Skopje – ESI leads visit to historical region of Macedonia

19 June 2026
Gerald leads a presentation in Skopje. Photo: ESI
Gerald leads a presentation in Skopje. Photo: ESI

ESI’s Gerald Knaus, Kristof Bender and Adi Cerimagic led an educational trip to the historical region of Macedonia, visiting Skopje and Thessaloniki. The trip was organized by the Baden-Badener Unternehmer Gespräche (BBUG), based in Baden-Baden, Germany, which works to forge connections between business and society, commerce and politics.

During the trip, participants met with leading policymakers and thinkers from the region, to better understand Macedonia’s rich history and complicated, yet hopeful present. As both a gateway between Europe and the Middle East and a meeting point of Hellenic and Slavic cultures, the region continues to be a point of ongoing geo-political importance. At the same time, the region has already seen major successes of European diplomacy and deepened regional integration.

The ESI team also took the opportunity to discuss with participants the importance and opportunity of the Balkan region, building on ESI’s deep expertise and engagement with the area. Macedonia specifically and the Balkans more broadly provide a major chance for Europe to deepen its integration and strengthen its outer edge against an imperialist Russia and identitarian threats.