Securing Europe’s Tinderbox: Economic and Geopolitical Challenges in the Balkans

Listen to Event Audio

The Balkans, long viewed as Europe’s tinderbox, remain too important for policymakers to ignore. The Euro-Atlantic community has played a constructive role in the region, helping to secure it, putting an end to the sectarian violence of the 1990s, and establishing a presence on the ground to safeguard this hard-won peace. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union have been crucial drivers of reform and modernization here. However, many economic and geopolitical challenges remain. Join Hudson’s Center on Europe and Eurasia for an event that will discuss the challenges and opportunities in the Balkans.

Keynote Speech

Luminita Odobescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania

Panel One: Economic Opportunities in the Balkans

Luke Coffey, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

Jan Ruzicka, Chief External Affairs Officer, PPF Group

Amb. Cameron Munter, Former US Ambassador to Serbia

Moderator: Matt Boyse, Adjunct Fellow, Hudson Institute

Panel Two: Geopolitical Challenges in the Balkans

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria

Jaroslav Kurfürst, Director General for Europe, Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ivana Stradner, Senior Fellow, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Moderator: Peter Rough, Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia