- February 20, 2020
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- September 25, 2023
On February 20, 2020 the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a background discussion on the current situation in the Western Balkans between representatives of the German Government and staffers of the German Bundestag. Alexander Jung, Deputy Head of Division 212 Bilateral Relations to the Countries of Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and Central Asia at the German Federal Chancellery; Sabine Stöhr, Head of Division 209 Western Balkans at the German Federal Foreign Office; Thomas Motak, Deputy Head of Division E12, EU External Affairs (EU Enlargement, European Neighbourhood Policy, EU External Financing Instruments) at the German Federal Foreign Office; Helge Tolksdorf, Head of Division EU-Enlargement, Southeastern Europe, Turkey at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Daniela Bergelt, Political Advisor for Serbia and Belarus, Division 302 “Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe and Caucasus” at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development shared the priorities and assessments of the situation in the region from the perspective of their respective divisions and presented an outlook for this year. The discussion focused on the current reform processes and domestic political developments within the countries of the Western Balkans, the new proposal of the European Commission on the enlargement of the European Union and the discussions regarding the accession negotiations within the EU. The event is part of a series of regular background discussions to enable regular exchanges on current priorities and challenges in the Western Balkans.
