The paper was published on 17 May 2018 by the Institute for International and European Affairs in Dublin. It argues that the EU should move immediately to open negotiations with Albania and Macedonia and that a much more intensive engagement by the Union will be necessary in the coming years if the region is to be successfully integrated into the Union. the three major issues the EU faces in the Western Balkans are addressed: the deterioration in the rule of law and governance; the challenges associated with reconciliation a quarter century on from the conflicts of the 1990s and the need for accelerated economic change both within individual states and across the region. The paper can be read here: www.iiea.com/publication/iiea-publication-eu-enlargement-to-the-western-balkans-towards-2025-beyond
Professor O’Brennan chaired a lecture by the Bulgarian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emilia Kraleva, at the Institute, On Monday 21 May. This followed on from the important European Council Summit in Sofia on 17 May which focused on the Western Balkans and future enlargement.
You can view Minister Kraleva’s talk here and the conversation which followed: www.iiea.com/eu27/the-future-of-the-eu27-a-perspective-from-the-bulgarian-eu-presidency
John O’Brennan also recently published another long read essay (with Dr. Michael Toomey, UL) on the serious regression in rule of law in Hungary and Poland and the challenge this poses to the European Union. You can read the piece here: www.rte.ie/eile/brainstorm/2018/0518/964381-the-rise-of-populism-on-the-danube-and-vistula
Lecture by the Bulgarian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emilia Kraleva, at the Institute on Monday 21 May. This followed on from the important European Council Summit in Sofia on 17 May which focused on the Western Balkans and future enlargement.
