- June 22, 2020
On June 22, 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; 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, and Sabine Stöhr, Head of Division 209 Western Balkans at the German Federal Foreign Office, shared their assessments of the situation in the region from the perspective of their respective divisions and presented the priorities, initiatives and challenges for the next months. The discussion focused on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in the region, the current political situation with regard to past and upcoming elections in the region, and the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. Another topic was the upcoming German Council Presidency and the latest developments in the EU accession processes of the Western Balkan countries. The event is part of a series of regular background discussions to enable regular exchanges on current priorities and challenges in the Western Balkans.
