- Event Date:
- Sep 03. 2018
- Event End:
- Sep 03. 2018
On September 3-6, 2018 the Aspen Institute Germany with the support of the Federal Foreign Office and in cooperation with the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a conference on „Curbing Political Influence on Independent Institutions in the Western Balkans“ in Skopje. The aim of this conference was to offer a platform for high-level participants from the Western Balkans, Germany, as well as international organizations to discuss central challenges the Western Balkan countries and their partners are facing. Among the conference participants were Members of Parliament and Foreign Ministry representatives from the region, as well as experts from civil society and representatives of the German and other EU governments. Over the course of two days, the participants discussed the current situation of institutional independence in the Western Balkans, the independence of public administration, the judiciary, media and the private sector, and how to strengthen their respective institutional independence overall. Opening remarks by the Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov, a meeting with the Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev as well as a reception at the German Embassy in Skopje complemented the conference program.
