First, panellists expressed their thoughts on the current security situation in the Western Balkans. Mr Németh distinguished between subjective and objective security and emphasised that security in the objective sense has not deteriorated, although this cannot be said about subjective security as particular actors are continuously pushing the boundaries towards the so-called “red lines”. In agreement with the previous speaker, Mr Mišković argued that the possibility of an armed conflict in the region is highly unlikely, especially due to NATO’s presence, however, the unwillingness to reconciliation does not indicate a bright future. Mr Párducz highlighted that non-traditional threats to security, such as irregular migration, corruption, and transboundary organized crime should also be considered in the context of the Western Balkans.

The experts were questioned about Kosovo’s CoE application and the postponement of the voting on the matter. All participants shared the same opinion, according to which no Serbian government would ever recognise Kosovo as a sovereign entity, because this would constitute as an act of treason; hence, Kosovo’s accession to any international or regional organisation will be blocked by Belgrade and its allies, and will also spark fierce reactions from Serbia.

The panel discussion placed the UNGA’s Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide under scrutiny. Although it was adopted with 84 members of the General Assembly voting in favour, 19 against and with 68 abstentions, tensions remain unchanged, if not worse, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mr Mišković considered the scheduling of the resolution unfortunate and said it was strategically irrational. Mr Párducz highlighted the role of great powers in alleviating deep conflicts in the post-Yugoslav region. As permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto rights, Russia and China is not interested in being on the same understanding as the US on significant issues concerning the Western Balkans.

Coming to the end of the discussion, Ms Ármás asked about the recent parliamentary and presidential elections in North Macedonia. Mr Németh argued that the new government, led by the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE can bring political stability to Skopje but might not be able to establish or maintain good neighbourly relations with Greece and Bulgaria. The country’s Euro-Atlantic commitment and support for Ukraine, however, will remain unchanged.

The European Parliamentary elections and the upcoming Hungarian EU presidency were also part of the discussion. Hungary has already announced that it will put the enlargement policy among its priorities; according to Mr Párducz, Budapest somewhat feels obligated to complete this dossier and achieve an important leap forward regarding the accession talks. On the other hand, Mr Mišković expressed his concerns and claimed that the likelihood of EU accession has never been lower. On a more optimistic note, Mr Németh noted that it would not be Hungary’s fault if it was not possible to achieve the same breakthrough in the accession negotiations as under the previous Hungary presidency in 2011, because this Presidency coincides with the complete rearrangement of all the EU institutions. The Research Fellow highlighted that the enlargement policy is dysfunctional because of unanimous decision-making, which should be replaced by qualified majority voting (QMV).