At the beginning of 2023, with the support of the International Visegrad Fund, a coalition formed by the Forum 2000 Foundation (Czech Republic), MEMO98 (Slovakia), Political Capital (Hungary), Res Publica Foundation (Poland) and YIHR (Serbia) decided to focus on the Western Balkans. Inspired by Francis Fukuyama’s statement at the 26th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague that the Western Balkans “is an area that could blow up in a nasty way in the future”, these organizations decided to put together a working group of stakeholders from the region and the European Union to analyze the situation in the region and set an agenda of ideas, concerns, and recommendations in order for democracy in the Western Balkans to thrive.
As a result of that process, and with the contributions of the working group, the 27th Forum 2000 Conference included three panels specifically focused on the Western Balkans, and over 20 participants from the region contributed to the discussions. This policy brief is the final result of the project.
The ideas presented here focus on some of the key aspects identified during our year of work, and those included here represent the most urgent or impactful. From EU integration to disinformation and the role of youth in democratization processes and conflict resolution, this roadmap aims to contribute to the public discussion on strengthening democracy in the Western Balkans.
Authors who are from the Western Balkans contributed with their views from the inside, while V4 authors provided their insights from the geographically and historically close outside.
We hope the reader will find some insightful views and ideas on the future of the region in this work.
