- December 04, 2024
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- December 04, 2024
On December 4, 2024, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a panel discussions on “Reconciliation in the Western Balkans in the Framework of the EU Enlargement Process: National Narratives, Public Discourse, and the Influence of Media” with Josip Brkić, Megi Fino, Liza Gashi, Vasko Grkov, Snežana Radović and Dr. Niels von Redecker.
Reconciliation in the Western Balkans is a crucial process for promoting lasting peace and stability in the region. Regional cooperation, supported by international organizations such as the European Union, plays a central role in promoting reconciliation by supporting political reform, economic cooperation, and the integration of the Western Balkans into broader European structures. The European Union’s enlargement policy offers a distinctive framework for fostering reconciliation, emphasizing good neighborly relations, democratic principles, and the rule of law. The EU’s conditionality mechanism acts as both a driver and a challenge for reconciliation among the Western Balkans.
While the EU thus plays an important role for reconciliation in the Western Balkans, many internal factors have impeded progress. Reconciliation is intricately linked to the narratives that communities construct about their history, the dynamics of public discourse, and the influence of media in shaping collective perceptions. These narratives, often divergent among different ethnic and national groups, highlight varying experiences of victimhood, heroism, and injustice. They are transmitted through education, cultural practices, and familial traditions, posing significant challenges to reconciling conflicting perspectives. Media, encompassing traditional outlets and digital platforms, serves as a primary vehicle for disseminating these narratives and influencing public opinion. However, the current information environment in the region is plagued by pervasive disinformation, fake news, and biased reporting, which perpetuate mistrust and deepen societal divisions – and hamper reconciliation.
How can historical grievances, ethnic tensions, and political divisions be addressed to promote greater cohesion and a more stable region? What mechanisms can be put in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of reconciliation initiatives within the EU enlargement process? How can political leaders be encouraged to prioritize reconciliation in their agendas? What is the role of individual EU countries? How to address stereotyping and hate speech in the media? How to deal with opinion-leaders and public figures employing divisive rhetoric?
This event was part of the “Western Balkans Initiative: Engagement for Progress and Stability” project, kindly supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.
