The Budapest Balkans Forum Roadshow (BBF On Tour) event was presented at the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs by Viktor Eszterhai, the institute's director of research, and researchers Ferenc Nemeth, Julianna Armas, Anna Orosz and Cintia Viola.
Their first stop was in Skopje this week, with an event in Pristina next week, but they plan to travel to a different part of the Balkans each month, until the next Budapest Balkans Forum in March 2024.
As Director Viktor Eszterhai said, the Institute of Foreign Affairs' area of priority is the Balkans, which is often seen as under-researched and less known in the West than other regions, but that they have worked very hard with their staff to change this.
There is always something happening in the Balkans. EU enlargement will be a huge issue, and will supply plenty of topics for the next period,
Eszterhai added.
The eighth Budapest Balkan Forum will take place in March 2024, which is Europe's largest Balkan-themed event.
Last year, the event hosted four foreign ministers, including from Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania. As the director pointed out, these are good discussions because there is no predefined political line to follow, and free and excellent debates can develop.
One of the important pillars of the next forum will be economic issues, such as how Hungary can deepen relations with the region, but the energy issue will also be raised and economic ministers will be invited to the event.
We are presenting a new format, which is none other than the Budapest Balkans Forum on Tour, so that we don't just talk about the Balkans, but also go there,
the director emphasized.
It is important for participants to be able to talk to experts on the ground, and to develop a deep collaboration of experts from which all can extensively benefit. In the long term, the institute would like to bring the best experts here through various grant programs, in order to gain new knowledge from them.
Ferenc Nemeth, head of the Western Balkans Research Program, said that during the meeting in Skopje, the differences within the EU over Ukraine came to the fore, as well as what reforms are needed in the organization and whether they can be implemented.
In Skopje, Nemeth added that sitting next to experts representing the Czech, the North Macedonian, and the Brussels positions was very educational.
Researcher Julianna Armas, who also attended the event in the North Macedonian capital said,
Everyone agreed that it would be a political decision if the EU's enlargement with Ukraine were to be implemented, which would generate controversy for the Western Balkans as well, since the North Macedonians have done everything for accession and would feel that they were still only waiting in the EU's entry way.
As for the next event in Belgrade, researcher Anna Orosz said that expectations have changed regarding the formulation of the EU's climate policy and climate goals. This will not only affect Hungary, but also the potential EU membership candidates in the Western Balkans, as they are under strong pressure to align with the EU's approach. At the Serbian-Hungarian meeting the two country's joint gas trading company will also be discussed.
Governmental, corporate and expert levels will all be represented at the Serbian-Hungarian meeting.
In response to press questions, Armas said that the fear of war breaking out over the Serbian-Kosovo crisis exists primarily only in public opinion. He said that Hungarians in general have a stereotyped view of the Balkans, and explained that
the locals there do not experience the situation as tragic or dangerous like we do. This also shows how lucky we are, as to us, this is already a conflict, which for them is part of everyday life.
Cover photo: Illustration (Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP)
