- April 16, 2018
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- April 19, 2018
On April 16-19, 2018 the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a conference on “Rule of Law in the Western Balkans: Exploring the New EU Enlargement Strategy and Necessary Steps Ahead“ with support of the Federal Foreign Office. 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 ranged the Deputy Ministers and Members of Parliament from the region, as well as experts from civil society and representatives of the German federal government and the EU. Over the course of two days, the participants discussed the current situation of rule of law in the Western Balkans and the implications of the new enlargement strategy for rule of law reforms. Issues addressed in this context included the independence of the judiciary, depoliticization of public institutions, the fight against corruption, and safeguarding fundamental rights. Meetings with the Deputy Head of Division “Foreign and Security Policy” within the German Federal Chancellery, Dr. Joachim Bertele and the Head of Division “Europe” within the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Dr. Christoph Hübner, as well as with Members of the German Parliament complemented the informal discussions.
