On 25th June 2020 took place an expert event „A Balkan future of the Eastern Partnership” which was organized in cooperation with The Warsaw Institute Review, The Warsaw Institute Foundation and the Warsaw Institute
The invited experts were:
– Zhanna Bezpiatchuk – a BBC correspondent based in Ukraine. She was also Radio Free Europe & Radio Liberty correspondent based in Brussels from where Zhanna reported on the EU politics. Zhanna Bezpiatchuk has a PhD in mass communications.
– Marija Jankuloska – expert and researcher in the Institute for Cooperation and Democratic Development from Northern Macedonia
The meeting was moderated by Jakub Lachert – an expert in Warsaw Institute specialized in Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans in the process of integration with the EU.
Invited experts presented the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region of the EaP countries which are recognized as European, and the Russian factor of direct involvement in the latter region excluded it from the enlargement programme with the EU. Experts said despite some differences, the Black Sea group is very similar to the Western Balkans, particularly in terms of the political system, as well as social, economic, and cultural features. Also, the Eastern Partnership countries vary much more in attitudes towards the EU and NATO than the Western Balkans, where all countries support EU membership.
