European Movement in Montenegro, along with its partners, is launching a project focused on enhancing cooperation and understanding among countries in the Central European region. The project aims to promote dialogue, research, and policy development on regional and European issues.

The main issue that the project aims to focus on is the deterioration of foreign policies and regional cooperation in the Western Balkans (WB) region after the invasion of Russia on Ukraine and the set of regional and global crises since March 2022. The project aims to change the current situation by providing a comprehensive analysis of the foreign policies of WB countries and the Visegrad Group (V4) countries towards WB6 (Western Balkans 6), along with recommendations for improvement.

To address this issue, the project will conduct desk research, collect data, and assess the perceptions and behaviors of key stakeholders involved in foreign policy and regional cooperation in these countries. The project will develop a joint methodology in collaboration with partner organizations to ensure an informed review of foreign policies in the context of the war in Ukraine and other regional and global crises. Regional dialogue platforms will be established to facilitate discussions and comparative analyses of foreign and regional policies, leading to a better understanding of the dynamics in the WB region.

The project's contribution lies in providing an authentic and independent analysis of foreign policies and regional cooperation in the WB region and the efforts of V4 countries towards WB6. It fills the gap of a comparative and comprehensive study in the context of recent crises, offering insights and recommendations for stabilization, EU integration, and overall improvement of cooperation.

The regional relevance of the proposal is evident in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has caused political reverberations in the WB region. The project aims to assess the impact of the crisis, analyze the foreign policies of key actors, and provide evidence of WB as a buffer zone where Russia seeks to preserve influence and undermine the West. The project aligns with the V4's support for the EU accession of WB6 and their belief in the importance of EU enlargement for security, stability, and prosperity in the region.

The organization behind the project, European Movement and it’s partners, have prior experience in dealing with similar topics and have implemented projects related to EU integration, regional cooperation, and foreign policy. The project builds on their expertise and partnerships to conduct research, produce policy studies, and engage with various target groups, including media, governments, diplomatic communities, and research centers.

To share the results of the project, the organization plans to organize a final conference where the policy studies will be presented to expert communities, decision-makers, and international stakeholders. The dissemination will also include sending policy studies and research data to relevant organizations and institutions, maintaining partnerships, and promoting the results through articles, speeches, and social networks.

In the future, the organization plans to build on the results of this project by continuing to contribute to regional cooperation and EU integration in the WB6 and strengthening cooperation between V4 and WB6 on bilateral and multilateral levels. They aim to disseminate the results through individual and collective actions, further research, projects, and collaborations with public institutions and EU institutions.

The deliverables of the project include a:

1. Comparative methodology for research and a detailed activity plan,
2. Comparative regional policy study on foreign policy and regional cooperation in WB6 during the crisis period of 2022-2024,
3. Comparative regional policy study on the foreign policy of V4 countries towards WB6 during the same period, and
4. A final conference (online) to present the project's findings and recommendations.

The project involves collaboration with several partners, including:

1. Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (Vyskumne centrum Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnu politiku) - sfpa@sfpa.sk, www.sfpa.sk
2. EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy (Institut pro evropskou politiku EUROPEUM) - europeum@europeum.org, www.europeum.org
3. Warsaw Institute (Fundacja Warsaw Institute) - office@warsawinstitute.org, www.warsawinstitute.org
4. Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Külügyi és Külgazdasági Intézet - KKI) - info@ifat.hu, www.kki.hu
5. Albanian Institute for International Studies (Instituti i Studimeve Nderkombetare) - acela@aiis-albania.org, www.aiis-albania.org
6. Center for Critical Thinking (Udruženje "Centar za kritičko mišljenje" Mostar) - tacnonet@gmail.com, www.tacno.net
7. Center for Regionalism (Centar za regionalizam) - aleksandar.popov@centarzaregionalizam.org.rs, www.centarzaregionalizam.org.rs
8. Kosovar Institute for Policy Research and Development (Instituti Kosovar për Kërkime dhe Zhvillim të Politikave) - lulzim.peci@kipred.org, www.kipred.org
9. ESTIMA Association for strategy development, research, education, and promotion (ESTIMA Здружение за развој на стратегии, истражување, едукација и промоција на megunarodna sorabotka) - info@estima.mk, www.estima.mk

Through joint research activities, policy r

ecommendations, and public engagement initiatives, the project aims to strengthen regional cooperation, foster mutual understanding, and contribute to the dev

elopment of informed and inclusive policies in the Central European region

.

Međunarodna Konferencija “Vrijeme izazova – Kohezija Zapadnog Balkana i EU integracija na Zapadnom Balkanu” 24 -25 September 2020 - Evropski pokret u Crnoj Gori upriličio je dvodnevnu on-line međunarodnu konferenciju koju je u protekla dva dana pratilo preko 250 učesnika i učesnica posvećenih pitanjima evropskih integracija zemalja Zapadnog Balkana kao i Berlinskog procesa.

Na panelu 24. septembra ,,EU - Balkanska raskrsnica - perspektive regionalne saradnje i evropskih integracija'' govorili su Šefik Džaferović – Bošnjački član predsjedništva Bosne i Hercegovine, Momčilo Radulović - Predsjednik Evropskog Pokreta u Crnoj Gori.

