European Western Balkans


European Western Balkans (sometimes abbreviated EWB) is a web portal that focuses on the Western Balkans countries and reports on development of the European Union's enlargement policy towards the states of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo[a].

European Western Balkans
TypeNews Website
Owner(s)Centre for Contemporary Politics
Founder(s)Nemanja Todorović Štiplija, Nikola S. Ristić, Artan Murati
Editor-in-chiefNemanja Todorović Štiplija
Deputy editorNikola Burazer
FoundedMay 21, 2014 (2014-05-21)
LanguageEnglish, Serbian
HeadquartersBelgrade, Serbia
CountrySerbia
Websitewww.europeanwesternbalkans.com
europeanwesternbalkans.rs
Free online archivesYes

The objective of European Western Balkans is to enhance understanding, raise awareness and further dialogue surrounding issues facing the democratization of Balkan nations and the desire for its integration in the European Union. European Western Balkans website takes a more journalistic than scholarly approach with interviews and analysis from journalists, experts, analysts, writers, historians, as well as leaders and political figures from the European Union and Western Balkan states.[1]

European Western Balkans is entirely independent and it is owned and run Centre for Contemporary Politics, think tank based in Belgrade. In 2016 portal together with its parent organization and Konrad Adenauer Foundation published a guide in Serbian language "Evropski parlament i Srbija" (European Parliament and Serbia) with the aim of helping Serbian MP's understanding how European Parliament works. The promotion of the guide took place in National Assembly of Serbia and the speakers were David McAlister and Maja Gojković. [2][3]

Content

Besides publishing regular news, EWB has a series of interviews with key people from Western Balkans countries which are involved in European integration process of their countries and interviews with politicians and specialists in a wide range of fields especially in European Politics and European integration.[4] Some of the notable interviews include: Sebastian Kurz, David McAllister, Johannes Hahn, Axel Dittmann, Hannes Swoboda, Eduard Kukan, Hashim Thaçi, Jadranka Joksimović, Klajda Gjosha, Jean-Eric Paquet, Gunther Krichbaum, Nikola Dimitrov, Goran Svilanović, Vesna Pusić, Majlinda Bregu, Francis Fukuyama.

Besides interview sections, site has a section containing op-eds of various EU related individuals such as: Igor Vidović, Ivan D. Leković, Titus Corlățean, Titus Corlățean, Duško Lopandić, Ulrike Lunacek, Bekim Çollaku, Tanja Fajon, Sir Robert Cooper, Anneliese Dodds, Marko Đurić, Ditmir Bushati, Lubomír Zaorálek, Florian Bieber, Violeta Bulc, Miroslav Lajčák etc.

In August 2020, EWB started recording weekly show called "EWB Screening" on their YouTube[5] and Facebook account. The format of the show consists of one-on-one half an hour interviews with various experts on the topic of European integration related subjects primarily of Serbia, but also of the whole Western Balkans region.

EWB Award for the Contribution to the European Integration

EWB is awarding a yearly Award for the Contribution to the European Integration to persons who are contributed the most to the EU integration of the WEstern Balkans region. First award was awarded in 2019 to Nikola Dimitrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia.[6][7] In 2020, EWB awarded Tanja Fajon, Member of the European Parliament, for "for her unwavering commitment to the European future of the Western Balkans amidst rising challenges, continued representation of the value-based EU in the region, as well as the principled promotion of democracy, freedom and tolerance".

European Western Balkans - Srbija

In April 2017, European Western Balkans - Srbija started to work.[8] New web portal, in Serbian language, is focused mainly on European integration of Republic of Serbia, following negotiations of chapters of Community acquis.[9][10]

Balkanoscope

On 26 March 2018 a new project called "Balkanoscope" was presented in Brussels. It is a joint initiative of EWB and European Fund for the Balkans.[11] Aim of the project is to "present the Balkans from a different viewpoint...where real people are struggling with real issues" by publishing different stories and interviews.[12]

As of 7 August 2018 there are English and French version of the portal.

Notes

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. "About European Western Balkans". European Western Balkans. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  2. "Vodič o Evropskom parlamentu za srpske parlamentarce". N1 Srbija (in Serbian). Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  3. "EVROPSKI PARLAMENT I SRBIJA: Vodič za stabilnu vožnju na putu ka EU predstavljen u Beogradu". kurir.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  4. "Portfolio". European Western Balkans. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  5. "EWB SCREENING - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  6. "Nikola Dimitrov - recipient of an award for contribution to the European integration of the region". Republika English. September 10, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  7. Noveska, Julija (September 10, 2019). "Nikola Dimitrov receives the Award for Contribution to the European Integration of the region". Независен Весник (in Macedonian). Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  8. "European Western Balkans od danas i na srpskom jeziku". Radiotelevizija Vojvodine. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  9. Nenadović, Aleksandra. "European Western Balkans od sada i na srpskom jeziku". Glas Amerike (in Serbian). Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  10. "Stranica koju želite da vidite ne postoji". www.glasamerike.net. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  11. "Sutra u Briselu "Balkanoskop – priče o Balkanu u prvom licu" | Srpska dijaspora | Vesti iz dijaspore i o dijaspori". www.srpskadijaspora.info (in Serbian). Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  12. EWB (March 27, 2018). "Balkanoscope presented in Brussels - European Western Balkans". European Western Balkans. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
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