The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), with the assistance and sponsorship of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and under strategic partnership with the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, organised the high-level closed-door conference “New Visions for the Western Balkans: EU Accession and Regional Security”, held on 3 and 4 April 2023 at the Farnesina. The proceedings were opened by Antonio Tajani, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, and Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, which holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Speeches followed from the foreign ministers of the six Balkan countries, who provided insights for the debates and interventions by leading experts from international organisations, institutions and civil societies. Contributions ranged from the prospects for future integration of the region into the EU, to the progress of the regional integration process, and the security challenges of the region in the current geopolitical context.

Report of the conference “New Visions for the Western Balkans: EU Accession and Regional Security”, organised in Rome on 3-4 April 2023