Program

15-17 November 2020

DAY 1 Sunday, 15 November

Venue: Palace of Serbia, Hall Belgrade, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Belgrade

15.00 - 16.30

PANEL 1: TO CONTINUE OR NOT TO CONTINUE

During the Trump administration, several good developments have occured in the South East Europe: the PRESPA agreement between Greece and Macedonia, Montenegro and North Macedonia accessions to NATO, a recent improvement in Serbia-US relations confirmed by the recently signed bilateral agreement on the normalization of economic relations between Belgrade and Pristina and so called “Mini Schengen” area of a free movement of goods, people, services and capital among Western Balkans (WB) countries …. What can we expect from the new administration? What should be its focus in in the Western Balkans and South Est Europe? What is at stake in the US-EU-NATO cooperation in the area? Are agreements reached at the recently held Berlin Process Sofia Summit (November 10th, 2020) sign of more or less harmonization between the EU and the US policies in the region? In the era of the great power competition and debate about global supply chain restructuring can more flexible forms of cooperation and integration among EU MSs like the Three Sees Initiative, level the filed for deeper WB Euro-Atlantic integrations? How compatible it is with “Mini Schengen”?

Panelists:

  • Gordana Čomić, Minister, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia
  • Damir Marušić, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
  • Sławomir Dębski, Director, The Polish Institute of International Affairs
  • Bertram Braun, Retired State Department Official, US
  • Erik Brattberg, Director at the Europe Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, US
  • COL (R) Ray Wojcik, Colonel (Retired) Ray Wojcik is the Director, Center for European Policy Analysis, Warsaw
  • Moderated by: Elisabeth Braw, Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Columnist for Financial Times, Regular contributor for Foreign Policy and Politico

DAY 2 Monday, 16. November

Venue: Palace of Serbia, Hall Belgrade, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Belgrade

15.00 - 16.00

OPENING CEREMONY

  • Jelena Milić, Director, Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies
  • NATO REPRESENTATIVE: Dr John Manza, Assistant Secretary General for Operations
  • Laura K. Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia
  • Angelina Eichhorst, Managing Director, Western Europe, Western Balkans, Turkey and United Kingdom, EEAS-European External Action Service
  • Moderated by: Jorgen Samso, Correspondent, Euronews, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS NewsHour)

16.00 - 17.30

PANEL 2: SERBIA AND NATO – NEW GOVERNMENT(S) – NEW TRENDS?

Assessment of NATO-Serbia relations against the backdrop of the most recent events: from the Alliance’s support to the fight against the ongoing pandemics, and NATO’s commitment to fight disinformation, to NATO’s continuous support for the Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue, and the recently brokered agreement on the normalization of economic relations between Belgrade and Prishtina; from the role of KFOR as a projector of stability in the region, to the requirement for enhanced regional cooperation.

Panelists:

  • Saša Kostić, Minister-Counsellor, Department for NATO and Partnership for Peace, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia
  • NATO REPRESENTATIVE: Carmen Romero, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO
  • Vesna Marković, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of Republic of Serbia, Member of Parliament, Serbian Progressive Party
  • Andrew A. Michta, Dean, George C. Marshall Center, College of International and Security Studies
  • Suzana Grubješić, Center for Foreign Policy
  • Jelena Milić, Director, Center for Euro-Atlantic Studies
  • Moderated by: Egil Daltveit, Lieutenant Colonel, Norwegian Army Defence Attaché, Royal Norwegian Embassy Belgrade

17.30 - 18.30

PANEL 3: THIS IS US - SERBIA 2020

Presentation of the latest CEAS-CESID opinion poll

(Opinion poll will focus on Serbia-NATO, Serbia-USA, Kosovo, and other relevant security and defense issues, with a comparative analysis with previous polls and with a focus on the impact of the September 4th agreements between Serbia and the US and Kosovo and the US)
  • Moderated by: Jorgen Samso, Correspondent, Euronews, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS NewsHour)

18.30 - 19.00

COFFEE BREAK

19.00 - 20.30

PANEL 4: ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE – SERBIA, SOUTH EAST EUROPE AND TRANSATLANTIC COMMUNITY STABILITY AND PROSPERITY

How relevant is stronger cooperation between Serbia and NATO and the US for the SEE and Transatlantic community’s stability and prosperity? What is the potential impact of the recent decision taken by Serbia to suspend defense-related cooperation activities with all its partners, including NATO? What are the potential consequences in terms of regional cooperation? Serbia is usually linked and assessed through WB6 cooperation, but now is also significantly improving its relations with other neighbors - Hungary, Romania Bulgaria and Greece. How their provisions can be best utilized for Serbian and WB connections to the Three Sea Initiative? (Serbia as a Danube country, Serbia-Bulgaria interconnections, port of Alexandroupolis developments)? Assessment of the Berlin Process Summit in Sofia (November 10th, 2020).

Panelists:

  • Moderated by: John Cappello, Chief of Operations, Balkan Security Network

DAY 3 Tuesday, 17. November

15.00 - 16.30

Panel 5: THE NEW KID IN TOWN - STRENGTHENING OF SERBIA–US DEFENSE COOPERATION

What is the state of affairs now? What are key challenges for further progress? How would improvement in Serbia-US defense cooperation contribute to Serbian EU integration, the stability and security of the WB, EU and NATO? What can we expect from the new US administration? Lessons learned from Poland as a NATO ally and EU MS, and Israel.

Panelists:

  • Moderated by: Teri Schultz, Independent Journalist, National Public Radio (NPR), Deutsche Welle Europe

16.30 - 17.00

COFFEE BREAK

17.00 - 18.30

PANEL 6: SERBIA 2025- AND WHAT ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY, SECURITY AND DEFENSE?

Back in 2019 Serbia set a plan for SERBIA 2025, focusing on the future of regional integrations, deepening of the financial market, education reform, empowering public enterprises and sustainable economy. New security and defense strategies, adopted in 2019, define Serbia as a military neutral country, but they also designate Serbian EU membership as its strategic priority. How well is Serbian public informed about the distinction between political and military neutrality? Is the current perception of this concept flexible enough to sustain various possible outcomes of the ongoing debate about further level of the EU’s strategic autonomy, EU-NATO relation, NATO2030?

Panelists:

  • Jadranka Joksimović, Minister, Ministry for EU integration of the Republic of Serbia
  • H.E. Sem Fabrizi, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
  • Tania Lațici, Policy Analyst, EU Security and Defence Policy, European Parlimentary Research Services (EPRS)
  • Aleksandar Simurdić, Vice president, European Movement in Serbia
  • Duško Tomić, Professor, Head of doctoral and master's studies in security at the American University in Dubai (College of Security and Global Studies)
  • Moderated by: Jorgen Samso, Correspondent, Euronews, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS NewsHour)

18.30 - 19.30

PANEL 7: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Moderated by: Teri Schultz, Independent Journalist, National Public Radio (NPR), Deutsche Welle Europe
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