- May 07, 2019
- -
- May 10, 2019
On May 7-10, 2019 the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a conference on “Strengthening Parliaments and Their Role in The Western Balkans Reform Processes“ with the 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. Over the course of two days, the participants discussed the role of parliaments in the WB reform processes: Is the EU’s quid pro quo principle of conditionality still working as a reform engine? How can parliaments play a bigger role in encouraging the reform processes? How can the oversight function of parliaments be strengthened as a core role in the political systems of parliamentary democracies? Which role does party financing play in the Western Balkans and how can the parliament become more transparent and accountable? Meetings and discussions with State Secretary Prof. Dr. Risse, Director of the German Bundestag, Patrick Sensburg, Member of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel for the Intelligence Services, Reinhold Robbe, Former Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces and a presentation on the platform abgeordnetenwatch.de by Léa Briand complemented this event.
