On April 8 and 9, 2022, the “Western Balkans 2030” Forum was held in Tirana. The forum was organized by the “Qemal Stafa” Foundation in close cooperation with the “Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung” Foundation, where invited were members of socialist parties and sister foundations operating in the Western Balkans and the European Union.
The forum was held with two consecutive panels, leaving time at the end of each for questions from the audience. The first panel on the perspective of the Western Balkans was moderated by Ms. Romina Kuko, Secretary for Foreign Relations at the Socialist Party of Albania and at the same time a member of the FQS board of directors. The panel speakers unanimously reiterated that the future of the Western Balkan countries is the European Union (EU). The accession of the countries of the Western Balkan region to the EU is in the best interests of both parties and it is important that European policymakers consider the accession process a priority at all times.
The second panel on positions for a regional political platform for the future of the Western Balkans was moderated by the Executive Director of FQS, Mr. Ledjon Shahini. This panel emphasized the importance of the region as a whole and discussed the role of sister progressive parties and foundations in increasing cooperation and further prosperity of the six Western Balkan countries.