Razgovorali su o tome gdje smo sada u smislu regionalne stabilnosti i regionalne saradnje, ,šta bi EU trebala učiniti da ojača svoju ulogu u regiji, koje su posljedice novog virusa COVID 19, ekonomije zapadnog Balkana i procesi oporavka.Pregled izazova za regiju i zemlje pojedinačno.

Na panelu  ,,Regionalna studija -V4 i Zapadni Balkan - Jačanje kohezije EU integracija i Berlinski proces’’  govorili su Jelica Minić -  predsjednica Evropskog Pokreta u Srbiji, Lejla Hodžić – programski asistent NVO Transparency International of BiH, Artan Murati – osnivač i editor Kosovo Demokratski Institut, Ana Krstinovska – Centar za istraživanje i Kreiranje politika, Ardian Hackaj direktor instituta za Sradnju i Razvoj u Tirani, Ana Spahić programski asistent Evropskog pokreta u Crnoj Gori.

Razgovarali su o prezentaciji sveobuhvatnog istraživanja o implementaciji, strukturama i dostignućima Berlinskog procesa u svih 6 zemalja Zapadnog Balkana. Analiziranje pravnog i institucionalnog okvira, programiranje, praćenje i procjena, implementacija  i financijsko upravljanje svim aktivnostima i projektima u okviru berlinskog procesa, kao i administrativno kapaciteti za njihovu provedbu u svih 6 zemalja zapadnog Balkana.

O ovim pitanjima je sa istaknutim učesnicima, razgovarala Advokatica Bisera Andrijašević, koja je bila moderator ovog panela.

Na panelu ,,Civilni Sektor i Vlade država Zapadnog Balkana između saradnje i Balkanske glasovne inicijative'' govorili su Bojan Maričik - Ministar pravde Sjeverne Makedonije, Tanja Mišćević – sekretar Vijeća za regionalnu saradnju, Dritan Abazović – Predsjednik Građanskog pokreta URA, Aleksandar Popov – Direktor Centra za regionalizam, Zlatko Vujović – direktor Centra za Monitoring.

Razgovarali su o pitanjima kao što su: Poboljšava li se ili opada li saradnja između civilnog društva (OCD-a, medija ...) i vlada u regiji? Koji su izazovi saradnje javnih institucija i aktera civilnog društva uopšte, a posebno procesa EU integracija? Kako možemo poticati tu saradnju? Koja su međusobna očekivanja i kako možemo koristiti iskustvo i znanje zemalja iz prethodnih krugova pristupanja EU? Regionalna saradnja i Berlinski proces - postignuća, perspektive i uloga civilnog društva. Uočavanje stvarnih kretanja i izazova u regionalnoj suradnji i politikama proširenja EU. Razvoj deklaracije "Balkanski glas".

Sa istaknutim učesnicima razgovarao je moderator panela Momčilo Radulović, Predsjednik Evropskog Pokreta u Crnoj Gori.

Na panelu 25. septembra  „Pristupanje zemalja Zapadnog Balkana EU – viđenja zvaničnika Brisela“ govorili su poslanici u Evropskom parlamentu gospodin Tonino Picula i gospodin Vladimir Bilček, ambasadorka Romana Vlahutin, Ambasadorka za pitanja povezivanja (at Large for Connectivity) u Evropskoj službi za vanjske poslove, i gospodin Petar Grk, Nacionalni koordinator za Zapadni Balkan u Ministarstvu inostranih poslova Slovenije.

Razgovarali su o tome što predstavljaju najaktuelniji razvoji događaja na Balkanu; koja je uloga Rusije, Kine i Turske iz perspektive EU zvaničnika; kako poboljšati proces pregovora za pristupanje zemalja Zapadnog Balkana Evropskoj Uniji; šta mogu biti posledice daljeg prolongiranja članstva; Izbori u regionu iz perspektive EU struktura bila su samo neka od pitanja o kojima je sa istaknutim učesnicima razgovarao poznati novinar i ekspert za regionalna pitanja Zapadnog Balkana, Tim Judah.

Događaj je organizovan u okviru Programa “Zajedno za proširenje EU – Višegrad grupa i Zapadni Balkan – snažnija kohezija EU integracija i berlinskog procesa”, koji finansira International Visegrad Fund.

Conference will bring together high-level state officials and representatives of more than 40 prominent NGOs from Balkans and EU taking active role in sharing views and strengthening cooperation of progressive forces for EU integrations of Western Balkans.

This event, as well as overall Project “Together for EU Enlargement - V4 and WB Strengthening Cohesion of EU Integration and Berlin process”, financially supported by International Visegrad Fund contributes to stronger cooperation between civil societies on the path towards the EU membership and within the Berlin process.

For more information, you can click on our Online Agenda here.

U okviru projekta “Da pravedno riješimo” koji organizuje Evropski pokret u Crnoj Gori, a uz finansisku podršku ministarstva pravde, radili smo na boljoj informisanosti građana o benefitima mirnog riješavanja sporova. 24. decembra održan je tematski skup na kome su učestvovali predstavnici centra za posredovanje, sudije i predstavnici civilnog sektora.