The Center for Social Dialogue and Regional Initiatives with the support of US Embassy in Serbia, will host a three day academic conference on the perspectives, obstacles and alternatives to the EU enlargement of the Western Balkans in Kopaonik from 31st October to 3rd November, 2013. The conference is part of the lager event “Seminar of Faculty of Political Science Students”. In the last six years close to 2000 participants have passed through our seminar, and we are proud to say that we regularly hosted some of the most distinguished regional and international key-note speakers. Some of them were: Boris Tadic; Charles W. Kegley; Gregory A. Raymond; H.E. Michael Kirby, H.E. Mary Burce Warlick; Tanja Miscevic; etc.
The goal of the conference is to discuss the state of the EU integration process in the Western Balkans after 2013 enlargement. Framing of the “Western Balkans” as the peculiar sub-region inside the South-Eastern Europe has demonstrated EU’s intention to treat the region as the whole. This joint regional approach of the EU was materialized through the special “Stabilization and Association” process for all of the regional states, and with “Thessaloniki Agenda” from 2003 which has promised European future for the region. Ten years after Thessaloniki plenty of things have changed.
The conference in particular seeks to give room to young researchers from the Western Balkans and Europe who are able to contribute rich empirical work to the discussion. As an interdisciplinary event, the conference will include policy makers, lawyers, and experts in the fields of: political science, international relations, economy, sociology, philosophy, European Law and European Politics, development studies and other disciplines. The working language of the conference is English.
The organizers invite paper proposal for the conference. Researchers interested in participating are asked to submit a 400 words abstract and CV by the 20th September 2013 to the following email address: bnesovic@cddri.org. Abstracts/paper proposals can be submitted by single author, or co-authored by no more than three persons. Authors of accepted proposals will be informed no later than 1st October about the outcome of the call and will receive all the service information regarding: word length of the final paper (4000 words); citation protocols and accommodation and transport.
Applicants are particularly encouraged (but not obliged) to apply with papers on the following thematic areas:
- How economic and political crisis in the EU affects the EU Enlargement policy toward the rest of the Western Balkan after the accession of Croatia?
- How will the EU integration dynamics of the rest of the region after the accession of Croatia play out? Regatta or Big Bang Model of Accession?
- Enlargement Fatigue in the EU? Causes and how to build support for Enlargement.
- EU Negotiation Process for the region: Which are the most important chapters in the process and how to approach them?
- EU Foreign and Security Policy in the region – The EU role in the reconciliation process.
- Is the EU attractiveness the important factor for solving pending issues (Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina)? Does EU help to break the deadlock of bilateral disputes in the Western Balkan?
- How did EU conditionality affect the reform processes in the region? Membership Conditionality vs. Policy Conditionality?
- How does EU integration affect economic development of the region?
- What lessons can the region learn from the economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe EU members?
- Is the region destined to remain economic periphery of the European Union?
- What is the role of the EU Pre-Accession Funds in the process of political and economic transformation of the region?
- Is there a viable alternative to the EU for the region?
The authors of accepted proposals will be expected to:
Be prepared to present their draft papers orally, in no more than 12 minutes at the conference;
Send the final version of the paper by the 20th November 2013 for publishing.
The organizers of the conference will cover accommodation, board and transport from their home town to and from Kopaonik for invited participants from Serbia and the region, as well as accommodation, board and travel from Belgrade to and from Kopaonik for invited participants from outside the region. An edited collection of the best papers presented at the conference is planned for the early 2014
- How economic and political crisis in the EU affects the EU Enlargement policy toward the rest of the Western Balkan after the accession of Croatia?
- How will the EU integration dynamics of the rest of the region after the accession of Croatia play out? Regatta or Big Bang Model of Accession?
- Enlargement Fatigue in the EU? Causes and how to build support for Enlargement.
- EU Negotiation Process for the region: Which are the most important chapters in the process and how to approach them?
- EU Foreign and Security Policy in the region – The EU role in the reconciliation process.
- Is the EU attractiveness the important factor for solving pending issues (Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina)? Does EU help to break the deadlock of bilateral disputes in the Western Balkan?
- How did EU conditionality affect the reform processes in the region? Membership Conditionality vs. Policy Conditionality?
- How does EU integration affect economic development of the region?
- What lessons can the region learn from the economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe EU members?
- Is the region destined to remain economic periphery of the European Union?
- What is the role of the EU Pre-Accession Funds in the process of political and economic transformation of the region?
- Is there a viable alternative to the EU for the region?
The authors of accepted proposals will be expected to:
Be prepared to present their draft papers orally, in no more than 12 minutes at the conference;
Send the final version of the paper by the 20th November 2013 for publishing.
The organizers of the conference will cover accommodation, board and transport from their home town to and from Kopaonik for invited participants from Serbia and the region, as well as accommodation, board and travel from Belgrade to and from Kopaonik for invited participants from outside the region. An edited collection of the best papers presented at the conference is planned for the early 2014
