Policy analysts from the Western Balkans visit Brussels
Among the issues discussed were free access to information, which was also among the ten reform priorities for Croatia in the European Commission’s latest Monitoring Report; threatening export losses for its neighbor Bosnia and Herzegovina due to Croatia’s EU accession; an impact assessment of EU financial assistance; and the role of civil society in EU accession negotiations.
Additional discussion topics included the “enlargement package” published on October 10, 2012 in which the European Commission assessed the progress of candidate countries, as well as Croatia’s entry into the European Union, which is scheduled for July 1, 2013.
Vladimir Drobnjak, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union and an experienced chief-negotiator during Croatia’s EU accession process, took stock of his country’s gradual rapprochement with the Union, the opportunities and difficulties linked to this process, and the last preparations that need to be undertaken before the country’s upcoming EU accession.
The participants of the TRAIN Programme were also able to discuss the current state of the reform and accession process in the Western Balkans with members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission.
Participants emphasized that they are not mainly concerned with speedy and uncomplicated EU accession. Rather, their focus is on how accession preparations can bring about change in politics and society.
The visit to Brussels was the final seminar of this year’s TRAIN Programme (Think Tanks Providing Research and Advice through Interaction and Networking). Sponsored by the German Foreign Office (Stability Pact for South East Europe), the 2012 TRAIN Programme accompanied eight think tanks from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in the development of their policy research on topics relevant for their countries’ integration with the EU. Following their meeting in Brussels, the participating think tanks will seek a dialogue with policy makers and the public in their respective countries to present the outcomes of their research.
