2043 for the region of the Western Balkans will be developed. For this purpose, a foresight process, and a strategic outlook, for the region will take place at the beginning of the project under the title “Future of the Western Balkans in 2043” to develop long-term strategic approaches. In addition, working group meetings will be organized in Berlin, bringing together government representatives and experts from the Western Balkans, Germany and the EU. Two meetings are planned, one in 2023 and another in 2024, to recap the year. Each working group will be accompanied by a public event where the results of the discussions will be presented and discussed. The results of the discussions and possible recommendations for action will be accompanied by social media activities of the Aspen Institute Germany and recorded in publications. The Aspen Institute Germany wishes to thank the German Federal Foreign Office for its sponsorship of the project.
