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Presentation and Discussion: The Western Balkan countries, the Council of Europe and the European Union – towards more European unity?

The 2019-2022 Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey (Horizontal Facility II) is a co-operation initiative established by the Council of Europe and the European Union to assist the countries of the Western Balkans (as well as Turkey) in meeting Council of Europe standards and EU rules and accession criteria. Supporting Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo in strengthening democracy, the rule of law and human rights is to be the role played by the Council of Europe hand in hand with the European Union. Within the framework of a strategic partnership, both organizations promote the enlargement process of the European Union.

Our two experts, Prof. Nußberger, former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights and member of the Venice Commission, and Mr. Flessenkemper, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade and member of the Presidium of the Southeast Europe Association (Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft), will talk about how the creation of conditions for more democratic resilience and respect for the rule of law can be legally and factually implemented.

Program

18:00: Start

Presentations

  • Herr Tobias Flessenkemper - Intergovernmental cooperation from the secretariat's point of view: How is democracy promotion balanced and implemented? How does the cooperation relationship with the European Union look like? 
  • Prof. Dr. DDr. h.c. Angelika Nußberger - How is democracy promotion through the European Convention on Human Rights and the work of the Venice Commission in Western Balkan states done legally?

Discussion and Questions

19:15: Drinks

Details

Moday, 18. September 2023 | 18:00 
Library of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection
Kerpener Str. 30, 50937 Köln

The event is taking place in English.

A joint event of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection, the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik e. V. and the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft.