GEO-POWER-EU & REUNIR Host Conference on the EU’s Role in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership
On 26 May, GEO-POWER-EU and REUNIR co-hosted the conference “Frontlines of Influence: The EU’s Role in the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership” at Europe House in Belgrade. The event gathered policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors to reflect on the EU’s evolving geopolitical presence and the future of enlargement.
The conference opened with remarks from Prof. Filip Ejdus and Dr. Srđan Cvijić, followed by a keynote address by Emanuele Giaufret, EU Ambassador to Serbia, who underscored the security implications of Russia’s war in Ukraine for the region.
The first panel, organised by REUNIR, explored the EU’s enlargement challenges amid democratic backsliding, institutional fatigue, and external pressure. Speakers reflected on concerns around rule of law, the credibility of the EU’s normative influence, and diverging trajectories across candidate countries including Serbia, Albania, and Georgia.
The second panel, led by GEO-POWER-EU, focused on the EU’s strategic posture in its neighbourhood. The session featured the launch of the GEO-POWER Interdependence Database, a new resource mapping the EU’s political, economic, and societal influence relative to other global actors. Insights from the InvigoratEU project were also shared, highlighting the persistence of Russian influence in societal domains despite broader political and economic decline.
The event concluded with a keynote by Milica Delević (EBRD), who stressed that enlargement has become more geopolitical in nature, while reaffirming the EU’s foundational mission of peace and stability.
