On Thursday, 12 December 2024, the Faculty of Social Sciences hosted a roundtable discussion entitled NATO and the Western Balkans that was co-organised by the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia, the Chair of Defence Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana and the Friends of the Western Balkans Institute. The event was opened by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and President of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia, Prof. Dr. Iztok Prezelj, and moderated by Borut Pahor, Founder and Director of the Friends of the Western Balkans Institute and President of the Republic of Slovenia (2012-2022), with guests Dr. Dr.. Stevo Pendarovski, President of North Macedonia (2019-2024); Dr. Milica Pejanović Djurišić, Minister of Defence of Montenegro (2012-2016) and President of the Atlantic Council of Montenegro; Pellumb Qazimi, Chief of General Staff of Albania (2000-2006) and Ambassador of Albania to Slovenia (2014-2023).
The event was attended by around 160 people, who listened to a wide range of topics discussed at the roundtable. Speakers stressed, among others, the importance of NATO and the EU for the security and stability of the Western Balkans, drew attention to the interference of external actors and major powers in the region, highlighted the key elements hindering the Western Balkan countries’ access to Euro-Atlantic integrations – organised crime, corruption, mistrust in Euro-Atlantic integration, and underlined the impact of non-military threats that could jeopardise the currently stable but fragile state of the Western Balkans. Speakers also touched upon topics such as the spread of disinformation and propaganda, the importance of strong institutions in ensuring security, the impact of nationalism, radicalisation and inter-ethnic tensions on the further expansion of NATO and the EU in the Western Balkans, and the changes in the field of warfare, security and defence brought about by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
